What helps you do something, when you have no motivation to do it?

Sitting in White Hall talking to me and messing around on facebook doesn’t help either of us. I hate this paper.

The fear of poverty, starvation, loneliness and smelly sheets.

Due dates.

@SheWasAll_ Damnit I forgot you were sitting next to me :I

Been there.

Reward yourself when you complete the task. I used to say that I am buying beer and a real pizza when I finish my paper.

You could treat yourself to a bakers dozen of cupcakes when you complete a task.

Keeping the happy end result in mind. Maybe it would help you to keep a countdown of # of days ‘til graduation. Or make plans to do or go somewhere special (salon, spa, restaurant, whatever) the day after your last exam as a reward to look forward to & make a # of days countdown ‘til then.

To do lists also help me as I feel a sense of accomplishment when I check things off. Also helps me to prioritize & not feel as overwhelmed since I focus on 1 thing at a time.

This time isn’t going to last forever, and, as much as it seems to be dragging now, it won’t be long ‘til you look back & think the time flew. I graduated with my B.A. in 1988 and not only do I find it hard to believe that 20 years have already passed, I really miss those days as stressful and full of pressure as they were.

Keep plugging on – you’ll get there!!! HTH!

GQ, very timely for me, also. I’m moving across the country in 16 days and for whatever reason, simply can not get motivated to do anything towards it. I think it’s because it freaks me out a little bit.

The only thing that motivates me is failing…and even then I don’t care sometimes.

It is hard to get motivated when you’ve lost interest in the thing it is you’re working on. I know. I’ve been there (I’m there right now, go me!). What I found that worked for me was giving myself rewards when I reached certain, predetermined plateaus (as per the suggestion from@johnpowell). For example: my reward for getting my thesis complete enough to send to my committee and set up a defense date was to get a Wii. It worked.

It also helps me occasionally to step away from the thing I’m stumbling on. Even when I know I’m on a tight deadline, walking away from it for an hour and doing something else helps. If you have another assignment that you have to get done that’s maybe a little easier, work on that for a while. Sometimes just by completing another task helps you to focus on the bigger task. Good luck.

If you need that much help getting motivated maybe you should think about why you’re doing this in the first place. Does this work fit into your life goals? Is it a temporary unpleasantness that you have to go through so, will doing the work without procrastinating be less painful? Are you learning about who you are and what you want to become? Did this help at all?

@Chatfe What I want to do has changed significantly and I am motivated in that area. However, I only have 2 weeks left before winter break and another semester then I will graduate, so getting this over and graduating will help me move on quickly to what I really want do. Having a degree will also help me get a job. So yeah I believe it helped.

I’m there now, as well. I’m feeling overwhelmed (at work) and on the weekends, all that I want to do is sleep or (waste) spend time here on Fluther, go out and make list after list of what I should be doing—when there’s important stuff to be done (and I’m just sitting there on my ass)!

Set little goals for yourself (“I’ll spend a good hour on this”), work on it, then reward yourself (cupcake, sleep, new shoes). You have to give yourself breaks here and there, otherwise, you’ll be miserable and stressing.

Positive reinforcement! You can have ice cream when half your paper is done. And go to the movies when all of it is done. Also, be sure you set reasonable goals. I’m not going to aim to finish both of my 15-page final papers in one day. But I’m happy with writing 5 pages of that over 3 days.

Break it down into a series of small tasks. That way it makes it easier to track your progress. Sometimes people keep putting off doing things because they don’t know where to start.

Sit down and put some effort into properly planning your objectives and your time. Refer to SMART objectives when setting tasks

Two things work for me:

1. Identify exactly what’s in it for me to accomplish it.
2. Intensify the answer to number 1 by finding a “Wow Factor” to shoot for.

A Wow Factor can be any or many aspects of a project where you find a way to go beyond the basic requirements to stretch yourself, and magnify the outcome to be something you can truly be proud of, and maybe even impress impress others with. To become truly great (and happy), you need to impress yourself regularly, and raising the bar for yourself is part of the process in general, but it can also be a great self-activated motivator on otherwise lame projects. Basically, you’re just adding value to the project for yourself, to make it interesting again (or maybe even for the first time).

Finding a wow factor to shoot for on a project can be tough sometimes… but once you find it, the motivational problem will go away. Guaranteed.

1) Think about the good that will ensue if I do whatever it is.

2) Think about the bad that will happen if I don’t.

Responsibilities I have to others otherwise I’d probably have more than a few days of feeling sorry for myself, lying around in stinky lounge clothes, looking at dirty plates and bowls on my dresser top and my dog needing a bath & brush out.

The best for me is to make a study date with friends. I prefer to do tasks with others, and the obligation of meeting up with people and then a reward afterwards like lunch out makes it more social than work.

Money.

If you don’t study, your chances of finding a decent job (read: a great way to spend most of your life, 5–6 days a week, 9–12 hours a day, meet interesting people and opportunities) get slimmer. And it’s much harder to learn later on. Not impossible, just much (more expensive and) harder. Best to do it, like procreation, when you’re young.

Now just do it.

ZEN OUT

Cocaine!....
It ‘may’ be illegal, but its not against the law!.....

meth.

Depends on if more than anything else, you love being in school and writing papers. If you do, go ahead and goof off, wreck your gpa and stay for an extra year to retake the classes you’d fail or get an incomplete in this year…of course, that could mean an extra year of student loans, but hey, goofing off is worth it, right?

If you really want something that will definitely make you do the thing you dread then try Pawning..

You entrust a friend or parent (must be someone who wants to see you succeed but close enough to laugh at your failures) with something you love, such as a favourite toy, phone or anything to which you are attached emotionally (better yet let them choose).

Then you list down the tasks you must complete before that item can be returned to you.. should you fail they must destroy/hide/maim said item.. this can be somewhat cruel but its effective.

Being in a bad mood. There’s nothing like turning off the overhead light, turning on some Deastro and cracking your knuckles. It’s the realization that it’s you against the world, and if you want to get anywhere you better get working.

It doesn’t matter if it isn’t true. I do my best work when I’m mad as hell. Nothing makes me more determined than anger.

@Kade13 that sounds like an excellent idea! My roomies will be perfect at that!

thinking about how good i’ll feel when i’m done. it never helps, and i still slack to the max, but it’s a nice thought, lol.

I try to make a game out of it.

I just need to find one thing about the task that I can build an interesting challenge behind or make it fun to do.