Certainly you end up making many decisions and doing many things each day, even if they are small things like brushing your teeth, right? So at least for some activities you've got motivation. What are the kinds of activities that you get stuck on?
Ironically, the teeth brushing thing is a good example - it's the simple routines that I latch on to; going to the same places each day at the same times, etc. Not obsessively, but just automatically. I don't even know how some habits began.
Sometimes the things I do aren't even that enjoyable by themselves. (Why do I bite my fingernails? I certainly don't enjoy that but I can't seem to stop doing it and I've tried several techniques.) I feel like I program because I need to and I need to because I feel like it. Or something. There's a logical loop here that I can't seem to break out of - but it makes it hard to get me to do things I don't want to do and it's even worse when I know there's something I need to do that I don't want to do because I'll put it off as long as possible (and sometimes slightly longer).
What's weird (to me) is that the trait will even infect the things I enjoy - like programming. If there's a certain "big" thing I need to do (maybe it's a bunch of boring boilerplate or adapting old code to some new use-case) in order to progress on the part that I consider to be the real problem that I'm working on, I'll put it off and comment on Hacker News instead - sometimes for days. I feel terrible about it and it nags at me the whole time, but I still do it. Why?! :P
I'm not going to pretend to know any answers here (especially since I don't know you) but I will offer some thoughts that may help you try to figure this out.
First of all, it's a part of life to have unpleasant tasks that we don't feel motivated to do. I think that will never change. What will change is how we approach these tasks.
Try this mental trick: avoid judgments. Simply see your day as a web of causes and effects. If I do X, Y will happen. If I don't do X, Y will not happen. Don't tell yourself "I need to do X." Give yourself permission to not do things if you are fine with the consequences.
Here's another thing to think about: saying "I want" is a fiction, because we are a complicated bundle of desires that sometimes conflict. We desire basic physical things like comfort as well as more complex things like a coherent and good sense of self. Get to know your desires. Why do you bite your fingernails? There is a kinesthetic side of you trying to express itself. Why do you want to avoid work? Perhaps there is a chance of failure so your ego's desire to protect itself is putting on the brakes. Or perhaps the work is simply boring and your inner child wants some adventure. The skill here is, after you get to know your inner desires, to learn how to harmonize them. It's like managing people: try to come to an outcome where everyone gets what they want, if possible. If you like the feeling of biting your fingernails but there's a part of you that doesn't like the habit, then you have an internal conflict. An unenlightened way to deal with this is to simply try to snuff out the habit (willpower to stop doing it). A better way is to find something else that's as kinesthetically pleasing and that you don't find objectionable. Same thing goes for programming: if a part of you wants to do that task and a part of you doesn't, listen to the opposing desires and try to harmonize them.
If you ever successfully hack your motivation please let me know how you did it.
I have same problem as you but I fail to develop even simplest routines myself. I do things periodically only when there is outside pressure to do them periodically. Like going to school or to work. Otherwise I do things only if they bother me directly or I have spark of enthusiasm to try something out or straighten something out.
I could just sign last paragraph of your comment with my name.
Comments
Certainly you end up making many decisions and doing many things each day, even if they are small things like brushing your teeth, right? So at least for some activities you've got motivation. What are the kinds of activities that you get stuck on?
Ironically, the teeth brushing thing is a good example - it's the simple routines that I latch on to; going to the same places each day at the same times, etc. Not obsessively, but just automatically. I don't even know how some habits began.
Sometimes the things I do aren't even that enjoyable by themselves. (Why do I bite my fingernails? I certainly don't enjoy that but I can't seem to stop doing it and I've tried several techniques.) I feel like I program because I need to and I need to because I feel like it. Or something. There's a logical loop here that I can't seem to break out of - but it makes it hard to get me to do things I don't want to do and it's even worse when I know there's something I need to do that I don't want to do because I'll put it off as long as possible (and sometimes slightly longer).
What's weird (to me) is that the trait will even infect the things I enjoy - like programming. If there's a certain "big" thing I need to do (maybe it's a bunch of boring boilerplate or adapting old code to some new use-case) in order to progress on the part that I consider to be the real problem that I'm working on, I'll put it off and comment on Hacker News instead - sometimes for days. I feel terrible about it and it nags at me the whole time, but I still do it. Why?! :P
I'm not going to pretend to know any answers here (especially since I don't know you) but I will offer some thoughts that may help you try to figure this out.
First of all, it's a part of life to have unpleasant tasks that we don't feel motivated to do. I think that will never change. What will change is how we approach these tasks.
Try this mental trick: avoid judgments. Simply see your day as a web of causes and effects. If I do X, Y will happen. If I don't do X, Y will not happen. Don't tell yourself "I need to do X." Give yourself permission to not do things if you are fine with the consequences.
Here's another thing to think about: saying "I want" is a fiction, because we are a complicated bundle of desires that sometimes conflict. We desire basic physical things like comfort as well as more complex things like a coherent and good sense of self. Get to know your desires. Why do you bite your fingernails? There is a kinesthetic side of you trying to express itself. Why do you want to avoid work? Perhaps there is a chance of failure so your ego's desire to protect itself is putting on the brakes. Or perhaps the work is simply boring and your inner child wants some adventure. The skill here is, after you get to know your inner desires, to learn how to harmonize them. It's like managing people: try to come to an outcome where everyone gets what they want, if possible. If you like the feeling of biting your fingernails but there's a part of you that doesn't like the habit, then you have an internal conflict. An unenlightened way to deal with this is to simply try to snuff out the habit (willpower to stop doing it). A better way is to find something else that's as kinesthetically pleasing and that you don't find objectionable. Same thing goes for programming: if a part of you wants to do that task and a part of you doesn't, listen to the opposing desires and try to harmonize them.
If you ever successfully hack your motivation please let me know how you did it.
I have same problem as you but I fail to develop even simplest routines myself. I do things periodically only when there is outside pressure to do them periodically. Like going to school or to work. Otherwise I do things only if they bother me directly or I have spark of enthusiasm to try something out or straighten something out.
I could just sign last paragraph of your comment with my name.
For developing a simple routine, I've found the Seinfeld calendar to be a nice tool: http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-seinfelds-productivity-se...