Motivating ourselves can be a brief task and simply shaking our head and refocusing may do the trick, but many of us need more physical, and sometimes emotional or social, input.
Whether you are in an office with others or working from home, the simple act of making a cup of coffee or tea could do the trick. However, it may be more ingrained and refocusing on a project that needs your input, or getting writers' block, is probably going to take more than a trip to the kitchen.
Writing a list of what you need to work on is always a good start and, if towards the middle of the day, a walk outside can also help consolidate those action points.
Remember that you also need to put your tasks in perspective and, if the task is making you unhappy, a walk around the block, will help shake the fatigue, but remember to make that list first. It will help you focus, the walk itself will help you, and if it doesn't, talking to a colleague who is not related to the project at hand could you give fresh eyes. That list is also key as your walk will assist to shake down the components of the task. For example, if the task is a report, drafting the conclusion (believe it or not) may be a good place to start. The actual exercise of visualising, and then drafting, the whole thing may help you put the introduction and methodologies into the correct order and, although the conclusion may change in the detail or in the approach, the act of writing the report in this way will refocus your point of view and make the act of writing a little more straightforward.
The key here is be honest with yourself, if its the fact you aren't interacting with people enough, being where people are simply around, may help. If its the technology that's giving you grief, leave it behind. If its simply a change of scene, again, easily remedied, but only you will know, and if you aren't sure, try all three to see if that motivation comes back.
A good friend of mine, for many years, had writers block continually throughout her projects. Whether it was writing the initial proposal or to the final report. The act of presenting and carrying out the project itself was what she loved most. The key for her was acknowledging this and simply using her network of friends and professional contacts to bounce off ideas and drafts. In the end, she kept those blocks to the barest minimum by simply talking to people.
I've talked about distraction earlier in this blog as a tool, and although I wouldn't recommend it for tasks that need immediate resolution, for longer timescales or for a particular block which has ingrained itself into your head, distraction may also be a key in helping you. Remembering (and visualising) that beach or simply completing a task which is opposite to the one that is providing the current challenge. Distraction can also become a tool for creativity, whether you are working solo or part of a team.
For a solo exercise, I've already pointed to writing a Haiku. However, if you are more visual, try taking a large piece of paper, closing your eyes and then, with a dark pen, making large squiggles without taking the pen off the paper. Once you think you have done enough, open your eyes and using other colours, draw out of the page a face or an animal or any image which bounces out at you. Put in as much detail, or as little as you like, but I would spend at least 30 to 40 minutes on this exercise. As the image forms and you put additional detail into it, you will find that your mind will calm down and going back to the task at hand will be more focused. If using this as a motivation tool at home, I would write my list first, make a tea or a coffee, then do the exercise, and then review your list. As you review your list a second time, there will be details and aspects of the list which you will naturally add to and your focus should return. Again, only you will know what works for you, but I would try this a few times, taking less or more time drawing out the image. Perhaps at the back of that notebook that you carry around with you has a few pages which are crying out for a mini version of the above, so rather than be in the habit of carrying just a few pens in your bag, a small packet of coloured pens are added too?
For a team, if there is the time, then provide coloured pens and paper (and paint if the circumstances allow) and ask each team member to draw an aspect of the project but without telling their team mates which aspect it is. On the reverse side of the sheets the original contributor's name is written but they cannot use words or numbers as part of the exercise itself, so the drawings must be purely visual. The sheets are then rotated around the group, each team member adding their own interpretations onto the sheets. At the end of the process they review the pictures and comment about how the project works in their minds. Each team member gets five minutes of uninterrupted time to share their thoughts. At the end of the session, the team or exercise leader then leads a discussion of how the project could move forward. As everyone has had the opportunity to contribute to the project in a non-verbal way, as well as having time to explain their approach or the imagery they have made, motivation as a team and as individuals are maximised. Of course, the exercise or team leader sets the scene, so that the participants have some guide as to which part of a project or timeline they are focusing on. It could be the launch of a potential new brand or the design of a new front page for an online channel, but balance the detail with the freedom for creative input. This approach also assists later, when people become demotivated, as they can return to the images and the feelings of fun and creativity that they evoked.
If the key to your lack of motivation is more emotionally based, perhaps your organisation is undergoing negative change or perhaps you aren't focused for personal reasons, the main tools in your arsenal is taking some key points and drawing the practical aspects of the job at hand. Make your list, it will be purely factual components of the task but focussing just on these will itself prove a distraction to anything negative around you. This works well if you are an assistant in a large company and simply need to get those travel arrangements done, then writing what needs to be completed in the correct order, will focus you and then you can tick of each aspect of the task. As you have your very practical list, it will be easy to focus on these and not what is happening around you.
Finally, if all else fails, go back to basics and simply stop what you are doing and give yourself a break. It may be difficult if this is at work, but if you are part of team and your part of the project is crucial, there may be some flexibility in speaking with a team leader or your manager, perhaps with a view to swapping your task with somebody else. If this isn't possible, having an open conversation with your manager, perhaps by shifting the deadline or the act of talking it through, may also assist.
Whatever your approach, I hope the above has at least given you some inspiration or a well needed break from your tasks of the day.
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