Tell me how to get motivated (and kill procrastination)

Ok, so I'm finding myself in some kind of a "motivational slump," if you will. I'm just finding it hard these days to get motivated to do... anything. I think it's really a combination of lack of motivation and major procrastination. It's an interesting situation, because... I WANT to get motivated... but I don't have the motivation for it... hah!

I think part of it comes from the "activation energy" required to do anything. Even if it's something I love. I love going to my TKD class and working out... but before I do that, I have to get everything together, pack it all up, get my ass onto a bus, etc. Not to mention the trip home... Bah, I'll go next time... get the idea? I've solved part of this problem by eliminating activation energy as much as possible (e.g. can't get motivated to go to the gym, so just bring the gym home... I have stairs and dumbbells, which is all you need for a great workout). But sometimes, that's not possible. Like at work. I love my job and everything, but it seems almost every task is a "bah I'll do it later" kind of thing, which isn't cool.

Anyway, bottom line is, I need to kick the procrastination and get motivated and get back on that horse. How do you do it? Unfortunately, the good old "Just do it" pep talk doesn't tend to work... It is truthfully said that good intentions just aren't enough. If I get a pep talk that gets me motivated and revved... that's temporary. How do I internalize it, so that unless I'm physically out of it, I am always motivated (or at least, most of the time)? Has anyone figured this out?

Maybe I need to find some kind of an external source of motivation. Even when I get 8 hours of sleep, it seems to take superhuman effort to just get out of bed (what, it's so warm, and it's slightly colder outside the covers, and my eyes are still glazed over). But you know what? If there's an important reason to get up, like the fact that I have to catch a flight, I do so with a certain sense of... urgency. I wish I could generate this internally.

Ok, that's enough rambling. Now YOU talk :P I'll go procrastinate on going to bed... I'd like to be in bed, you see, but that requires getting off my ass, brushing my teeth, changing, etc. Ack!

Oh yeah, before I forget: A large part of this may be due to fatigue. My checkup is coming up next week, and I'm planning on asking about a sleep study. Maybe it'll uncover something.

I have the same problem as you man, I always go like just 5 more minutes.....and then just 10 more minutes...:P

You didnt get many replies so i'll help you out. Bump!;)

I think you'll get many people sympathizing with you but not many that can offer some decent advice :P.

In my case, I just don't like what I do right now very much, so I have to get by without motivation (it helps to have a mimimum goal to reach at the end at least). I try and make the most of when I am happy and doing something I love, hoping that it will be enough to keep me going until the next time. I also tend to work well under pressure, when things are a bit more challenging, so slacking off isn't that bad of a thing for me.


Anyways, back to homework now...

Well, I've got a sleep study lined up for tomorrow night, so maybe that'll uncover something useful. Another option I'm considering is a light box, though I'm not sure it'll do much of a diff (plus it might be bad for the skin)

turn off the computer

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ascend

turn off the computer

---

Yes, this is a big one. If you must, unplug your ethernet cable or something.

The hardest part of doing a lot of things is the very beginning. Once you get some momentum going and get into it, you might start wondering why you didn't just "do it earlier" and you'll praise yourself for it.

I don't know that there's any magic 3-step technique to killing procrastination.

"Just do it." - Nike :D

Getting yourself motivated, unfortunately, takes motivation. Luckily, motivation takes desire. If you desire to be motivated, that's a starting point. [/rhetoric]

Well, the simple solution to procrastination is to just "do it." My biggest problem with putting things off is, as dragonoverlord said, is saying "Just five more minutes." When you know you need to do something, you just have to get into the habit of putting down what you want to do, and go for it.

A visual reminder is also a good starting point. Make a list of things that you need to do and things that you want to do and rank them in importance. Do what is the most immediate first, and then check it off of your list. When I see things checked off, it will often spur me on to finish the list, knowing that I've already accomplished a lot.

Another visual reminder is to give yourself a schedule. In today's busy world and with all of the distractions there are, it's hard to stick to a schedule, but it can be very helpful. Block out the time that you'll be busy (school, work, etc.) and think of how much time you need to devote to a particular task. Give yourself a specific "study" time, "break" time, "work" time, and so forth. The most important thing with a schedule is to stick to it, though. It's easy to blow it off one day and then continue to blow it off until you're right back where you started.

I hope these ideas helped a little. I'm a lifetime member of Procrastinator's Anonymous, but somehow I managed to graduate :P

I spend so much time thinking about this that it hurts. I kept reading self-help books and such to try and find some sort of secret that would help me. The most helpful information I came across was probably from a book called the 60-Second Motivator.

According to the author, there is two main factors concerning motivation: importance and fear. The basic idea is that you motivate yourself by changing these two factors: either you increase the importance of the task, or you decrease the fear you have for doing it.

Now I know that's very broad because coming up ways to increase importance or reduce fear isn't quite so easy. Hopefully it gives you some direction.

Ways increase importance (i'm sure you can think of more):
1) Associate it with some bigger goal, preferably one you're passionate about. -> For example, I like to do creative writing. So for me, doing homework isn't about finishing it so I can hand in the assignment, so I can pass the course, so I can get the credit. The sooner I finish it, the more time I can spend on writing, the less time til I publish my book and gain legions of fans (dream big =D). And when I think about that, I feel a surge of energy.

2) Find pride in your work. It's hard to get motivated by your work if you feel a trained monkey could do it. Don't just finish something, do it well and before long you should find greater self-appreciation and appreciation from others.

Ways to decrease fear:
1) Do the task in increments.

2) Reward yourself.

3) Tell yourself you'll try it with full effort for 5-10 minutes, and if you still feel lousy you'll allow yourself to stop. There's nothing to fear but fear itself (right? =p), so if you get rid of the "unknown" (as in I don't know if I can do this) by exposing yourself to it for a short while, your attitude should improve.

4) Build motivation like a muscle. If you can do it this time, next time it will be easier.

In general:
- Be focused, know what you want so you can chase it.
- Be confident, if you think it's gonna be hard it likely will be.
- Be open-minded. It doesn't have be something that you struggle against. Embrace the task. The destination is nothing without the journey.

Hope that helps in some way, good luck!

motivation....yea thats something that comes from you, you aint gonna have a drill sergeant at the side of your bed every morning saying "hey fatass! get your lazy ass outa bed now!!!!" unless you got alot of money. the only thing people can really say is start now and stick with it, in other words...Do it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aceboy

motivation....yea thats something that comes from you, you aint gonna have a drill sergeant at the side of your bed every morning saying "hey fatass! get your lazy ass outa bed now!!!!" unless you got alot of money. the only thing people can really say is start now and stick with it, in other words...Do it.

---

words to live by...

I'm trying to get motivated as well. I started small, am keeping my goals real, and at all costs I'm deviating from the "I'll go out, drink, smoke, and forget about everything just because [insert reason here]."

I'm still going real slow on what I'm doing, my motivation is still somewhat low, but it's getting better. I'm writing my dream journals every day, I'm going for a jog on the weekdays, and I'm being more responsible overall.

Here's a really good technique by Jerry Seinfeld. It's a real good read, and I won't try to summarize it because I won't do justice if I tried to.

A real good website to help keep up with your goals (and that works for Seinfeld's Chain Technique), is www.joesgoals.com. I'm doing Seinfeld's Technique through that website. But keep in mind, those are just tools to help you get and stay motivated. The motivation has to come from within, and you have to keep the mindset that in the long run, it will be beneficial to you. You are the one that's gonna have to fight off the excuses to not do something.

I hope this helps. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Replicon

Ok, so I'm finding myself in some kind of a "motivational slump," if you will. I'm just finding it hard these days to get motivated to do... anything. I think it's really a combination of lack of motivation and major procrastination. It's an interesting situation, because... I WANT to get motivated... but I don't have the motivation for it... hah!

I think part of it comes from the "activation energy" required to do anything. Even if it's something I love. I love going to my TKD class and working out... but before I do that, I have to get everything together, pack it all up, get my ass onto a bus, etc. Not to mention the trip home... Bah, I'll go next time... get the idea? I've solved part of this problem by eliminating activation energy as much as possible (e.g. can't get motivated to go to the gym, so just bring the gym home... I have stairs and dumbbells, which is all you need for a great workout). But sometimes, that's not possible. Like at work. I love my job and everything, but it seems almost every task is a "bah I'll do it later" kind of thing, which isn't cool.

Anyway, bottom line is, I need to kick the procrastination and get motivated and get back on that horse. How do you do it? Unfortunately, the good old "Just do it" pep talk doesn't tend to work... It is truthfully said that good intentions just aren't enough. If I get a pep talk that gets me motivated and revved... that's temporary. How do I internalize it, so that unless I'm physically out of it, I am always motivated (or at least, most of the time)? Has anyone figured this out?

Maybe I need to find some kind of an external source of motivation. Even when I get 8 hours of sleep, it seems to take superhuman effort to just get out of bed (what, it's so warm, and it's slightly colder outside the covers, and my eyes are still glazed over). But you know what? If there's an important reason to get up, like the fact that I have to catch a flight, I do so with a certain sense of... urgency. I wish I could generate this internally.

Ok, that's enough rambling. Now YOU talk :P I'll go procrastinate on going to bed... I'd like to be in bed, you see, but that requires getting off my ass, brushing my teeth, changing, etc. Ack!

---

First of all I'd like to say, that if there a pill or gadget that would light the fire under a procrastinators ass...who do I make the check out to? :P I don't know if you're an entrepreneur or not but it's critical that entrepreneur's know how to be self-motivated and remain focused. Replicon, I'm not sure if you've heard of the pain/pleasure principle but it basically says (Human beings want to avoid pain and seek pleasure but more often than not will go out of their way to avoid pain than attain pleasure.) My advice is to plot out your dreams, goals, desires...something that will spur you to action. Also write down what will happen (consequences, feeling, emotions) if you do NOT achieve your goals/dreams/desires, but it must be emotional. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

Goal: Come up with an extra $50,000 by the end of this year. (Pleasure)

And If I Don't?: I won't have enough money to start up the business I've desperately been wanting to start; meaning I'll still be treated like a low-paid slave at work and be at the mercy of this economic recession and my bosses fluctuating attitudes. Also the property I'm looking at starting my business on won't be around forever, I could miss this window of opportunity. (Pain)

Not the best example in the world but I hope you get the gist of it. Have your goal as something to run towards (and stay focused on) and use the emotion of pain to chase behind you and keep you from slowing down.

I just realize that life is passing me by. Every tick of the clock means I am one second older than I was a second ago. I cant waste my time being complaisant and lazy because the next thing you know I'm going to be 30 and still trying to get a decent job, or still trying to finish school.

Life's too short. Get going while you still have your health.