So, I need to be getting work done before I start my PhD but am currently suffering a complete lack of motivation. I can't be bothered doing anything at the moment.

I'm sure many of you have had similar lulls in motivation: any advice?

One way that helps me refocus or get motivated again is to take myself out for a cup of coffee where I won't meet someone I know. Helps recharge and being alone with your thoughts in a different environment helps get pumped :)

I don't wait for motivation any more but force myself. But when I am trying to push through a lack of energy or enthusiasm, I do think closely about what daily or weekly target I am setting myself and try to make it realistic. (I work part time on the PhD so sometimes work goes very slowly as I am already tired from work). An example is I have this paper to write for a conference. I should be excited about it and being accepted but I'm a bit fed up with work and the phd, and am a bit 'meh' about the conference (which I shouldn't be but am!).

I have just set a certain time I have to have this thing written by and sit down and make myself write it in stages, even though I am literally telling myself, 'no you cannot get up from this chair until you have completed this small section'. I think it is the only way I have got through the PhD...there are times when I have motivation but I can't rely on these times to get me through as they are not often enough nowadays. My main motivation is the finish date-which needs to be in exactly 5 and one half of a month.

I do reward myself if I finish whatever target I have set with something very small-like a cup of tea or coffee, reading or doing something I like or going out, even if it is just to the shops, a phone call to a friend or similar.

I agree with Pjlu. I have realised you have to force yourself. It helps when there are pending deadlines but if you are at the start of your PhD it might be harder because getting it ready might feel so far off in the future.

I am currently writing so to make it less daunting I set myself two hour stints with a little reward after and then back to it. I use Clearfocus app to help me and then when the timers up I feel like I have done something. To be honest it can be slow going if you really feel resistant but I tend to find after 15 minutes or so I have zoned in and I am focused-I think it can be that first stint that's hard, once you've done a bit of work it's easy to commit to more. So my advice, is to sit down, set that timer and try your hardest to get in to it, and then the resistance should ease off.

Also I remember someone saying to me at the start of my PhD use as much time as you can now, seriously!!! But I found that really hard because I wasn't really sure what I was doing and I needed some exploration time. So I am not going to make you feel really bad for not nailing out ridiculously long days already. But I would maybe think about reading around your subject area in a way that helps pique your excitement/interest and will be useful for a future literature review. Who knows it might even not feel like work...yet.

Totally agree with posts above! Sometimes you have to force yourself to do something even if it's hard. It's the only way to do things or everyone around would be doing nothing.