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Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#31

Post by corsivo »

swaggyBoatswain wrote: post #27
p49k wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you learn how to journal? There are countless quality resources for developing a solid workout routine, but I have no idea how to start a journal and every time I try, I have no idea what to write and there is no structure, which makes me give up after some time.

I went on a long tangent but let me answer your specifically: I think its important to constantly experiment to see what works for you. Starting simple is usually best I would take a moleskin notebook, and just treat 1 page of journalling = 1 day. Start doing this everyday. You'll soon realize how inefficient this is, and move onto something easier (e.g. a computer) for journalling But you learned an important lesson…

One thing to keep in mind is that Moleskine notebooks are designed for use with pencil. They are also pretty poor quality, especially considering their price. Leuchtturm notebooks are around the same price point and have much, much higher quality paper that can stand up well to even very wet pens.

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#32

Post by copperx »

floatingatoll wrote: post #12

Zinc supplements. It turned out I was seratonin and dopamine deficient due to multiple (6) genetic defects in my liver’s zinc uptake genes, so whenever I was under duress, I’d run out of neurotransmitters and be unable to produce more.

How did you find out about these defects? Did you get a genetic test? And how much zinc do you take to compensate? Is it a mega dose?

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#34

Post by p49k »

swaggyBoatswain wrote: post #26
p49k wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you learn how to journal? There are countless quality resources for developing a solid workout routine, but I have no idea how to start a journal and every time I try, I have no idea what to write and there is no structure, which makes me give up after some time.

I use an app called dynalist, I use it to keep track of all my sprint notes I wrote this sometime last year, but its a general gist of how I do things http://vincentmtang.com/2017/11/03/making-an-annual-work-sum... This is how I generally organize myself http://vincentmtang.com/2018/08/03/how-i-organize-myself/ I quadruple gif scrubbed this here so you can see the big picture. I have some personal information that I…

Thanks - this is all good info that I'm going to take some time to absorb.

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#35

Post by swaggyBoatswain »

p49k wrote: post #34
swaggyBoatswain wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use an app called dynalist, I use it to keep track of all my sprint notes I wrote this sometime last year, but its a general gist of how I do things http://vincentmtang.com/2017/11/03/making-an-annual-work-sum... This is how I generally organize myself http://vincentmtang.com/2018/08/03/how-i-organize-myself/ I quadruple gif scrubbed this here so you can see the big picture. I have some personal information that I…

Thanks - this is all good info that I'm going to take some time to absorb.

No problem glad you found it useful :)

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#36

Post by PeOe »

You got used to being unmotivated. As others mentioned before, you need a bit of discipline. But discipline alone is not the point. I would recommend using productivity techniques. Checklists might be to easy but getting things done or eat that frog are great methods. At the beginning it´s hard, but as you constantly use them, it will become a habit. And, for me, it´s a great feeling and boosts my motivation when I see what I have already finished or when I´m able to set one task to "done". I personally use getting things done and it really helps to stay focused, you can also use "time blocking" to concentrate on your tasks or to make sure you got time to do nothing at all.

If you need more info about all the methods, have a look at our blog, there are articles about many possibilities to boost productivity and enhance your motivation: https://zenkit.com/en/blog

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#39

Post by dosy »

First, echoing what others say, and channeling Marcus Aurelius,

You have identified your obstacle: "this invisible force"

Now penetrate into it with your mind / feelings, discover what it truly is, in essence. What is it, in and of itself? Sit quietly, relax, clear your mind and think. How do you feel? What is this force? Keep penetrating into it more deeply until you see it clearly enough for your purpose.

Once you understand your exact situation with a useful amount of clarity, and connect with your feelings, I believe you will know exactly what to do and have the non-mixed-feeling motivation to do it.

That's the thesis. Now for the antithesis.

What if the following is true:

What if the dreams you had chased before, were to some extent formed as a response to, or to protect you from, or to compensate for, whatever happened to you. And now that you have dealt with and vanquished this issue in your life you have the following bipartite situation:

- On the one hand, you are still motivated by what you have trained yourself to be motivated by for so long. And,

- On the other hand, having killed the original motivation that gave rise to it, you have removed the impetus to do it.

Now what can you do in this situation?

I believe you already know. But here is what I think. You are at a crossroads. You can re-examine your values and motivations and see if what was once important, still is. You can recommit to, or now redefine your purpose. You may find that you end up deepening your commitment, or that you free yourself from what once drove you, and make way for the new purpose / motivation to enter your life.

Finally, for the curve-ball. What if this invisible force is just your intuition / the matrix / the signal line / a deep feeling trying to make its way to you and give you an important message about something in your life? What if it is nothing you expect but will be, once you open yourself to its message, completely surprising and very useful for you?

Okay, so it could be 1, a mix, or all of these things. Or something else entirely. You've got the thesis, antithesis (and curve ball for good measure), you make your own synthesis and solve your own problem / meet your own opportunity. Hope this helped you and anyone else watching. Have a great day y'all.

Re: Ask HN: How do you all deal with lack of motivation?

#40

Post by floatingatoll »

copperx wrote: post #32
floatingatoll wrote: post #12

Zinc supplements. It turned out I was seratonin and dopamine deficient due to multiple (6) genetic defects in my liver’s zinc uptake genes, so whenever I was under duress, I’d run out of neurotransmitters and be unable to produce more.

How did you find out about these defects? Did you get a genetic test? And how much zinc do you take to compensate? Is it a mega dose?

I read a lot of scientific papers, then determined the common trace mineral supporting dopamine and seratonin production, then identified my genetic variations from societal norms with respect to zinc uptake and processing in various liver and brain pathways using those papers to narrow down with locations to check.

I already had genetic data available. Commercial tests would not have revealed an issue, as my variants have neither been proven benign nor harmful, and the unproven [1] correlations to autism are not yet included in testing. I was not certain when I bought the first pack of zinc cough drops whether they would affect me, but the only downside was temporary magnesium deficiency, which I’m already used to perceiving and treating.

I vary consumption of sublingual tablets based on whether I desire more metallic taste in my mouth or not, which I sometimes do. I vary my intake to include magnesium and copper-assisted zinc now and then. I prefer the dissolving tablets one at a time over a period of time so that I can develop a natural dislike for their metallic taste once I’ve consumed enough, but the same dislike develops using zinc-honey cough drops. I rarely use capsules (primarily for the copper variant) as they do not have a taste linkage for me to calibrate against.

Please seek professional medical advice. Increasing your zinc intake can have detrimental effects on your copper and magnesium levels, leading to bodywide soreness and/or death.

[1] Unproven due to only a couple papers published to date; no conflicting opinions existed, and no comprehensive analysis of autistic people has yet been performed.

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