In Austria, we have a saying for a lack of motivation.
We call it the “innerer Schweinehund.”
It’s that little monster that tells you not to go to the gym.
To eat the pie.
To skip the walk.
To stay on the couch because you’ve earned it.
It’s the little devil on your shoulder competing with the angel trying to help you build healthy habits, exercise regularly, and become a slightly healthier human being.
And honestly?
That little devil is annoying.
I recently had a conversation with a patient who told me how difficult it is to beat their innerer Schweinehund.
I agreed immediately.
Because I struggle with it too.
There are days when I don’t want to train.
Days when I don’t want to walk my dog.
Days when doing absolutely nothing sounds like a fantastic idea.
The difference isn’t that I’m more motivated.
The difference is that I’ve built systems that don’t require me to be.
The systems I’ve created help me avoid relying on willpower.
Because sooner or later, motivation fails.
You’ll be tired.
You’ll have a stressful week.
Something unexpected will come up.
Life happens.
A good system assumes that from the start.
Instead of asking:
“How do I stay motivated?”
It asks:
“What do I do when motivation disappears?”
That’s why the first step in building a good system is expecting your plan to fail.
Not because you’re pessimistic.
Because you’re realistic.
If your goal is to exercise regularly, what happens when you’re exhausted after work?
If your goal is to sleep more, what happens during a stressful week?
If your goal is to walk every day, what happens when it’s raining sideways?
A good system already has an answer.
Maybe not a perfect answer.
Maybe just a temporary Band-Aid.
But it has something.
The second ingredient is repeatability.
A system should work on your worst days, not only your best ones.
For me, that meant moving my workouts to my lunch break.
I realized that spending 45 minutes scrolling on my phone wasn’t helping me much, and after work I’d often be tired or simply want to get home to my dog.
So I removed the problem.
I train during lunch.
The workout fits into 45 minutes.
The friction is lower.
The decision is easier.
And consistency becomes much more likely.
Your solution doesn’t have to be perfect either.
Maybe you don’t have 45 minutes.
Use 10.
Use 15.
Do a few sets of exercises.
Read a few pages.
The first version of a system is often held together with duct tape and good intentions.
That’s okay.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is having something that works.
Over time, you improve the system and need fewer Band-Aids.
But let’s get back to the innerer Schweinehund.
Because even a good system won’t always silence that little devil.
Sometimes you’re genuinely tired.
Sometimes you’re simply unmotivated.
The problem is that those two things can feel surprisingly similar.
When that happens, I use a simple test.
I go to the gym anyway.
I do one set.
Maybe two.
Then I reassess.
If I still feel exhausted, sluggish, and completely drained, I’m probably tired and recovery is the better choice.
But if things suddenly start feeling easier after a few minutes?
Then it probably wasn’t fatigue.
It was resistance.
And that’s often the trick.
The biggest obstacle usually isn’t the workout.
It’s getting started.
The innerer Schweinehund is strongest before you begin.
Once you’re moving, it tends to get a lot quieter.
🧪 Let’s Experiment
Most people don’t need more motivation. They need fewer barriers.
I see this constantly in rehabilitation.
The exercise itself often isn’t the problem.
Getting started is.
🎯 Try This:
Think about one thing you’ve been meaning to do more consistently.
Exercise.
Reading.
Studying.
Going for walks.
Now make the first step ridiculously easy.
Not the whole task.
Just the first step.
If you want to walk, put on your shoes.
If you want to read, open the book.
If you want to exercise, get on the floor.
That’s it.
🧠 Final Thought:
Big changes rarely begin with heroic effort.
More often, they begin with making the next step difficult to ignore.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.
Take care,
Carina 🦊