WORK RELATED: getting way off-track and unmotivated
 

fuck ive been grinding every day for the last 2 yrs at this game but for the last few weeks ive become so lazy and un-motivated....im starting to have doubts about being self-employed...has anyone else gone thru times where they just woke up and didnt do any work for long periods of time? what got u back on track?

i need some fn motivation, i grew up broke so i kjnow how bad it is, but i just need that little kick in the ass. what got u back on track???

look at my then..... kill yourself

It happens. I myself try and give myself breaks from time to time, a couple days and sometimes even weeks away from the machine for work. Creative and thoughtful stuff does not run like a waterfall for long in a singular medium.

I have turned away clients because I know I would have a hard time creating something for them when my mind is melted from Computer work. I am just being honest everyone has faults.

Everyone suffers from this sort of thing from time to time I think.

My advice is, if you are going to work from home or independently it is highly important to pace yourself and not take a bite on things when it would be difficult to handle creatively.

You will know when ya do this, you probably know now. Learn from it, take a break for a few days.

Learn a hobby.
My hobby has always been playing guitar.
Find something other than sitting in front of the machine that is challanging has potential to sharpen your mind yet keep your mind clear of the internet or what you do for a living.

Even 2 hours a day away from the machine or sometimes even a whole day doing soemthing else seriously helps and you do come back with new idea's when you sit down and work again;)

Smoking a bowl and drinking 8 cups of coffee with it is not the answer.

holy cuck!!!

I recommend smoking reefer.

Wise words.:pimp

Upside internet : Open 24/7/365
Downside internet : Open 24/7/365:1orglaugh

download WoW and play it alot, you will be at your computer and you can take a break every once in a while to check your adsense stats or whatever, and you can do a little bit of work every couple days or so maybe.... it will help freshen up your attitude

I've had and continue to struggle with this exact same problem. Here is what I've discovered.

1) Have a well defined purpose that motivates you. This should have motivation beyond just money. What can you do that nobody else can do? How can you bring value to other people's lives?

2) Be specific. If you only have a vague concept of what your work is, then you will naturally procrastinate. If you find yourself being lazy, make a list of EXACT actionable items that you can accomplish in 15 minute chunks and then just do 1 of them. If you are feeling good then you can do another.

3) Stop working so damn much! I actually had the Ruby on Rails creator tell me this directly when I asked him this question at a talk he gave. You need to have time off to do what you want to do. I have 1 day a week where I do whatever I want to and I make it a rule that I will not do any work. I don't check email and I don't turn on my IM client. If all you see is more work with no chance of enjoying yourself then what's the point of working?

3) Multi-tasking is for computers not people. Do one thing at a time and concentrate on it. Turn off distractions. As the poem says:

4) Make a list of what you want to accomplish the night before. These need to be specific, not just vague things like, "work on project A". What can you get done on project A?

5) Health and exercise. Eat more often and eat low glycemic foods. Stay away from large meals and especially ones that are mostly sugar. If you are going to have something with lots of sugar make sure to eat it with protein too to balance it out. Exercise. If you don't have the physical energy, you won't have the fuel to do mental work.

I also recommend the following books:
Think and Grow Rich
The Now Habit
The Power of Full Engagement

nice post brandon...
i have this exact same problem from time to time, the last two weeks it was that time again being unmotivated as fuck and very lazy.
The biggest lazy period ive had was about 2 years ago, in the summer. I did almost nothing for 4 months, sleep, chill in the sun, sleep, chill in the sun.... then i realized i was running out of cash, that motivated me to pick up work again haha... These days im more disciplined.

Thanks. Yeah, I've also noticed when it's hot it's hard to work. It makes you really lazy.