You've been there.

It started out easy. You were motivated by the bigger picture. But then tasks dragged out, becoming harder and harder.

You lost interest.

What happened? At the start you were interested - why not now? Here's a check.

Two simple questions:

• Can you remember what was interesting?

• (And if so) Is that still interesting now?

And here's what to do about it.

Can't remember

Remind yourself (this is one reason why journaling is a good idea).

Still interesting

You've lost the connection between the task and the reason. Regain the connection. Or else focus on the bigger picture (this always helps).

Not interesting

The way you think about the bigger picture has changed. Check whether you still want to do it at all. If you do (or it's a priority set by someone else), take a step back. Zoom out until the bigger picture becomes interesting again. Hold onto that.

Interest always increases effectiveness. So now you know two simple questions and three simple tactics to combat drudgery. What's stopping you using this right now?