As I sit down to write this, I’ll be honest – it’s taken me a long time to get here. I’ve wrestled with the idea of writing this blog for days, perhaps even weeks. I know the benefits: someone might read it and connect with my experience, it could help someone feel less alone, and it’s good for my website’s SEO. But even knowing all of that, it still didn’t feel like enough to push me into action straight away.
That’s the tricky thing about motivation. We often talk about it as if it’s a simple switch you can flick on when you need it. But for many of us – especially those who are neurodivergent – it’s not that straightforward.
Why Motivation Feels Harder Than It “Should”
For a long time, I thought I had a motivation problem. I’d beat myself up for procrastinating or failing to start something I knew was important. But after my diagnosis, I was able to reframe what was really happening.
What I struggle with isn’t laziness or a lack of willpower – it’s task initiation. For neurodivergent people, the brain often needs more of a dopamine “spark” to get moving. It’s not that the task is impossible; it’s that the brain has trouble switching gears to start.
This is sometimes described as autistic inertia: difficulty starting tasks, stopping tasks once you’ve begun, or resuming them after an interruption. Add in challenges with executive function and demand avoidance (where anything framed as a “must” becomes harder to face), and you have a recipe for frustration.
The good news? Once I understood what was really happening, I could find strategies that worked with my brain instead of against it.
Strategies That Actually Help
Here are some things that make a real difference for me and perhaps they’ll help you too:
- Visual supports – To-do lists are more than reminders; they’re tangible motivation boosters. Crossing something off gives your brain a dopamine hit that says, Yes, I did it.
- One step at a time – Instead of thinking about the whole project, I focus on the next tiny action. “Open my laptop.” “Write one sentence.” It feels far less overwhelming that way.
- Chunking time – Setting aside a whole afternoon or even a day for a task can ease the pressure. Without a ticking clock, I’m more likely to settle into the flow.
- Breaks are essential – Regular pauses keep my energy up. Without them, I hit a wall and lose momentum.
- Routine and structure – When tasks have a regular place in my day or week, they feel less like mountains to climb and more like natural steps.
- Reframing demands – Instead of saying “I have to do this,” I try to see it as something I choose to do, or something that will help my future self.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, unmotivated, or frustrated by your inability to “just do the thing,” know this: you’re not broken. Motivation doesn’t look the same for everyone, and struggling to start doesn’t mean you lack ambition or ability.
For me, understanding my neurodivergence has been freeing. It’s helped me swap shame for self-compassion and replace unhelpful strategies with tools that actually work.
Motivation isn’t about forcing yourself – it’s about finding the right conditions for your brain to thrive.