What is your biggest obstacle to getting things done?
Personally, I have a ton of trouble staying disciplined and keeping habits. Fatigue from work and social obligations leaves me too tired most days to justify doing something beneficial for myself. Exercise, home improvement projects, and my writing are usually neglected, because I can't harness the willpower to get going.
Lack of motivation is a common problem... That's why Redditor u/lsfeuerborn asked those gifted with discipline, "People who are motivated to do things, how do you do that?"
10. Baby steps
"Breaking down the massive task into bite sizes helps. Wanna climb that mountain? Just take it one step at a time, focus on the next ridge, acknowledge and reward your progress with breaks/snacks, focus on the journey rather than the destination. When you've reached your summit, think/talk about the tremendous accomplishment and try not to think about the next mountain. While in the context of hiking, the principles apply to almost every task, no matter how big or small."
9. Work through the rut
"I don't wait for motivation anymore. I just do what I need to do. Half the time the 'I don't feel like doing this' feeling goes away within minutes."
8. Build a habit
"It's really about making it a habit, getting up and being motivated to do something comes easier the more you push yourself to do it"
"Start small, make it regular. Do one push-up per day. Walk once per day. Read one page of a book you've been meaning to per day. Make it so easy you can't talk yourself out of it, then do it EVERY day without fail. Even small achievements have outsized effects on your mood and confidence, and you will naturally want to do more as time goes on, it will creep into every area of your life. It becomes addictive - discipline is just like a muscle, the more you work it the stronger it gets."
7. Learning a lesson
"Prison, it's a pretty big incentive not to go back, I have a nice apartment good friends slowly building a support system no way I'm going give that up"
6. Find the routines
"Coffee. Turn everything into a precise routine and make it more efficient than the day before (e.g. combining an audiobook with commuting to work before/after rushhour and using the extra time for a workout; making dinner with the cleanup in mind). Sleep schedule with sleep hygiene. And stop talking to lazy people, they will brainwash you into watching too much TV or being on the internet too much"
5. Think about the results
"The results.
Routines are the base to my hapiness, so I push myself to do stuff. For example, I wanted to start working out, so I had to reaaally push myself for the first few months, but once it became a habit and what's more important - I saw my body looking good, it's as normal as brushing my teeth"
4. Maybe it's just your brain
"Honestly, Concerta. I always had trouble beginning tasks. Once I started them I could power through but always felt overwhelmed to start. I was an adult and diagnosed with ADD and Concerta literally changed my life. I am able to work, clean, take care of kids, stay fit, all because I'm not having trouble starting. Even when I skip a day I'm able to do it all because good habits have been ingrained. Seriously, if you struggle with motivation maybe you have a brain like mine and can fix it."
3. Keep your promises
"If you continually break promises to yourself, you are literally training your brain that your words and promises don't matter. You're training yourself to fail.
If you can't keep a promise to yourself, how can you keep a promise to someone else?
It's similar to learning to love yourself before being able to love someone else."
2. Dedicate a little bit of time at a time
"Read the book 'tiny habits'. Motivation is unreliable. What you should aim for is making the task as easy to start as possible (ie put floss in visible sight and easy to reach if you want to do more flossing), find a logical place in your day to consistently do it (after you brush your teeth), and commit to doing the 30second version of it (floss one tooth). You are always welcome to do more.
Over time, it will be easier to do more"
1. Think about that future relax fest
"I am always trying to hook future me up so life can be a bit easier rather than a constant slog. If I get stuff done now then I can relax a bit more in the future and that really makes me motivated to keep pushing."
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