What a lovely day to finally finish going through all the paperwork that has been piling up on my desk, thought no one ever. Or if they did, it may have happened while they were deep in the spell of Tatendrang.

This word describes a feeling that may not come frequently, but when it does it often accompanies a sense of elation, and if harnessed it can really be useful.

Why do I need to know Tatendrang?

You’ll need the word Tatendrang when you want to describe why you suddenly have the urge to knock everything off your to-do list.

And if you believe that the words you speak have some kind of positive influence on what manifests in your life, then this may certainly be a helpful term to work into your vocabulary. 

What does it mean?

Der Tatendrang (pronounced like this) refers to an eager urge to do something, especially the kinds of things that you may have been putting off. It’s related to efficiency but is more directly about the drive to be active in a productive way.

If you’ve ever felt a sudden burst of energy and inspiration to make things happen, then you’ve already experienced Tatendrang. 

This feeling may also come with a high level of inspiration, like when something happens that makes you want to work hard to improve your life.

Perhaps you suddenly want to do your taxes and mow the lawn and deal with all the other tasks on your to-do list. Or it could also come in a more abstract form, like suddenly you want to live a better life and be nicer to people etc.

Whichever kind of activity Tatendrang may compel you to do, the through line is that it brings an intense and sudden motivation to act.

Use it like this:

Voller Tatendrang machte sie sich an die Arbeit.

Full of zest for action, she set to work.

Nachdem ich den ganzen Vormittag im Leerlauf verbracht habe, jetzt verspüre ich den Tatendrang, all die Dinge zu tun, die noch erledigt werden müssen.

After idling all morning, I now feel the urge to do all the things that still need to be done.

Auch mit 65 ist er noch voller Tatendrang.

Even at 65 he’s still full of energy.