More Fountains. Fewer Drains.

What if motivation isn’t the problem?

For many of us, low energy isn’t a lack of drive, it’s the result of too many drains quietly pulling from the same limited well. When energy is constantly leaking, no amount of motivation can refill it. The more helpful question isn’t How do I get more motivated? but Where is my energy being spent?

Motivation Is Overrated

Motivation is a fluctuating phenomenon, not a stable resource. It rises and falls based on our sleep, stress, exercise, health, environment, and emotional load. Treating motivation as something we should always have creates unrealistic self-judgment.

The truth is this: when energy is protected, motivation often naturally follows. When energy is constantly depleted, motivation struggles to show up, no matter how strong our intentions are.

Before adding something new to your life, it’s worth asking whether something else needs to be removed.

Understanding Energy Drains

An energy drain is anything that consistently takes more out of us than it gives back. Some drains are obvious, lack of sleep, illness, overwork. Others are subtle and easy to miss.

Common hidden drains include:

• Decision fatigue: making too many small choices throughout the day

• Emotional labor: managing others’ feelings, expectations, or reactions

• Overcommitment: saying yes by default rather than by intention

• Mental clutter: unfinished tasks, open loops, constant reminders

• Digital overload: notifications, news, and endless scrolling

• Unclear boundaries: blurred lines between work and rest, availability and privacy

None of these drains are dramatic by themselves. But together they create a steady leak that leaves us feeling tired before the day even begins.

Addition by Subtraction

We often try to fix low energy by adding habits, morning routines, workouts, journaling, productivity systems. These can be helpful, but only if there’s room.

Removing a single drain often restores more energy than adding a new practice. When one persistent stressor is addressed, the entire system benefits. Focus improves. Emotional regulation becomes easier. Motivation becomes less forced.

Think of energy like water in a bucket. You can keep pouring more in, but if there’s a hole in the bottom, it won’t stay full. Plugging the hole is more effective than pouring faster.

The 10-Minute Energy Audit

We don’t need a complete life overhaul to identify what’s draining us. A brief audit can reveal where small changes will have the biggest impact.

Set aside ten quiet minutes and ask:

• What leaves me feeling mentally exhausted most often?

• What tasks do I dread, not because they’re hard, but because they’re draining?

• Where do I feel pressured to be “on” all the time?

• What commitments do I keep out of guilt rather than choice?

• What mental loops revisit me repeatedly without resolution?

Write down what comes to mind without editing. Patterns will appear quickly.

Then choose one drain to address, not five. Sustainable change starts small.

How to Reduce Drains Without Creating More Work

Reducing drains doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility or disengaging from life. It means being intentional about where your energy goes.

Here are a few examples:

• Decision fatigue: Simplify recurring choices. Rotate meals, outfits, or schedules to reduce daily decisions.

• Emotional labor: Notice where you absorb responsibility for others’ emotions. Practice letting reactions belong to the person experiencing them.

• Overcommitment: Pause before reflexively saying yes. Ask, Do I have the capacity for this right now?

• Mental clutter (loose change): Write things down instead of holding them in your head. Close open loops when possible.

• Digital overload: Set clear times for checking email or news rather than replying constantly.

• Boundary erosion: Decide when you are available, and when you’re not, and honor that decision.

Each micro adjustment restores a little energy. Over time these adjustments compound.

What Happens When Drains Are Reduced

As drains are addressed, notice the shifts:

• Focus improves without extra effort

• Motivation feels more natural

• Emotional reactivity decreases

• Rest becomes more restorative

• Creativity and clarity return

These changes aren’t the result of pushing harder, they’re the result of creating space.

When energy is protected, motivation stops feeling like something you have to chase.

A Different Definition of Self-Care

Self-care isn’t always about doing more. Often, it’s about doing less of what drains you.

Instead of asking: What new habit should I add?

Try asking: What can I remove, reduce, or renegotiate?

That question alone can shift our relationship with energy, motivation, and well-being.

Closing Thought

You don’t need to become a more motivated person. You need fewer things quietly pulling you off balance.

Start by identifying one drain. Address it gracefully. Notice what happens. Profit.

Often motivation isn’t missing at all, it’s simply buried beneath unnecessary actions.