How do you motivate yourself when you're tired?

I feel ya! I commute to work and it takes around 1.5 hours one way. By the time I get home, working out is definitely not on my mind!

Two things I've found works so far:
1. trying to schedule my workouts in the morning, even if it means waking up much earlier
2. even if I must workout in the evenings, if I'm really tired I set lower goals for myself - for example, I'll tell myself I'll only do half of my normal routine. Most times, by the time I'm halfway through, I don't want to stop cuz I'm already in my gear and all - so I just end up doing the whole thing.

What works for me is getting up earlier, doing my workout before the rest of my day starts. I'm still tired, but it gets done.

What works for other people is doing it straight after work. Either going home via the gym, or going straight out for a run, or getting changed and getting that dvd on or whatever - straight away. Before you make dinner, before you have time to sit down (or lie down) and watch tv. Make it a non-negotiable thing - almost like it's still part of your working day. You don't get to sit down until it's done. Don't give yourself the time to talk yourself out of it.

Right now, it's a habit to get home, put comfy pants on and lie down. You need to create a new habit in its place! Make yourself do it until it becomes routine, until it's just what you do at that time of the day.

(Also, make sure you're eating enough, sleeping enough, getting good nutrition etc and give yourself a break sometimes too - if you're not used to doing a lot of exercise, build up your fitness gradually so you don't burn out all at once.)

ETA: I also do that thing mentioned above. I have certain "bare minimums" that I'll do if I'm particularly tired/depressed/demotivated. So, If I'm going for a run, I make sure I run x number of km, or x number of minutes so I feel it's worth it (the minimum has increased a little over time as I've increased the amount I run in general.) If I'm lifting weights (which is not my most loved activity) I'll tell myself I'll do at least x number of sets for each body part, so at least it has been worth going into the gym. And of course, frequently, I end up doing more than the bare minimum.

A lot of good suggestions here. I was like you. I'd come home, change into comfy clothes and then veg for the rest of the afternoon evening. Day after day after day.

What I started doing is coming home and getting changed into my workout clothes right away. At first, I'd still procrastinate and walk around the house doing other things and then eventually go do my workout. Now, it's right away. Come home, put my lunch bag on counter, kiss the girlfriend, go change and then into my workout. Even if I don't feel like it, I still have a bare minimum of a 10 minute walk on the treadmill.....which is my warmup. Usually though, that will get the endorphins going and I want to do more.

The key is to change your habit of coming home and getting comfy. It won't be easy the first day or two but it will eventually become either a habit or a craving. You can get comfy after a workout and a nice long shower. Just remember these words that I saw online somewhere "Something never said......I sure do regret doing that workout" Start slow and just work your way up from there. A little bit of a workout is better than no workout at all.

One other thing....make sure you're staying hydrated!!! Dehydration is a major contributor to fatigue! General rule of thumb.....1/2 oz of water per lb of body fat (150 lbs would be 75 oz of water). I'm 250 lbs and drink about 1 to 1-1/2 gallons of water a day. You can also tell by looking at your urine. Dark yellow with a smell....dehydrated. Light yellow.....borderline. Clear or slightly pale....Good!

Hope this helps!!

Habit. It's just so easy to rationalize when you are tired, out of sorts. The only thing that has worked consistently for me is for there not to be a choice, that it's simply what I do because that's the habit. Takes time to establish but once it's normal it's vatly easier than breaking a 'lazy' habit.

Agreed.

There have been days I've been really tired and wanted to just sleep in. However, it's gotten to a point where I can't get back to sleep because of the routine I've created. My body want more sleep, but my brain is saying "Let's GOOOOO!"

I come on here and read the status updates of my friends and that motivates me. I tell myself that If I want to change I have to get my lazy butt off the couch and do something.

I don't go home after work. I go right to the Y or to the local park to run. Lord knows, if I go home, I'm done...dinner, housework, homework, family...they take precedence when I'm there. I need to be away from home to get my "me" time in.

So, after work, I drive straight to my pre-selected workout place. Sure, I'm tired, but I don't even think about it.

Let me be clear, I have made the mistake of skipping my workout to go home first, and I've regretted it every time.
I have never regretted a single workout!