How do you build up the drive to do things?

LemacST

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Although I'm asking this as advice, feel free to answer it on a personal level, the way YOU do it.

I often seem to get stuck in a rut due to not having the drive to do things. There's lots of shit right now that I need to get out the way, yet I always find a way to procrastinate. What do you do to avoid this?
 

vince

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I am basically lazy, but I hate having the stress of unfinished work or chores to do. I find that just doing them makes the down time more enjoyable because I don't have to think about my to-do list. You have to do it anyway, so may as well get it done. There are always screw-ups on a job and doing it first gives time to solve the problems and do the work in a good way. Also I like that satisfaction you feel when the work is out of the way.

I used to be a big procrastinator and had some fuck-ups because of it. I'm still far from perfect about getting things done, but way better than I use to be. I guess fear of failure has a lot to do with it.
 

got_lost

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Time lines always help me.
I am a bit of a last minute gal, but only with things I am not keen on doing... That said, the feeling of actually getting it done and out the way is SO much better than the feeling of it hanging over your head.

I spose it's all about motiviation.
Those things you are really excited about, get done, less exciting stuff keeps getting pushed farther down the list of priorities....

But think differently about what is motivating you and put a positive spin on the crappy jobs and they get done too! eg what you can do when you've done that, that feeling of accomplishment....

or
I nearly got my sales team t-shirts once...
with JFDI!! on the front
&
Just Fucking Do It!
on the back....

HR didn't think it a good idea though!!!! :p
 

IntoxicatingToxin

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I don't normally get up the drive to do anything... I just do it, the drive comes later. :smile: It's like exercising... it's a pain in the ass, somewhat time consuming, and I don't really consider it fun... but it's something I need to do. So even though I may not want to take a walk, I make myself do it... after a block or two, it starts to feel really good and the motivation to take a longer walk, or a faster walk comes after I've already started walking. :smile:
 

earllogjam

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I'm not sure if this a work question or a life question. I'll take a stab at the work question.

Here are the prerequisites for my motivation-

1. No fear
2. Knowing that you are doing something worthwhile, exciting.
3. Confidence that you can accomplish the task to your desired outcome.


If I don't have these I procrastinate. But procrastination is a good thing sometimes - it makes you work more efficiently when you are under the gun. I am a professional at this but it has given me much grief lately and frankly the anxiety sucks.

If you just don't want to deal with the stress the trick is to fool yourself that what you need to do is really fun or interesting. This usually does not work for me so here are some other tips.

-I find once I start doing something it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be and usually just need that inital push to get the momemtum going to finish a project. Like organizing my desk or the project files or creating the outline or game plan.

-Start out small and just do the stuff that is either easy or fun to do - like organizing files for your project or finishing just that piece that is effortless, continue doing this until you get to the hard or most unappealing parts, by then you would have gained momemtum.

-One reason why I procrastinate sometimes is that the project seems so daunting and huge that I doubt that I can finish it in time at the level of quality I want so I just break up the tasks into a kind of checklist so there are a bunch of smaller tasks that are not as daunting which can usually be done in an hour or two each. Make a list and check these things off, make things more tangible, clear, and controllable.

-Dedicate maybe 10-20 minutes a day at the same time every day - say 8pm at night and just do your work. Just say I will endure this hell for 20 minutes. This works for me when doing taxes.

-Get it out of your head that what you do needs to be perfect the first time around. This is the big thorn for perfectionists like me prone to procrastination. It is always easier to work with something and change it than it is to work with nothing.

-Rewards after finishing something never work with me. My brain just can't be bullshitted so I won't mention it here. Never works. And projects are never 100% done they just are completed to the point where the time and effort you have allowed for it. They often come back like a rash.

In the end it is always easier to do nothing than do something and get off your butt and risk failure. But nothing ventured nothing gained.

Failure is never fun. Just realize that it is the best way to learn though. Everyone fails but it's the smart guys that learn and get better from it. Also this may sound cliche but don't be afraid of failing, don't tie a lot of your self worth into that. That emotional let down gets in the way of objectively getting the most benefit of learning from that experience.

If it is a life motivation procrastination thing - start exercising. Become more active. It will change your perspective on things, make you feel emotionally, and mentally healthier. You will feel better about yourself and that will spill over into your motivation in life and confidence to pursue what you really need to do. Just do it. Or get someone to make you do it. If you can't motivate yourself competition and words of encouragement and advice from friends can do wonders.

Best of luck to you.
 

starter

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for me i just have to make a list of what i have to do and how important they are and most of the time i get around to doing them, but even with that i still tend to procrastinate. So if the list thing doesen't work i plan to do one small part of the task and once i get that done then i uasally just do more of what i planed cause i might as well continue since i already started.
does that make sense? wheal hope it helps
 

B_ScaredLittleBoy

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Exercising often and reading to relax help to maintain my mood. If I exercise then I feel the 'rush' of endorphins and then I just do whatever I need to do.

I have a problem with insomnia recently though. I wish I could switch off sometimes :redface:

And now I must go format my computer, which I have been putting off for a week or so now. Just transferring my 50GB of files onto the USB then the fun begins!

Writing out a plan/schedule of things to do is also helpful.
 

SpoiledPrincess

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I'm a big believer in lists too, often if you have a number of things to do they drift around in your head with a sense of being harder than they are, writing them down puts them in perspective and as you see them ticked off there's a visible sign of how much you've accomplished that day.

Sometimes procrastination isn't such a bad thing - take packing for instance, if you decide to do it a week ahead you can actually take a week, if you do it at the last minute you can only take a certain amount of time to do it but it still gets done.
 

whatireallywant

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I've been procrastinating doing my test (it's a take-home, open-book test) for tax school. I have the rest of tonight and tomorrow to do it though. I have the class tomorrow starting at 6, and it's due then. So I'll need to do it (probably will do part tonight, part tomorrow). And of course I need to do some job applications online, if there's anything I qualify for, and stop by the temp agency and find out if they have any more projects for me (I don't think they do, but I have to go through the motions of that in order to qualify for unemployment when I re-apply next week...

I get the drive to do the job stuff because I'm broke! There is a lot of fear and stress going on right now. As far as other stuff like exercising, I have a class to go to on Tuesday and Thursday nights but that ends after this week. I do best if I have a group or at least a buddy to exercise with. I may have SensualGoth as an exercise buddy now too.... we're both going through job and financial worries right now, and both want to get some exercise.
 
M

Mr Ed in Mass

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I have the same problem,but I always manage to get things done with only seconds to spare.
I hate the stress it causes me.I'm on meds and work long ang crazy hours, so I'm always tired.
 

SpeedoGuy

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I guess I should start making lists because my usual method of mentally prioritizing planned tasks is starting to fail badly. Pity. For decades I was able to commit tasks to memory without the aid of a day planner or palm pilot or such. Not anymore. Now unwelcome duties suddenly and unpleasantly overwhelm me like sewage backing up a stopped drain pipe.
 

milelong

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I am a chronic procrastinator from way back. That's why I'm now wasting time on lpsg. I've always worked to deadlines and leave everything to the last minute. Sometimes this is a good thing because the best decisions are made when the most information is available.
However, I read a book once called Eat that Frog. It's a guide to stop procrastination and works on the basis that if you eat a frog first thing in the morning you know it's the worst thing you'll do all day.
To make the concept work, you make a list of what you have to do and then pick "frog" or thing you least want to do. Do that first and everything else is easy. If there's more than one frog, just pick the ugliest one.

This has actually worked for me because I pick an ugly (but small) frog and I can imagine how much better the day will be with that little sucker eaten. Good motivator to get the momentum going. Now I'm a poor finisher because the frogs are all gone.
 

36DD

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When this happens to me it is often because I am feeling overwhelmed. I am a very organized person so when my life gets a little chaotic I get overwhelmed and very stressed. I've found the best way to overcome this is to just get in there and do it. Make a list of what you want to accomplish and start checking it off...before you know it you will start to feel much less pressure because you will be making progress, even if there are still piles you will start to see the check marks.
Set goals and pace yourself...a little at a time or as much as you can do...whatever works for you.