# Volition without Motivation **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 10, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volition-without-motivation/102783 "2002-04-10T04:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volition-without-motivation/102783/1 "2002-04-10T04:07:40Z")
There are several things that I want to do, and know I would benefit from doing, but can never be **ARSED** to do! It really gets to me. I know I have the intelligence and knowledge to do these things. And I now doing them will open doors to even better things to do. But the motivation is no-where. I really really really want to learn 3d programming with directx. I have got as far as rendering a teapot and changing it’s colour. But whenever I read helpfiles or look at example code or anything that would help me learn it I get so fed-up. It brings back terrible feelings from University when I had to study insanely boring things that I had no interest in. It’s like I really want to be at a destination, but I really don’t want to do the journey. The point of this post - How do the ‘dopers’ motivate themselves to do non-compulsary things. Self-improvement for example? ---
**Author:** ![knock\_knock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@knock\_knock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knock_knock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volition-without-motivation/102783/2 "2002-04-10T04:58:32Z")
Suggestions: -set off a certain period of time each day/week to work on your goal -come up with a reward to give yourself for working on your goal, or a punishment for not working -write out your goal, set a date for it, and do the same for various sub-goals that you have to accomplish on the way to it. Try to be as specific as possible, and try to stick to your schedule. -figure out some trick for calming yourself down and getting on task when you get fed-up. Like music, or meditation, or slapping yourself in the face, or just thinking of the destination that you want to reach I’m no expert on motivation and I don’t do all of these things, but one of them might be able to help. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volition-without-motivation/102783/3 "2002-04-10T13:40:24Z")
I’ll second **knock knock** ’s suggestions, and also say that one thing that may help is to go somewhere other than your home to work on whatever needs working on. I cannot focus on homework assignments at home, but if I go to the library specifically to do homework, at least a good portion of it gets done. The same goes for practicing piano. Can’t really get any good time in at home, but if I go to the practice rooms on campus, then I inevitably spend at least two hours playing.