Take your break first. This Sunday I could not get motivated. I didn’t want to clean, I didn’t want to do laundry, or prep food for the week. Luckily my husband was on the same page so we sat on the couch, watched movies, and played games with our kids. It was awesome

But now it’s time to get going. With four kids, stuff piles up quick. Here’s how I get myself back into my routine when I’m struggling with motivation:

Start with Gratitude

I try to journal daily. My typical journal set up is quadrants: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual. I check on this areas of my life and write whatever comes up. But when I’m feeling unmotivated, I’ll free write about three things for which I’m grateful.

There is so much to do all the time! And it never stops. But I do love it. So I try to remember that. I’m proud of what my husband and I have accomplished together. I’m thankful for a great partner who shares in my visions for the future.

Life is good. It’s mostly good. We’ve got a decent routine, we’ve got ahold of our responsibilities, sometimes we get run down and exhausted, that’s ok. When it happens, I rest, then I keep going.

Prepare to Skip Chores

There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything, every once in a while we trade chores for relaxation. This past weekend, we chose the couch and I’m glad we did. But what that means is, we didn’t food shop. For the most part, we plan meals in advance. It helps us save on grocery shopping and helps us eat healthier.

Ordering take-out used to be our go-to for when we didn’t want to make dinner but it’s really unhealthy, not usually filling enough, and when the order is wrong it’s so frustrating. Meal preparing is gathering foods that only take a few steps to make. For example, french fries, frozen appetizers, frozen lasagnas, microwave rice or pasta bags, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and ready-made sides.

Other chores we skip are dishes, so we use paper/plastic. I try to mindfully balance wants and needs. When I have a motivated week, month, run, our family can skip the paper and plastic. Being gentle with ourselves means allowing for the ebbs and flows of our choices and abilities.

Recharge Alone

It’s impossible to run on 100% all of the time. Taking a break sometimes means wåtching a 30 min tv show and sometimes it’s taking an entire weekend to hang out with ourselves.

Motivation is just like any other feeling. We want to give time and space to each feeling that arises in ourselves so we know where it is directing us. When our motivation is blocked, it helps to give space to the feelings that are there. Let them have their moment to shine. Pay close attention to what you’re feeling inside and address the needs that arise.

When you allow yourself to honestly identify your needs in each moment, your motivation will return naturally.

Set a Deadline

You work hard, being lazy once in a while is a good thing. If you think you’ll take more time than you should, set an end. Let yourself stray from your routine, your commitments, your chores, and put a reminder in your calendar to restart your routine.

Let yourself have a vacation, embrace the lazy. Thank it for slowing you down, for redirecting your attention, for giving you a reason to check out.

When you’re ready, you’ll know exactly how to push yourself back on track. Trust.