mom of 4
loves: snow and skateboard, good whiskey and conversation; code is a given.
strengths: communicating value, having empathy, go from ominous to tangible.
given: being a really good human.
I go with it...
If I can afford it I switch my calendar to be a day to move SOMETHING along.
Unmotivated days for me = way less creativity so the order of the day is tasks that will move something along but not don't require a whole lot of thought.
mom of 4
loves: snow and skateboard, good whiskey and conversation; code is a given.
strengths: communicating value, having empathy, go from ominous to tangible.
given: being a really good human.
It's absolutely not encouraged at work. 😖
That's why I gotta shift around the ole calendar to look busy (unfortunately) but being honest to myself that my work will not be inspirational THAT day 💁🏾
But when I have my own company (you have to talk it into existence 😁) I will allow folks to skip out so long as they are available for their coworkers - answer questions or attend meetings.
I find de-motivation is a symptom of boredom or frustration or physiological issues (lack of sleep). Get your stuff together and give me your A game.
Every time I have something nontrivial to do I pretty much follow the same process, regardless of my motivation
I am blocking any unnecessary "distractions" like my mobile phone or websites that are just consuming my time and are irrelevant to my job
I'm getting a distractions sheet, in order to note every random thought that comes to my mind in order to be "assured" I will tackle it later.
I'm putting my headphones on
The only two things that differ regarding my motivation that day are:
The duration of the "focused session I'm about to do. If I am completely demotivated, I am just setting the timer for 10 or 15 minutes. This is how I am “fooling” myself into working "just a little bit”. I have consistently noticed that after the first minutes the discomfort goes away. The key point here is to not stop after the X minutes have passed. On the contrary, continue for a reasonable amount of time like 45 minutes.
The kind of “Music” I am about to hear. This might be ambient music, like noisli, my favorite songs from Spotify, or binaural beats.
Yeah, binaural music helps me. So does switching into pomodoro mode and using the breaks to get up and get away. It helps to remind myself during the 25-minute "on" periods that I don't have to push through boredom all day - just for the next 25 minutes.
"Helps" is key. Sometimes it just doesn't.
I think at the heart of it that boredom is not caring. I never get bored doing home improvements. It's my home. I own it. I'm invested.
I am really grateful for my work because, for the most part, I own it. I don't get second-guessed or hemmed in by bureaucracy or committees.
Here's the thing. Sometimes fear is motivating and sometimes it's debilitating. For me, my motivation can either come from fear of not meeting a deadline, or in the case of self motivated projects, my lack motivation comes from fear. I generally have to spend some time working out what I'm so afraid of before I'm ready to tackle a lack of motivation. This mostly applies to a long term lack of motivation for personal projects and such. When it comes to chores and reading a book or something like that, it has more to do with a lack of focus for me; I don't have many strategies for approaching my ADHD patterns. I just kinda just deal with that one. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.
First, I start with a really little (less than 30 minutes) task that I've wanted to do for a while. This usually means automating something I do a lot, or creating a handy TextExpander snippet, etc. Just a little treat to jump start my day.
Second, I spend a few minutes sketching out a list of what I want to get done that day. My biggest drag when I'm not motivated is that I take longer making design decisions, or deciding what to work on next. So I get that out of the way up front, and can just work my way down the list for the rest of the day.
Big picture, I try to keep an eye on my general motivation level, and figure out why I'm not motivated. Sometimes what gets me motivated again is actually adding a couple of tasks to my plate, if they're the right tasks. (Ex: I'm more motivated if I get to fix a bunch of regressions and refactor the code or add tests to address the underlying reason why we had so many regressions.)
But I read a post where someone said they they could not concentrate for a long time. But instead of trying to "fix" themselves they embraced it.
They'd work for a bit one project A, then read some internet feeds, then work on project A or project B, then play some video games.
I have started to embrace that.
Now it's just a case of starting more then one project so that when I'm board of one I can jump to another.
I haven't figured it out yet but I used to be like that cartoon, I might "hate today" and so procrastinate all day. Instead now I procrastinate because I want a brake and then get back to being productive
Edit -- And this way, at the end of the day I feel good, in comparison to procrastinating or dragging my feet all day, it used to guilty and old (I can't fully explain the cringe worthy feeling)
A similar thing here. Recently discovered my concentration was becoming tougher, so I embraced the distractions. Sometimes I'd have Twitter and other random stuff open in a few tabs. I'd work a bit, and when I start to lose focus, switch to Twitter. Kinda helps keep my mind fresh.
Jumping in general is a good, quick mood/energy booster. You don't need a lot of room so it's easier to find a place tucked away if you don't want to be seen.
I discovered this through years of observing my partner who LOVES to dance, always taking time out each day to find a place to turn up music and let go. I know few people as consistently happy and productive as she is.
I however am not an avid dancer but I do like exercise. Running or the gym aren't exactly quick motivators in a pinch so I started doing jumping jacks. - Try it!
Top comments (41)
I've read about the Five Second Rule on a TED Talk. When you're not motivated, just count to 5 and then just DO IT!
This trains your mind to just work after 5 counts. In the beginning it'll be difficult but it'll slowly be a part of you.
I'm not sure if she's the originator, but I've heard Mel Robbins talk about this. I'll have to find her TED talk.
Yes! it's her! It's her "stop screwing yourself over" talk on a TEDx event :D
I go with it...
If I can afford it I switch my calendar to be a day to move SOMETHING along.
Unmotivated days for me = way less creativity so the order of the day is tasks that will move something along but not don't require a whole lot of thought.
Sometimes clock-punching happens. 😑
Are you comfortable leaving early on those days (meaning is this allowed or encouraged at your place of work?)
It's absolutely not encouraged at work. 😖
That's why I gotta shift around the ole calendar to look busy (unfortunately) but being honest to myself that my work will not be inspirational THAT day 💁🏾
But when I have my own company (you have to talk it into existence 😁) I will allow folks to skip out so long as they are available for their coworkers - answer questions or attend meetings.
I find de-motivation is a symptom of boredom or frustration or physiological issues (lack of sleep). Get your stuff together and give me your A game.
Well...
How to Stay Motivated
Patrick God
;)
The keys mentioned in the article are:
Especially documenting your results can give you a big boost in my experience.
Every time I have something nontrivial to do I pretty much follow the same process, regardless of my motivation
The only two things that differ regarding my motivation that day are:
Nice process!
Yeah, binaural music helps me. So does switching into pomodoro mode and using the breaks to get up and get away. It helps to remind myself during the 25-minute "on" periods that I don't have to push through boredom all day - just for the next 25 minutes.
"Helps" is key. Sometimes it just doesn't.
I think at the heart of it that boredom is not caring. I never get bored doing home improvements. It's my home. I own it. I'm invested.
I am really grateful for my work because, for the most part, I own it. I don't get second-guessed or hemmed in by bureaucracy or committees.
I really like the idea of the distractions sheet!
Here's the thing. Sometimes fear is motivating and sometimes it's debilitating. For me, my motivation can either come from fear of not meeting a deadline, or in the case of self motivated projects, my lack motivation comes from fear. I generally have to spend some time working out what I'm so afraid of before I'm ready to tackle a lack of motivation. This mostly applies to a long term lack of motivation for personal projects and such. When it comes to chores and reading a book or something like that, it has more to do with a lack of focus for me; I don't have many strategies for approaching my ADHD patterns. I just kinda just deal with that one. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.
Usually, my regimen involves getting mad at myself and keep procrastinating until the day is over.
So, yeah, I can't quite handle that... I mean, I'm supposed to be working now, not posting here...
I do two things:
First, I start with a really little (less than 30 minutes) task that I've wanted to do for a while. This usually means automating something I do a lot, or creating a handy TextExpander snippet, etc. Just a little treat to jump start my day.
Second, I spend a few minutes sketching out a list of what I want to get done that day. My biggest drag when I'm not motivated is that I take longer making design decisions, or deciding what to work on next. So I get that out of the way up front, and can just work my way down the list for the rest of the day.
Big picture, I try to keep an eye on my general motivation level, and figure out why I'm not motivated. Sometimes what gets me motivated again is actually adding a couple of tasks to my plate, if they're the right tasks. (Ex: I'm more motivated if I get to fix a bunch of regressions and refactor the code or add tests to address the underlying reason why we had so many regressions.)
I read way too many articles on dev.to :)
Me:
I'm like @damcosset
But I read a post where someone said they they could not concentrate for a long time. But instead of trying to "fix" themselves they embraced it.
They'd work for a bit one project A, then read some internet feeds, then work on project A or project B, then play some video games.
I have started to embrace that.
Now it's just a case of starting more then one project so that when I'm board of one I can jump to another.
I haven't figured it out yet but I used to be like that cartoon, I might "hate today" and so procrastinate all day. Instead now I procrastinate because I want a brake and then get back to being productive
Edit -- And this way, at the end of the day I feel good, in comparison to procrastinating or dragging my feet all day, it used to guilty and old (I can't fully explain the cringe worthy feeling)
A similar thing here. Recently discovered my concentration was becoming tougher, so I embraced the distractions. Sometimes I'd have Twitter and other random stuff open in a few tabs. I'd work a bit, and when I start to lose focus, switch to Twitter. Kinda helps keep my mind fresh.
Jumping jacks.
Jumping in general is a good, quick mood/energy booster. You don't need a lot of room so it's easier to find a place tucked away if you don't want to be seen.
I discovered this through years of observing my partner who LOVES to dance, always taking time out each day to find a place to turn up music and let go. I know few people as consistently happy and productive as she is.
I however am not an avid dancer but I do like exercise. Running or the gym aren't exactly quick motivators in a pinch so I started doing jumping jacks. - Try it!