How do you motivate yourself when you have no obligation? Suggestions pls
I'll assume you mean motivation to cycle. If so I usually Book a place on an event around mid-Summer and then train for that.
This year I booked to do the 100 mile route on the Birmingham Velo.
Otherwise I take a look at myself, naked, in a mirror - that soon snaps me out of my malaise :o)
Motivation comes and goes, discipline remains.
Check out Jocko Willink's podcast, or his Discipline Equals Freedom book. Great stuff.
Apart from work I’m literally answerable to only me. I’m finding it difficult to make myself productive. It was so much easier when I had someone to answer to/be responsible for. I’m a bit of an introvert which doesn’t help. Just wondering what others do to get their motivation/determination going...
As difficult as it is, making an improved version of yourself albeit not based on anyone else. It takes some thinking about, yet it sounds like you’ve already started.
I think I get what you mean. My life is dominated by family and work commitments, but at times when they aren't around, I will just sit and do literally nothing.
Going out volunteering motivates me, but again that's being motivated to do stuff for others, rather than doing stuff for me
Motivation is bullshit, do stuff you have to do, do stuff you want to do.
Example, I can't be motivated to wash dishes my wife does it, she's reluctant, but my lack of motivation trump's it.
I’m listening to a podcast, watching real v Barca and reading albeit halfhearted. Basically procrastinating When I should be doing is decorating. And Laughing at myself now....
I need motivating at the moment as I have job application which needs to be in by 5.00pm tomorrow. Whoever wrote the job description decided to put 33 criteria in the person specification, as well as asking two additional questions which are already covered in the 33 criteria. I have procrastinated for much of yesterday and today watching various football and rugby games and both Spring Classics on TV and desperately need a kick to get it finished.
sounds like me
im self employed so I have the option to not even go to work to be answerable to a bossman
OP sounds a lot like me, outside of work I do virtually nothing productive. Entire weekends I barely move from my sofa, if I go out it's usually just to the local Tesco for supplies. I don't have family commitments or anything major that needs doing around the house but I wish I could kick my self up the ass sometimes and find some motivation. Part of the problem is not much seems to interest me, haven't cycled in years and never enjoyed doing it at this time of year anyway.
I keep waiting to either hit rock bottom or something to happen that kicks me back into gear - I'm not depressed just can't think of anything I either want to do or that I'll know I'll be sufficiently glad I did after that it was worth the hassle in the first place.
That said I do like having at least one day in the weekend where I can do nothing, helps me reset from work - I don't envy colleagues who talk about running around after kids or doing DIY jobs all weekend. Just need to find something I actually want to do the other day in the weekend!
...on the plus side, you guys are going to absolutely walk a few weeks of self-isolation.
So great that you're going to be about and ready to rebuild the world after the runner abouters like me have coughed our last. Oh. Hang on...
One useful way of thinking about motivation to do leisure activities particularly is this...
Change your sense of identity from being someone who thinks they should go for a bike ride to a cyclist, ie. someone who goes for bike rides.
Part of that is by "bedding in" a behaviour change habit (which experts claim takes anywhere from a few weeks to six months - but three weeks is quiet commonly adopted in public health circles.
Worked for me anyway, I'm a "runner" now, but this time last year I was just someone who went for runs now and then.
Join a club of some kind?
I too am "a runner" and part of that transformation has been to join a club. So on a grim Monday night when it's easy to say "sod it, I'll have a night off" you have a club run to attend. And when you go for that run, instead of going for a gentle plod as you have to, you push harder as you're around others.
Most things in life are optional, nobody is holding a gun to your head and saying do this or that or they will pull the trigger.
For me, rather then motivation being my hurdle, I think it's indecisiveness. When I'm mentally fatigued, as is often the case during the winter months with SAD, simple choices become life changing decisions... When I then get a cold during the winter like currently, I go through mental turmoil trying to make trivial decisions!
Classic example this over the last ~15 hours, Merlin had a promo on including Continental gear and I could do with some nice tyres for the outdoor season hopefully starting in earnest for me within the next ~6 weeks. Last night, I was simply incapable of deciding what size tyres to buy, because although I bought 28mm GP4000 last time I thought about trying something narrower (especially for the front). My disposable income is less than most and even though I've not bought anything bike related for a while, spending £100+ is a fair bit for me given we are desperately trying to save money for a housing deposit.
It really didn't help that I slept in (again) until ~0900 I felt incredibly groggy, god knows how I'm going to get up at 0530 for work tomorrow.
On and off it took me ~2 hours this morning to finally decide on what size tyres to choose and what else to leave in the basket and pull the trigger... FFS!!!!11!!!11!! 😆
Oh, another thing.
Do you have motivation problems regarding going to work and doing your job?
If not, try moving the leisure activities you'd like to be doing into the same "compulsory" category as work in your mind.
This can help build new habits/change identity as referenced in my previous post.
I also struggle with motivation to do stuff, and it sounds daft but, I just have to force myself to do something....anything.
I would say:
Join a club?
Take up a convenient hobby?
Set a goal and tell people about it? (I decided I wanted to run the Yorkshire 3 peaks, so told my marathon mate and now he keeps bugging me about it, so I feel compelled to run)
Get wasted and hide the TV remote?
Sounds like you're in a bit of a rut? Got someone you can meet up with and talk to?
