What do you do when you feel demotivated? đŽâđ¨
Carmen JimĂŠnez
13 replies
How do you manage to cheer yourself up on days when you don't feel like working or doing anything?
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Dario AppSapp@appsapp
take a day off or two, maybe party or just relaxing with friends
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I often do one of the two things:
1. Take the day off (and get productive work done for the rest of the week)
2. If I have important things to do and can't take the day off, I pick some of my simplest or most interesting tasks and get them done first. Quick wins, more often than not, give me some motivation to work.
YC Application Optimizer
I do sports (fitness, jogging, or sth. else) and listen to motivating speeches, like this one here from Arnie:
Take time off. As much as it feels counterintuitive the break will refresh and re-energize. Reminds me of words from my old coach (in reference to when we felt under the weather): "I'd rather you take the time off to recharge and give me 100% tomorrow than 50% every day".
Since you're in copywriting I'm sure you've come across Joe Sugarman (The Adweek Copywriting handbook) who is a big proponent of stepping away and letting your subconscious take over.
identid.me
A trip to nature for the whole day without gadgets! A campfire, a lake, a guitar and a tent))
Go to McDonalds xD
well, it really depends on the situation. First, I consider three things: are my diet, exercise, and sleep on point? I take all 3 very seriously. If I'm at less than 100% in some physical/mental/emotional space it is almost always because of those biological baselines being neglected. So, I prioritize getting them back in check ASAP.
If those have been on point and it is a more long-term withdrawal, then I evaluate my goals and plans and consider things like a vacation where I allow myself to 100% disconnect and recharge.
But, those are a minority of the situations and I believe people get too caught up in being "motivated." Forget motivation; it's all about discipline and habits. Can you discipline yourself to do the difficult things when you don't have a temporary motivational high? That's where success is. And, oftentimes, analyzing your diet/sleep/exercise is a reflection of that lack of discipline, if it's tough to get those back on track. Make a commitment to yourself that you're the type of person who will do the difficult things no matter the circumstances. Even when everybody else wouldn't blame you for taking your foot off the pedal, still find a way. And, my recommendation is that when you're making progress, judge that to be the mark of success, and not the outcome. Going to the gym and working your hardest, for example, is success; not the speed of your mile time or the weights or reps that you did. Same goes for work; did you do the best that you could that day, that minute, that second? Then you're a success. Keep pressing on.
identid.me
@alexander_moen This really motivated me, thank you so much for your comment. I think you're totally right, and these days when you lack of motivation and have to bring out your discipline count x3, because you end up the day proud of yourself. Even if your work is less productive than "normal" days.
@copybycarmen happy that it helped. A couple quotes that tie into this that help me are:
""We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons" -Jim Rohn
"Excellence isn't a grand aspiration, it's the next 5 minutes or nothing at all" -Tom Peters