I've made my peace with the realization that motivation is something very physical, mostly related to dopamine. Many people like to manipulate that with caffeine, nicotine, methylphenidate etc. Some can achieve things with lower levels/activation. But in the end, there's not way completely around it.
There was a time in my life where I took huge doses of Isotretinoin, a compound that is known to disrupt the dopamine system. And I was barely able to do anything. Even "fun" activities like watching my favorite show were out of the question.
