How do you keep yourself motivated to do something when you don't feel like doing it?

Question

Do you force yourself to go through with it anyway? Do you promise yourself some kind of reward? Do you put it off for another day?

b_lova · Accepted Answer

Some things I put it off until the last minute but that's unhealthy.

My suggestion is to develop a reward system. But make it more like you can't do something you regularly enjoy until after you do the things you hate. Hopefully your brain will connect it to the reward and it won't feel like it's painful.

Another method is to slowly build up to doing the things you don't like. I hope using cleaning doesn't offend you, I'm just using it as an example. So if you didn't like cleaning. Start by cleaning 2 minutes twice a day. Set a timer and for 2 minutes focus on that only. The next week or two go up to 5 minutes twice a day and then progress to 10, 15 and so on. The key is to be consistent and to be consistent in the progress you make. Pretty soon you won't need to schedule it as your mind with become accustomed to just getting it done. The principal here is that with things we don't enjoy if we make them a habit pretty soon we don't mind the action because it becomes engrained into us.

RetroReviews · Accepted Answer

I remind myself of the consequences that's going to happen if I don't get off my butt like get evicted if you don't go work to earn money so you can pay your rent. So in cases like that yes I force myself because it's the responsible thing to do

ApplePie409 · Accepted Answer

I asked an old feller how he came up with the discipline to ride his bike to my store at 4 am everyday. (he just bought a New York Times, and then rode home.)

He said it’s not will power or discipline, it’s habit. Once things become a habit, you kind of go on autopilot. He could have driven his Mercedez, but his habit was to bike to the store.

jennifer_bloom · Accepted Answer

Damion Zahariades says if something is difficult break it into parts. Don't look at the whole stair case, just tell yourself, I only need take one more step and I know I can do it cause I've done it thousands of times before. Once you take that step, say the same thing about the new step you have to take.

avery58 · Answer

Yeah, I just force myself.

And for example at gym I'll also divide the session. I'll start with going for 15 minutes then 15 more and x2 till I get the full hour, and sometimes even after I complete an hour's worth of exercise I'll try 10 more.

throwmeaway1111 · Answer

I do things in chunks and take about 10 to 15 minute breaks. I will also treat myself but make sure I dont partake in whatever it is until after I have finished whatever task I'm attempting to complete is done.

Still-alive · Answer

I usually just take a break if its something i don’t have to do

if i do have to do as an obligation it then i try to remind myself ‘hey at least im getting paid’ or if its not a job then ‘ill feel much better after getting this thing I don’t feel like doing done’ which 99% of the time is completely true after i do it. So i try to just ‘suck it up’ and do it to put it another way lol.

Man-O-Metal · Answer

It takes a lot of will power, and I don't always listen to myself. But, when I tell myself it's now or never, it feels so friggin rewarding at the end of the day to know that tightened my fists and just got it done.

LaurenM1997 · Answer

I’ll tell you something on holiday not long ago I didn’t want to go in the pool cause I knew it would be freezing but once I got in the pool and started swimming it wasn’t that bad as I thought it was gonna be!

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

I make the difficult things routine. Such that not doing them is equally uncomfortable as doing them. Then it just becomes habit.

msc545 · Answer

I make myself take a closer look at the task and what it means to finish it vs abandoning it. Some tasks I have to do have more meaning than others and I contemplate the meaning and density of meaning while doing it.

SandandWaves · Answer

I do it because I know I will have good results when done

NathanDavis · Answer

if I don't do it... who will? also... got bills to pay

northerngal · Answer

In my mind the reward is getting it over with. I concentrate on that.

SotiCoto · Answer

If I absolutely need to do it then I will do it. The motivation is avoidance of the consequences of not doing it.

Eljay68 · Answer

Procrastinate to the last second of course because I identify as a procrastinator a man procrastinator wow I probably breaking some kind of rule

John_Cobretti · Answer

Your hesitation to do so vanishes after you're 5 minutes into it

OtterMan68 · Answer

I remind myself I'm an adult and I have to suck it up and do it

moneymagnet24 · Answer

I remember my bad days... My bad days are my motivation...

Loner111 · Answer

Remember why you're doing it to begin with...

Babygirl_S · Answer

I take a break and get back to it later.

TeraGER · Answer

I think of future

OddBeMe · Answer

How much is my client paying?

eagle1951 · Answer

yep pretty much force myself to do it

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