What to Do When the Motivation Dips

It's mid-January, and if you're reading this, you might be feeling it.

That fresh New Year's energy? It's fading. The goals you set with such clarity on January 1st? They're starting to feel heavy. You're wondering if you're already falling behind, if you're disciplined enough, if this year will be any different.

Let me tell you something important: You're doing it right, the dip is part of the path.

Because here's the truth: the dip is where the real work begins. And as women, we're navigating this transition with unique challenges that most goal-setting advice completely ignores.

Understanding the Capacity Gap for Working Women

Let's start with why the motivation dip hits working women especially hard.

When you set your New Year's goals, you were operating on fresh-start energy and optimism. But now, a few weeks in, reality has reasserted itself. And that reality includes something most goal-setting frameworks don't account for: the invisible load.

The invisible load includes:

• Mental load (remembering everyone's schedules, appointments, preferences).
• Emotional labor (managing relationships, checking in on people, mediating conflicts).
• Decision fatigue (making hundreds of daily decisions for yourself and others).
• The second shift (the work that happens after work).

None of this stopped in January just because you set a goal to work out three times a week or launch your side business.

This is what I call the capacity gap: the space between what you want to accomplish and what you actually have bandwidth for when you account for everything you're already carrying.

The "One More Thing" Trap

Here's what happens for most of us: we add goals without subtracting anything else. We treat our goals like items on an ever-expanding to-do list rather than commitments that require real capacity.

You can't pour into a cup that's already full. Something has to give, or something has to change.

The Permission Problem

And here's the kicker: even when we know something needs to give, many of us wait for permission to prioritize ourselves. Permission from our partners, our bosses, our kids, our aging parents. We've been conditioned to put everyone else's needs first, so when motivation dips and the goal gets hard, it's easier to let our own priorities slide.

But here's what I need you to hear: you need a plan that accounts for reality.

The Four Types of Self-Sabotage During the Dip

Now let's talk about what actually shows up when motivation fades. I've identified four common patterns that working women fall into during the mid-January dip. See if you recognize yourself in any of these:

1. The Perfectionist Pivot

What it looks like: "If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all."

You missed two workouts this week, so you decide the whole week is shot. You didn't have time to meal prep on Sunday, so you abandon healthy eating entirely. You couldn't dedicate a full hour to your side project, so you don't work on it at all.

Why it happens: Your brain is trying to protect you from the discomfort of imperfection. All-or-nothing thinking feels safer than the messy middle of "good enough."

The micro-intervention: Practice the 2-minute rule. If you can't do the full thing, do 2 minutes. Can't do a 45-minute workout? Do 10 minutes. Can't write for an hour? Write for 5 minutes. Progress over perfection.

2. The Comparison Spiral

What it looks like: Scrolling Instagram and feeling behind.

Everyone else seems to be crushing their goals. Their morning routines look effortless. Their progress looks linear. Meanwhile, you're struggling to get out of bed on time.

Why it happens: Social media shows us everyone's highlight reel during the exact moment we're feeling most vulnerable about our own progress.

The micro-intervention: Unfollow or mute accounts that trigger comparison during this season. Remember that you're comparing your behind-the-scenes to someone else's curated feed. Focus on your own starting point, not someone else's middle or end.

3. The Invisible Abandonment

What it looks like: Quietly stopping without telling anyone.

You had an accountability partner, but you stopped texting them. You joined a challenge group, but you stopped posting. You set the goal publicly, but now you're just hoping no one asks about it.

Why it happens: Shame and the desire to avoid judgment. It feels easier to fade away quietly than to admit you're struggling.

The micro-intervention: Tell one person. Just one. "Hey, I'm in the dip with my goal and I need support." Vulnerability is the antidote to invisible abandonment. (And this is why Step 3 of my framework, Protect the Plan, includes sharing it with someone.)

4. The Emergency Override

What it looks like: Everyone else's needs suddenly become urgent.

Your partner needs help with a project. Your mom needs you to handle something. Your coworker needs coverage. Your kid needs extra support with homework. Suddenly, every single day has an "emergency" that requires you to deprioritize your goal.

Why it happens: This is often a nervous system response. When your own goal feels hard or uncomfortable, helping others feels safer and gives you an immediate sense of purpose and validation.

The micro-intervention: Ask yourself, "Is this actually urgent, or is it more comfortable than sitting with the discomfort of my own goal?" Create a clear boundary: "I have a commitment during this time, but I can help you after X." Practice saying it out loud until it feels less scary.

The Inner Critic vs. The Inner Coach

Here's what's happening beneath all of these patterns: your inner critic is running the show.

During the motivation dip, that critical voice gets loud. Here are some of the scripts it runs:

• "You failed again. You always do this."
• "You're not disciplined enough."
• "Other people can do this. Why can't you?"
• "Change is hard"

Here's the thing about the inner critic: it's trying to protect you. It's your nervous system's attempt to keep you safe from discomfort, from potential failure, from being seen and possibly judged.

But protection and growth can't coexist.

What you need during the dip isn't a louder inner critic. You need an inner coach.

The Inner Coach's Reframe:

Instead of "You failed again," try: "I'm learning what works for me."

Instead of "You're not disciplined enough," try: "I'm building a new skill, and that takes time."

Instead of "You should just give up," try: "The dip is part of the process. This is where the real work begins."

This is a boundary with your inner critic. And it's one of the most important boundaries you'll set this year.

From Motivation to Momentum: The Mid-January Pivot

Let me show you how to shift your relationship with your goal when the dopamine fades.

Weeks 1-2: Running on Motivation
You're operating on fresh-start energy. The dopamine hit from setting a new goal carries you forward. It feels exciting and possible.

Weeks 3-4: The Dip
This is where you are now. The novelty has worn off, but the habit isn't automatic yet. You're in the gap between motivation and true behavior change. This gap is uncomfortable, and it's exactly where most people quit.

What to Do in the Gap: Bridge Strategies

You can't rely on motivation anymore, but the habit hasn't formed yet. Here's what works instead:

1. Micro-commitments (The 2-Minute Rule)
   Focus on showing up, not on perfect execution. Can you do 2 minutes of your habit? That keeps the streak alive and proves to your brain that you're still committed.
2. Environmental Design
   Make the behavior easier than not doing it. Lay out your workout clothes the night before. Prep your workspace before you go to bed. Remove friction wherever possible.
3. Identity-Based Habits
   Shift from "I'm trying to work out" to "I'm someone who moves their body." From "I'm trying to build a business" to "I'm someone who shows up for my ideas." The identity shift is more powerful than the behavior itself.
4. Process Over Outcome
   Stop measuring success by the end result and start measuring it by whether you showed up. Did you do the thing today? That's a win. The results will come, but only if you stay consistent through the dip.

Remember from my last post: habit formation takes an average of 66 days. You're only in week 2 or 3. The dip doesn't mean you're failing, it means you're right on track.

The "Good Enough" Revolution

Let's talk about something we don't discuss enough: the power of good enough.

We've been conditioned to believe that success is binary. You either crush your goals or you fail. You either show up 100% or you're not trying hard enough.

But that binary thinking is what keeps us stuck.

The Binary Trap

When success and failure are your only two options, any deviation from the plan feels like failure. Missed one workout? Failure. Ate one unplanned meal? Failure. Couldn't work on your side project for a full hour? Failure.

This all-or-nothing thinking leaves no room for progress, for learning, for the messy reality of being human.

The Flexibility Framework

What if instead of asking "Did I succeed or fail?" you asked "What does good enough look like this week?"

Some weeks, good enough is hitting all your goals. Other weeks, good enough is doing 50% of what you planned. And some weeks, good enough is simply not abandoning the goal entirely.

The B+ Goal

Research shows that aiming for 85% consistency is far more sustainable than aiming for 100%. Why? Because 85% gives you permission to be human. It accounts for sick days, bad weeks, unexpected life events, and the reality that you're not a robot.

If your goal is to work out 4 times a week, 85% consistency means hitting that goal 3-4 times most weeks, not beating yourself up when you only hit it twice.

Course Correction vs. Quitting

Here's how to tell the difference:

• Quitting looks like: "This isn't working, I'm done."
• Course correction looks like: "This approach isn't working. What needs to adjust?"

Course correction keeps the goal but adjusts the strategy. It's the difference between abandoning your business idea and pivoting your launch timeline. Between giving up on fitness and switching from gym workouts to home workouts.

The goal stays. The path flexes.

The Energy Audit Method: A Practical Tool for Right Now

Okay, here's where we get tactical. If you're in the dip right now and feeling stuck, this is your starting point.

I want you to conduct an energy audit. Not just a time audit, an energy audit. Because where your energy goes matters more than where your time goes.

Step 1: Energy Givers vs. Energy Drainers

Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side, write "Energy Givers." On the right side, write "Energy Drainers."

Now map your typical week. What activities, people, and commitments give you energy? What drains you?

Be honest. Sometimes things we think "should" give us energy actually drain us. And sometimes things we feel guilty about (like reading for pleasure or taking a long walk) actually fill us up.

Step 2: The 3 Rs

Now look at your energy drainers and ask yourself three questions:

1. Release: What can I completely let go of? What's no longer serving me?
2. Renegotiate: What can I do differently or less frequently? What boundaries need to be set?
3. Redesign: What needs to stay but could be restructured to drain me less?

Not everything can be released or renegotiated, but more than you think can be.

Step 3: The Calendar Truth Test

Pull up your calendar. Look at it honestly.

Does your calendar reflect your stated priorities? If your goal is to launch a side business but there's no time blocked for it on your calendar, your calendar is telling you the truth: it's not actually a priority yet.

This isn't about judgment. It's about data.

Where do you need to create room? What needs to move or shrink to make space for what matters?

Step 4: The Minimum Viable Goal

For each goal you set in January, ask yourself: what's the smallest version of this that keeps momentum?

If your goal was to work out 5 times a week for an hour, what's the minimum viable version? Maybe it's 3 times a week for 20 minutes. That's not giving up, that's being strategic about sustainability.

Start with the minimum viable goal. You can always scale up later. But you can't scale up from quitting.

Putting It All Together: Your Mid-January Action Plan

Here's how to use these frameworks right now:

This week:

1. Complete the Energy Audit (I'm offering a free workshop on this, details to come!).
2. Identify which self-sabotage pattern you're most prone to.
3. Write down one Inner Coach reframe you can use when the Inner Critic shows up.

This month:

1. Adjust your goals to the Minimum Viable version if needed.
2. Share your struggle with one accountability person.
3. Focus on showing up, not perfect execution (remember: 85% consistency).

For the next 2 months:

1. Keep showing up through the dip (you're building toward that 66-day habit formation mark).
2. Use bridge strategies: micro-commitments, environmental design, identity shifts.
3. Practice course correction, not quitting.

The Truth About This Season

You're not behind. You're not failing. You're in the dip.

And the dip is where most people quit, which means it's also where you can differentiate yourself.

When I'm trying to make a change, I don't rely on motivation. I make room, I make a plan, and I protect it, especially on the days I'd rather quit quietly.

The same three-step framework applies here: Make Room (Energy Audit), Make a Plan (Minimum Viable Goal + Bridge Strategies), Protect the Plan (Inner Coach + Course Correction).

This is the messy middle. This is where sustainable change is actually built.

So what's your one focus for the rest of Q1? What's your minimum viable goal? And who's going to walk through the dip with you?

This is the year, not because you'll be perfect, but because you'll navigate the dip differently than you ever have before.

Erin