When You Love the Mission… But Are Tired of the Work
I was catching up with a former client the other day… I asked about her summer.
She said, “I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
I thought… Ran a marathon? Stopped smoking?? Got divorced???
But no, what she did was go on a two-week retreat in Spain during which they took away her phone!
Initially, she said, it was torture. But soon it became the most wonderful two weeks she could remember: no email, texts, or social media; no dopamine hit from the constant updates.
I’m not surprised.
For all the good it’s done, the tech in our lives and the devices we carry everywhere have created an expectation — among colleagues, clients, donors — that we are available 24/7.
We are working all the time. Nobody detaches and there is no divide between on and off.
The Quiet Crisis of Mission Fatigue
You believe in your mission. You’ve worked evenings, weekends, and everything in between to build something meaningful.
And yet, lately, when you sit down to start your day, you feel… nothing.
No spark or drive. Just a quiet “I don’t want to do this.”
This isn’t laziness or weakness. And it’s certainly not that you no longer care (if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be so tired).
But when just opening your laptop feels like climbing a hill, the work that used to excite you feels like a weight, and you find yourself fantasizing about stepping away, something is definitely wrong.
Psychologists call this “anhedonia” — the fading of pleasure and motivation in things you once loved.
And it’s something nonprofit leaders rarely talk about. Rather, there’s an unspoken expectation to always be “on”… passionate, tireless, resilient.
This can’t go on. We need to stop and reset.
How to Shift Out of “I Don’t Want to Work”
This isn’t about forcing yourself to push harder. It’s about resetting your relationship with work, so your motivation can return naturally.
1. Create True Boundaries
If work bleeds into every part of your life, your brain never gets a break.
So set hard edges around when you’re “on” and when you’re not, even if that’s just an evening ritual or a weekend day where you put devices away.
Then set expectations. Tell your board, donors, and staff you only respond to emails and text messages during “business hours.” That demonstrates your commitment to taking care of yourself.
Boundaries aren’t selfish — they are maintenance.
2. Do Something Unproductive on Purpose
When you’re burned out, your instinct is to either push harder or collapse completely.
Instead, try doing something non-work-related without measuring its usefulness. Read a novel, take a walk in nature, make something with your hands.
You’re retraining your brain to feel joy without an agenda.
3. Reevaluate the Pace, Not the Mission
Feeling like you don’t want to work doesn’t mean you’ve stopped believing in the mission. It usually just means the pace and pressure have become unsustainable.
So ask yourself: What would this work look like at a humane pace? Where can I delegate or simplify?
4. Talk About It — Out Loud!
Shame thrives in silence.
If you’re a leader, start normalizing these conversations with peers, mentors, and your team. Not as a complaint, but as a reality check.
You might be surprised how many other people feel the same way but are afraid to admit it.
The Shift: From Draining to Sustaining
Not wanting to work doesn’t mean you’re broken or unmotivated. It’s your mind’s way of saying: “I’m running on empty.”
The goal isn’t to quit caring. Rather, it’s to start caring for yourself with the same intensity you’ve given your mission.
When you build rest and boundaries back into your life, you’ll rediscover why you started doing this work in the first place. The spark can come back if you can give it space to breathe.