I've got zero mental motivation after work. Save me from couch potatohood.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I work at a full time job. When I get home I’m usually a little beat, but the physical exhaustion is not the problem. It’s my total lack of motivation to do anything constructive between dinner and bedtime.

This is becoming a worsening problem. In addition to my normal day-to-day responsibilities of paying bills, doing laundry, etc., I have a volunteer position that requires my attention. I have emails and phone calls to attend to, research I must do, and other important tasks. Most nights I don’t feel like doing any of it. I just want to surf the net and watch TV.

I was never the most motivated guy in the world, but this is something new. I suspect I’m doing something wrong (or not doing something right) that’s sabotaging my get-up-and go.

Here are some features of my normal workday…

I’m a 50 year old male. I sleep for around 6 or 7 hours then wake fairly rested. I eat breakfast and pop a multi-vitamin and sometimes a B-12. I bike to my workplace (about 15 mins. of exercise there). My job is not terribly exhausting, but I stand, walk and talk almost the whole time. It is not a high-stress or high-responsibility job either, but I interact with the public, so I’m constantly “on.” I take a normal lunch hour. After work is over I bike home (another 15 mins. of exercise). I eat dinner, then fall into my nightly mental shut-down. Sometimes I take a 20-40 min. nap which helps a little, but it’s not a surefire cure.

Since my problem might be food related (low blood sugar maybe?) let me tell you a little about my eating habits. I try to avoid severe junk food in all my meals, but I am definitely not fanatical about good eating habits. I tend to “eat what I want” and snack whenever I feel hungry. I’ve put on about 5-10 extra pounds in the past six months, but I’ve often done that before – and lost it by avoiding sweets or adding some more biking to my routine – so I’m not too concerned. I am not obese or even overweight.

I don’t smoke, drink or do drugs. I have about 3 cups of coffee each day (one at each meal). I seldom get sick, and never seriously so. (Oh, and I really, really need to get laid – it’s been quite few months and, admittedly, that is not helping my disposition much!)

So, any suggestions for goosing my stalled motivation? I can’t imagine I’m the only one who has gone through a phase like this.

Thanks all, in advance.

2

Your problem is your attitude toward inactivity. Embrace your inner potato. There are many things to “do” while doing nothing. There is TV. There is beer. There is pizza. There is ice cream. There are books. There is even, dare I say it, contemplation. And meditation.

Don’t wallow in guilt as if you’re doing something wrong – how can you be, if you are doing nothing at all?

Some men are men of action. I am not. :slight_smile:

3

Also, your body may be telling you that you are getting older, and may need to slow down a bit. As you volunteer, perhaps you would be willing to do things like knit or crochet hats, socks, scarves, or baby layettes for charity while you relax and watch a little tv? That could make you feel productive while giving your body what you need. Also, I’m not a doctor, but I’ve always been told that any sudden change in energy level, etc., should be mentioned to one. You may have developed type II diabetes or some other condition. I don’t know whether what you’re experiencing may be a symptom of something, but that’s why the doctors supposedly get the big bucks.

4

You sound like you need a hobby. Something that not too active, but challenging enough to have you not able to immediately become a master. Also, something with a side of adventure would be good.

My suggestion is to become a pool hustler. :cool:

5

Depression can sap your motivation and energy, and the internet and TV are typical withdrawals. Or it could be changes in thyroid levels or other metabolic alterations. See your doc for a thorough physical and mention these changes.

6

My own personal technique for dealing with this on evenings where I can just tell I’m not set up to accomplish anything productive is to just go to sleep early at 8:00 PM and wake up around 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. Somehow the pressure of having to go off to work makes me productive in my extra couple of hours in the morning and I’m still able to have an equally productive day at work, although it’s 5:14 AM and I’m currently responding to a thread on the Straight Dope so take this bit of counsel with a grain of salt.

7

The best cure for couch potatery is to go to the library. When you see all those intelligent people looking bored out of their skulls, you realize you can do that at home without having to cart books around. Happy again with your clicker and bag of corn puffs.

8

Can you set aside one day a week to take care of the volunteer stuff? Maybe it is snowballing on you and you know there’s stuff to do and it makes you not want to do it. If you say to yourself “I will take care of it all on Thursday,” then you can be more at ease the rest of the week.

9

You might spend a little bit of time exercising. You already do, I know, but if you can ride an extra five miles or so on your way home, arrive home sweaty and keyed up (but not worn out), take a shower, and then start your evening, you might find you have more energy. That’s what I do- I exercise more when I’m busy, because it helps break me from wasting time on the 'net.

10

I think this is a good idea. Further, what is it (other than the volunteer stuff) that you want to do or want to want to do? If you can identify some other things you might find interesting (such as a hobby, social group, etc.), maybe you could put together an evening schedule that would help you work all that in.

11

Are you setting goals or making task lists with due dates? If I have a list or a set of goals, I feel like I must check them off. Once I do, I get that great feeling of accomplishment, which is motivating.

They don’t have to be huge goals, but things like cleaning out your email in box, creating an organization system for your bills, or even just to ‘spend one hour on volunteer work’ works.

Also, I turn off my TV when I have stuff I need to get done. I get distracted easily.

12

I got rid of my couch. Installed two swivel rockers. Get your exercise while you watch.
And you sleep better.