How Do You Handle Lack of Motivation?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around strategies for handling a lack of motivation, exploring various personal approaches and experiences related to procrastination, productivity, and mental states. Participants share their thoughts on motivation in the context of work, study, and personal projects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest waiting until they feel motivated to complete tasks, arguing that pushing through can lead to negative feelings about the work.
  • Others mention that they often force themselves to work on tasks, especially if they are extensions of ongoing projects, but acknowledge challenges with motivation during specific times, like late nights.
  • One participant describes a personal experiment with sleep cycles that affected their energy levels and motivation.
  • Another participant humorously suggests using "slaves" to delegate tasks when feeling unmotivated, indicating a playful approach to the issue.
  • Several participants engage in a light-hearted discussion about the definition of "effort," with one providing a formula that relates effort to physical concepts.
  • Some express that physical activities, like running or cycling, help them regain motivation and focus.
  • There are mentions of procrastination rationalizations and humorous distractions that arise when motivation is lacking.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to handle lack of motivation, with multiple competing views and strategies presented. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the most effective methods for overcoming motivational challenges.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference personal experiences and experiments that may not be universally applicable, and the definitions of effort discussed are not agreed upon, indicating a lack of clarity in the term's application.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in productivity strategies, motivation techniques, or those experiencing challenges with procrastination may find the varied perspectives in this discussion relevant.

Mathguy15
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I normally just wait until I feel like it. I don't think its a good idea to just power through unless you know you won't get disgusted with it for a long period of time. I wait until I feel like doing it, and then it gets done. Of course, I don't wait too long. Thoughts?
 
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When this thing that requires some actual thought and work isn't related to something I'd otherwise have to do anyway? Usually, I tell myself to do it anyway. If it happens to be an extension of whatever I'm doing at the time, I don't mind too much. I tend not to feel burned out if I have to do some long stretch of work. Exception: late-night stuff on saturday (like today! :D), in which case I'm almost always going to put off *insert thing I ought to be doing but won't because I won't feel the impact of not doing it until later*.

Sometimes, though, I just don't want to open that notebook laying there on the oh-so-comfy-looking bed, and, hey, that incomplete code is just sitting around on the laptop screen so if I close the laptop that textbook would fit neatly on top of it and the bed would be free... so I tuck away whatever would otherwise have priority and take a nap. (This is more of an issue of a lingering "problem"/benefit with a sleep experiment I put myself through rather than not liking the stuff I'm doing... but that's irrelevant atm :P.) I usually feel energetic after half an hour or so.

*edit* eh, I experimented w/ other sleep cycles before. I ended up going back to that 8hr thing everyone else does but got stuck w/ a noon nap. (part time work + classes left a small window of opportunity open, convincing me to foolishly pursue that sleep cycle test... meh. didn't work out so well.) Anyway, this relates to the above in that, for the month I actually kept up a modified sleep cycle, I felt totally fine with 6 hrs (while feeling more, eh, "active" and attentive). So, I'd recommend that if you happen to have a schedule that allows for weird nap times and want to get yourself in the mood to get more "stuff" done.
 
Last edited:
Mathguy15 said:
I normally just wait until I feel like it. I don't think its a good idea to just power through unless you know you won't get disgusted with it for a long period of time. I wait until I feel like doing it, and then it gets done. Of course, I don't wait too long. Thoughts?

This happens to me as well. Usually the kind of thing that changes these habits for me is when I do something at the last minute and it ends up as a disaster, or when I do it at the last minute and I don't get it finished properly at the time at which it is due.

Most of us I would think proscribe to optimizing our time in anything, whether that means finding a route to walk somewhere, or to get work done. If we find out that we can save an hour doing something, we probably will.
 
define effort.
 
Why, of course : I come hang out on PF !
 
Whenever this happens I go running. Come back, shower, and I am ready to get things done.
 
I either ignore the issue entirely or take a nap—usually both.
 
I order my slave to do it. If I can't be bothered to order I'm screwed.
 
Ryan_m_b said:
I order my slave to do it. If I can't be bothered to order I'm screwed.
That's why you need two slaves. They can order each other about and you can get back to reading QFT.
 
  • #10
Mathguy15 said:
I normally just wait until I feel like it. I don't think its a good idea to just power through unless you know you won't get disgusted with it for a long period of time. I wait until I feel like doing it, and then it gets done. Of course, I don't wait too long. Thoughts?

Sounds like the perfect rationalization for procrastination.

When I don't feel like doing anything, I try to answer life's greatest questions, like: "How many Cheetos will fit in my nose?" and "Where's the beef?"
 
  • #11
mathwonk said:
define effort.

but that takes too much effort!
 
  • #12
physics girl phd said:
but that takes too much effort!

Work is described as force (F) times the distance (d) is acts over. Force is defined as mass (m) times acceleration (a). And effort is defined as work times the natural resistance (ni) to it times the duration (t).

Effort = d*a*m*ni*t
 
  • #13
FlexGunship said:
Effort = d*a*m*ni*t

:smile:

Brilliant!
 
  • #14
I get tested for Lyme's Disease.
 
  • #15
I ride my bicycle. Sure, it takes effort, but it's not work.
 

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