Why you feel stuck even with a plan: the neuroscience of motivation
For many clients, feeling stuck isn’t just about tasks left undone. When they don’t see progress on their plan, they not only start to question their plan, but also themselves.
“Why can’t I follow through?”
But good news upfront: You might not be lazy. Your brain chemistry might be working against you.
In this article, we cover the neuroscience behind motivation and distraction and what to do when progress towards your social impact career goals feels slow.
You can expect:
The surprising reason you feel stuck with your plan
How dopamine affects motivation and progress
3 practical ways to restore motivation and regain momentum (and don’t take long)
The surprising reason you feel stuck with your plan
You made the plan. You want the goal. So why do you feel like you're getting nowhere?
Enter my client V. She was preparing to transition from a full-time at a UN agency into freelance work in a few months. She did everything "right". We mapped out her game plan. We clarified the focus areas: visibility, connection, and conversion. Made space in her schedule.
Momentum was building. And then …
In our session a few weeks later, she said: "What should I do next? I feel like I'm just plodding along."
Despite a clear plan, she was searching for THE next thing, the missing thing she was not yet doing.
What was really going on for my client V.?
What's really going on when you lose motivation?
Shiny object syndrome: when distraction masks progress
Shiny Object Syndrome = Constant distraction, driven by the belief that something new is more appealing or worthwhile than current efforts.
It's that constant tug towards something new. Something seemingly better or more productive than what you're already doing.
It tells you: "Maybe this isn't working. Maybe I need a better strategy."
But the truth? My client V. didn't need more to do. She needed a way to reconnect with the goal and her progress.
Real life was creeping in - family tasks, urgent project requests, an unexpected donor deadline … All that kept her mind elsewhere.
It wasn't that she wasn't making progress on her plan. She'd just stopped noticing and feeling progress.
She thought she needed to change the plan. Instead, she needed to address that feeling that she was not progressing.
And that's where dopamine comes in.
How dopamine affects motivation and progress
The feeling of being stuck, distracted, or "meh"?
That's your body saying: Low dopamine.
Take a moment. Where do you feel distracted or not "feeling it"?
… Maybe you respond to requests from colleagues instead of working on your strategic priority project - the one that needs thinking time and multiple action steps to complete.
… Maybe you scroll social media instead of continuing that course you started a few weeks ago.
Dopamine is your brain's reward compass.
Dopamine isn't just a 'feel good' chemical. It's your brain's internal GPS for what's worth your effort.
Dopamine is the great motivator. It moves us towards things we expect to feel good and away from things we perceive to cause pain.
It's an expectation chemical.
When you can't see progress, dopamine drops.
When you expect a win, it rises.
And it moves fast, so we sometimes find it hard to resist our urges (or distractions). The analytical part of our brain takes longer to weigh the pros and cons of what has already hooked us.
So, how do you give your brain the expectation of a win - without getting hijacked by distractions?
3 ways to restore motivation and regain momentum (and don’t take long)
Here are three things to gently boost dopamine and restore motivation when the going feels slow:
1. Focus on progress and celebrate every win
Celebration boosts your brain's sense of progress. Celebration is a powerful boost of dopamine and motivates us forward.
The trick is to celebrate progress towards the goal.
Back to my client V.. We looked back. She'd spoken to nine new people about her plan. She refined her outreach messages and got quicker in sending them. Had a breakthrough conversation with a former mentor. Gained clarity on her offer.
Turns out she wasn't just plodding along after all. She had several wins we could celebrate, but she'd not acknowledged them.
So we created a Google Doc titled "[Name] celebrates progress." Each week, she adds her wins.
Here are other ideas you can try:
Share 1 daily win with a friend or coach.
Keep a running note on your phone, and every night write 3 things that went well.
Say out loud: "That was a win."
Bonus tip: What rewards can you introduce into your plan once you hit a progress moment? Maybe a massage after completing a course module? Treat yourself to a dinner at your favourite restaurant? Buy yourself flowers?
2. Visualise your desired outcome
Dopamine is linked with the visual cortex of the brain. Visualisation releases dopamine.
This isn't magic or "manifestation". It's a mental rehearsal. You're creating a dopamine anchor that reminds you of why you want it. You give your brain the expectation of a dopamine hit.
Instead of just repeating your to-do list, visualise the moment after completion:
What will it feel like
to have done that presentation?
To have given a smashing interview performance?
To book that first freelance client?
To hear "yes" from someone who truly sees your value?
I have recorded a visualisation for you that you can try. Listen to this outcome visualisation. (Audio, Soundcloud 5 minutes)
Bonus tip: Outcome visualisation is only one form of visualisation. You can add progress visualisation: Visualise yourself as you do the things that move you towards that goal. Visualise yourself in action. Rehearse what you're doing. Top athletes do this all the time.
3. Support your dopamine baseline naturally.
We live in a world where we drive towards our goals with our mental ability. What do we forget? The mind-body connection.
We cannot isolate dopamine from the interplay with other chemicals in the body.
Enough sleep, nutritious food, movement, getting outdoors, and doing fun activities (not only work) interplay with your body's chemistry (including your dopamine production).
Here's Andrew Huberman (youtube, 8 min) about increasing your dopamine baseline.
Bonus tip: How you schedule your energy matters as much as how you plan your time.
Applying these insights: What does this mean for you?
The next time you feel stuck, ask yourself:
"Am I actually off-track - or am I just not feeling the progress?"
Often, it isn't about doing more. It's about tuning into what's really going on - and giving your brain the signal that says: “Yes, this is worth it”
Which one of these strategies might support you this week?
Pick one. Start small.
And if you want deeper support to get unstuck from the inside out - that's what coaching is for.
“Book a 45 min discovery call to discuss how coaching can support you. We’ll discuss your biggest challenge, what overcoming this might look like and if my coaching is a good fit - no strings attached.
