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Triage. I basically have to give up priorities to focus on others. I've recently given up hobbies like gaming (tabletop and computer) for less time consuming

Triage. I basically have to give up priorities to focus on others. I've recently given up hobbies like gaming (tabletop and computer) for less time consuming hobbies like the guitar (one lesson a week and about 20 minutes of practice each night). My friends will get attention one weekend and my girlfriend another. Rather than go out for food with my coworkers, I typically read a book during my lunch hour. I have very little energy after work so if I can't bring myself to clean or read I'll dump some more time into guitar practice between aimless web browsing sessions. I have the motivation to work on a project for a few days every few months or so but I just can't ever get anything done. If I had more motivation I could probably make some life changes that would help me better manage my time, but at 30 years old I haven't come close to cracking that code and I've become complacent enough to stop caring.

chadcmulligan 8y ago
Try adding in 30 minutes of exercise a day, should change your motivation
beatgammit 8y ago
Some things that helped me, since I was recently in that boat: - exercise - I started biking to work (took lots of willpower), and I got a ton more energy - go to bed earlier - most of my wasted time was in the evening, so I started going to bed earlier, which meant waking up earlier, so by the time I was mentally and physically ready to just veg, I was sleepy enough to just go to bed - try short, focused work sessions (I like the pomodoro technique) - get everything done early so you're less stressed - should snowball into getting even more stuff done, which frees you up for other time Honestly, of the above, my best recommendation is biking to work, because it accomplishes several things: - feel successful before even doing work (save money, get exercise, etc) - builds stamina (well, any exercise will) - turns something boring and soul sucking (commuting) into something fun and productive - makes you look and feel hardcore (my coworkers were impressed that I bike commuted) But remember, willpower is a finite resource, but you can increase it by training yourself. Make a positive change and track it (I used a spreadsheet for bike committing), which should snowball into the willpower needed to make other changes.

chadcmulligan 8y ago

Try adding in 30 minutes of exercise a day, should change your motivation

beatgammit 8y ago

Some things that helped me, since I was recently in that boat: - exercise - I started biking to work (took lots of willpower), and I got a ton more energy - go to bed earlier - most of my wasted time was in the evening, so I started going to bed earlier, which meant waking up earlier, so by the time I was mentally and physically ready to just veg, I was sleepy enough to just go to bed - try short, focused work sessions (I like the pomodoro technique) - get everything done early so you're less stressed - should snowball into getting even more stuff done, which frees you up for other time Honestly, of the above, my best recommendation is biking to work, because it accomplishes several things: - feel successful before even doing work (save money, get exercise, etc) - builds stamina (well, any exercise will) - turns something boring and soul sucking (commuting) into something fun and productive - makes you look and feel hardcore (my coworkers were impressed that I bike commuted) But remember, willpower is a finite resource, but you can increase it by training yourself. Make a positive change and track it (I used a spreadsheet for bike committing), which should snowball into the willpower needed to make other changes.