Everyone has times when they must do something they don’t want to do. You just pulled a 14-hour shift at the factory, the new baby kept you up all night, the flu is kicking your butt, the deadline on that important project is looming, and yet class starts in less than an hour, the laundry and dishes are piling up, the dog slipped his leash again, and your SO wants to talk with you.
Okay, that example may be a little extreme. Still, we all face unpleasant things in our lives, and most of the time, we gamely try to face up to them. How do you do it? Do you not give it a second thought, and pitch right in? Do you procrastinate until someone makes you do it? Do you have to talk yourself into it, whether such self-support is large or small?
I believe that this is a general polling-type question, but I ask any passing Mod to change location if necessary.
Every day at work, the first thing I do is pull out framed photos of my kids and put them on the desk, right where I’ll be able to see them the whole time. That way, if I have any doubts about what the Hell I’m doing or (especially) why I’m doing it, I can look at them and get all the motivation I need.
When I’m completly tapped out the only solution I’ve found is to just not think about it. I do a lousy job of remembering why the hell doing something seemed so all-fired important when I’m exhausted, depressed, upset, etc. It’s not my most rational state, y’know? I couldn’t motivate a pyromaniac to start a fire, much weigh all my own priorties all over again.
So I turn my brain off and just do whatever needs to be done. Usually dreading doing something is worse than just hauling off and getting it over with. It goes contrary to most of the motivational stuff that’s been forced down me but hey, it works for me.
Hey, that’s my technique. Sometimes I even let it get to the point where bad things do happen. I think, in a perverse, twisted sort of way, I enjoy the adreneline rush that comes from trying to pull my ass outta the fire…
I used to be more of a procrastinator than I am now. I’ve gotten to like the feeling of accomplishment that comes from getting something done, and I also dislike the feeling of doom that comes from putting things off. I don’t think I really motivate myself all that much - when something has to be done, I just do it. I think this attitude comes with age, too - you just realize that nobody’s going to do it for you, so you suck it up and get it done.