Personally, I find it devilishly difficult to get things done. Or more aptly, I have difficulty starting and stopping tasks. If I am not sure when it's supposed to start or end, I can obsess and worry about those details instead of actually working.
For some reason motivation is hard to come by for me. The only thing that I find that works most of the time is using a reward system.
It sounds childish (and perhaps I am as well) but knowing that I only have to do an activity for a limited time, even if I thoroughly enjoy it, seems to provide my brain adequate comprehension of a task.
- Find something you actually like. (For me, it's videogames, or surfing the internet, or watching an episode of something.)
- Bargain with yourself. (I set a timer to write for 20 minutes, then promise myself to play a videogame for 15 minutes, for example.)
- Work first, then reward. (It's more of a punishment system if you do it the other way around.)
- Don't let yourself down. (It's easier to put down what you love, what you are rewarding yourself with when you know that the reward will come again, and soon.)
- Make sure the reward is the right amount of time for the working activity (In other words, don't work for five minutes, then spend an hour and a half rewarding yourself.)
I personally have a tendency to focus too long on work or play, to the point where neither is in balance. But by setting time limits and rewarding myself for good behaviour, I tend to feel better about myself, take adequate breaks, and "work smarter" while I am working.
How do you motivate yourself when you don't feel like working?
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