Hey, thanks for stopping to figure out 9 steps to get moving when you don’t feel like doing anything!
A problem a lot of people are dealing with during the pandemic is how to get yourself in gear when you don’t feel like doing anything.
Pandemic or not, this can be brought on from being unemployed, feeling depressed, being anxious, and just not being able to get yourself into gear.
This happens to people who are unemployed with lots of time on their hands. It also happens to people who are employed and feeling anxious about being infected with the coronavirus.
It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. There’s no motivation to do anything. It’s a form of paralysis. You know you have to get stuff done and you still can’t push yourself to do it.
The paralysis could start before taking the first step out of bed. Or it could be more complicated as you try to plan out your day.
It’s easier to do nothing.
I know. I’ve been there a lot. Since way before I even heard the word coronavirus. Pushing myself to get going is something I know all about.
How do I get myself through the day when I don’t feel like doing anything?
It’s all about breaking things down into manageable chunks.
Here are 9 steps to get going in the morning when you don’t feel like doing anything.
1. Getting out of bed
Let’s start with the first thing we do every day. Wake up.
Wow! We’re still breathing. It’s a great day!
Gratitude!
Unless you’re sick, sit up, put your feet on the floor, and push yourself off that bed.
2. Get dressed
Ever since I was little, I never left my bedroom in my nightclothes. I always got dressed before leaving my bedroom. That hasn’t changed. Even though I live alone, I don’t wander around the house in my pajamas.
I don’t know if that’s a modesty thing starting from a young age, but it’s served me well my whole life.
Make this your new daily habit. Every day for a month, get out of bed, take off your jammies, and get into your day clothes. It takes a month for a habit to kick in. Soon you’ll be doing this automatically. Get out of bed. Put your clothes on.
The other reason I get out of my pajamas right away is that I have dogs to walk. And I mean walk. Leash on, around the block.
Or where I live now, around the pasture.
If you need a reason to get out of bed in the morning – get yourself a dog! They rely on you for walkies and food. Be the person your dog thinks you are. Get up, put your clothes on, walk the dog, and feed the dog.
Now that the dog is taken care of – you’re ready to take care of you and get on with your day!
3. Set your clothes out
Do you lie in bed and try to figure out what clothes to wear?
I don’t have a thing in my closet!

One tip to help you get out of bed and dressed right away is to set out your clothes the night before. I don’t remember if my mother ever did that, but she probably did. These days I find it’s just one less thing for me to think about in the morning.
If you have a chair in your bedroom, put the next day’s clothes there. I don’t have a chair, so I hang my clothes on the doorknob before going to bed.
Now here’s where it gets tricky if you’re employed and have dogs. I sure don’t want to get into work clothes to walk my dogs. That means pulling on jeans and a top and heading outside.
Afterwards I’ll change into work clothes. Kind of sucks changing clothes twice within an hour!
If you’re unemployed, or have a really casual workplace and can wear jeans or shorts, what you wear for walking the dog is probably good enough to wear for the rest of the day.
4. Brush your teeth
I can’t deal with the yucky taste in my mouth, so as soon as the dog is taken care of, I brush my teeth. I’ve been using an Oral B Braun plaque remover for years. I don’t particularly like brushing my teeth, but it’s part of daily hygiene. I get to do it one more time before going to bed. The Oral B rechargeable toothbrush makes a job I don’t want to do a whole lot easier. Your dentist will also be happy you’re using this because it removes plaque.
I just buy whatever Oral B Braun toothbrush is the cheapest because they have to be replaced every few years when they stop holding a charge. Here’s the one I have. Except mine is lilac. Maybe that color is discontinued? Pink is close enough! (Disclosure: I’m an Amazon associate. If you click the link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission for the referral.)
5. Face moisturizer
Once my teeth are brushed, I put on face moisturizer with SPF15 because I like to take as many precautions as I can to not get skin cancer.
My father and both his sisters had skin cancer and were constant visitors to the dermatologist to get spots removed, so this is an area of concern for me.
I’ve used Oil of Olay since my twenties, though these days it mostly goes by Olay.
Who remembers the old commercials about how Oil of Olay is the secret for looking younger?
Yeah I learned the secret of looking younger before I got too old!
6. Hair
After my face is moisturized, I comb my hair.
I’m not much into styling my hair. I’m just trying to make myself look presentable.
No curling irons here! A few swipes of the comb and I’m done.
Look how much has been accomplished already!
Not bad for someone who doesn’t feel like getting going in the morning.
7. Breakfast
Got to eat, but who feels like making breakfast?
Not me.
So I make breakfast ahead of time.
This could be my peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal bake. I keep a few squares in the freezer after I’ve eaten one from my fresh batch. This keeps me feeling full for hours.

Or I might grab a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin out of the freezer and nuke it – something else that keeps me full for hours.
I also like overnight trail mix oats, and really hope I remembered to make it the night before!
I’m really big on smoothies for breakfast or lunch (or both!), so check out my favorite recipe – chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie.
Check out this slideshow on Good Housekeeping for 30 quick and easy breakfast ideas.
8. Makeup
Yuck! I’m not a girly girl but as I’m getting older I realize I have to make the effort to look presentable. Or at least not scare off people! After I’ve eaten, it’s time for makeup. If I’m going to work, I’ve probably only left myself five minutes before getting in the car. Like I said – I’m not a morning person. Or a makeup person.
It has to be fast. My go to is another Olay product that Cover Girl teamed up on called Simply Ageless. A wrinkle defying tinted foundation.(Disclosure: I’m an Amazon associate. If you click the link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission for the referral.)
I use shade #245, warm beige. And bonus – SPF20 in these products. It comes with a little round sponge. I wipe it around the swirly Simply Ageless and then get to work on my face, giving it some color and covering any blotches. Takes me a minute.
Oh, if I remember, I’ll put on Olay/Covergirl Simply Ageless primer first. I don’t always remember. No biggie.
I have these two items on Amazon’s subscription service so I always have them on hand. The Simply Ageless 245 I have the dickens of the time finding in the local stores that only seem to go up to 240. One container lasts me a couple of months. The primer lasts me 4 months at least, but that’s mostly because I don’t always remember to put it on! I’m always skipping a delivery on Amazon with that one.
I don’t always wear blush, but I like roll on blush. Fast and easy. I put a couple of dabs on my cheeks and use my finger to blend it in. Otherwise I’d look like a clown. Try this one from Revlon.
For lipstick, I’m more about lip balm or gloss. Lately my go to is Burt’s Bee’s tinted lip balm. Moisturizes my lips and gives me color at the same time.
9. Shower?
If you’re really ambitious you can add one more step somewhere before you put on your make up and grab a shower. I’m not that ambitious, so shower is not part of my morning routine.
Some people shower in the morning. They can’t start the day without showering.
That’s not me. I’m not a morning person. The less things I have to do in the morning before rushing off to work (if I actually have a job to go to) the better.
Something I’ve done forever is shower at night. Not necessarily right before I go to bed, but sometime in the evening.
And yes, often I wake up with funky new hair-dos!
If I get into bed at night and I’m clean, then I won’t be rubbing day dirt off on my bed sheets.
Unless having a shower is really ingrained into your morning routine, I recommend giving yourself one less thing to do in the morning and shower later in the day.

Wow!
Look how much you accomplished within about 45 minutes of waking up.
- Out of bed
- Dressed
- Dog walked
- Teeth brushed
- Hair brushed
- Face moisturized
- Breakfast eaten
- Dog fed
- Make up on
Yay! You did it! 9 steps to get moving when you don’t feel like doing anything! You’re ready to take on the day!
You’re ready to go. Whether or not you have any place to go is another story. But you’re ready if someone knocks on your door or phones with an emergency. All you have to do is grab your keys and go.
And here’s the big secret. Try to get as much done the night before like setting out your clothes and showering. That way you have less to think about in the morning when you roll out of bed.
Every little change you make can help improve your life. And help you get moving when you don’t feel like doing anything.

Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on July 18, 2020 and updated October 1, 2024 for link accuracy.
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