Motivation

I’m a reward girl - if I do something I don’t particularly want to do, I’ll do something nice afterwards! Doesn’t have to be expensive - piece of cake, new nail varnish or a glass of something nice?

I could have written your post Jenny, I hope you get some good ideas, I need them too.

Oldbutstilluseful I hope there will be some! There are many people with the same problem

I'll be watching this thread with much interest!

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If it's everyday stuff, like decorating, I'll have extra coffee, put the radio on - then commit to maybe two hours. A reward afterwards (chocolate) helps. Once I get started (the hardest part) I'll often keep going when the time is up!

More serious stuff, like exercising (don't believe in dieting) or study is easier with a friend. I'll rope them into regular long walks, joining classes (in 'normal' times) etc. then I know they expect me to turn up - so we motivate each other.

With great difficulty in my house
At the start of lockdown DH & I created a list of "useful tasks to do" !! We did some: paint the fence, sort the photos etc. but have not done other things on the list!
We are, in normal times, quite busy with work & social stuff so lockdown gave us a lot of time to do all those things we said we were too busy to do.... I have not taken up sewing in a big way.. made a few masks, I have not dug out my half completed craft projects & I certainly have not lost weight! My garden is in better order and I am a bit fitter having resumed walking after a gap due to a back op. In the end I do what I get pleasure from! That is my motivation.

I find having somewhere to go to do exercises really helps, also walking to the venue as well if possible. All my social groups are over for the time being. Since Covid i am really struggling to keep to any kind of exercise plan, even walking becomes a chore i would rather not do as it serves no real purpose, maybe if i lived somewhere by the coast or a river or canal where the views change daily i might be more inspired. I can usually keep busy in the morning doing household chores but by lunchtime it is all done and i find myself sitting down for the rest of the day watching tv and knittiing. I am very aware of how bad that is for you especially now the bad weather is on the way it does worry me. It was great having some nice weather yesterday as i was able to work in the garden, pruning the buddliah tree and i was planning on going out again today to finish that off and then having a general tidy up but at the mo the rain is coming down quite heavily. It is good to know i am not alone.

PECS

With great difficulty in my house
At the start of lockdown DH & I created a list of "useful tasks to do" !! We did some: paint the fence, sort the photos etc. but have not done other things on the list!
We are, in normal times, quite busy with work & social stuff so lockdown gave us a lot of time to do all those things we said we were too busy to do.... I have not taken up sewing in a big way.. made a few masks, I have not dug out my half completed craft projects & I certainly have not lost weight! My garden is in better order and I am a bit fitter having resumed walking after a gap due to a back op. In the end I do what I get pleasure from! That is my motivation.

YES. I totally agree about great difficulty!

I go for a long walk with a friend once a week, but I always go to swimming and aquacise on my own, obviously see others there.
Am always surprised how many people, mainly women, need someone to ‘go’ to things with.

Get out of your usual comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Great things usually happen outside of our comfort zones and this is a skill you will definitely need to master on your way to self-confidence.

Finish what you start. Make an effort to finish off what you have started, this is a great way to accomplish your goals and improve your self-esteem.

Try educating yourself, read motivational books, follow industry and political leaders, watch video clips of famous speakers doing it right.

Believe that you can do it. Think about it; if you don’t believe in something, how can you accomplish it? Don’t get held back on this stumbling block, know that you have the ability to accomplish your goals.

Never give up when you are frustrated. Keep going and focus on your end goal. Moving forward is the only way you will ever reach your potential; there is no success in failure.

As a young man I achieved my educational goals making my father a proud Dad, but my greatest achievement, one that nobody ever thought that I could do, and one that over fifty years later I am still proud of.
I quit smoking at the age of 22. But was it hard, and it took six months, but I got there.

Thank you for your post Jenny and all the other posters who have made positive suggestions. My area is in local lockdown and although on the whole I am a positive person the last two weeks or so I haven’t been able to motivate myself at all. So all your suggestions are very welcome ??

Pretty much the only thing I've stayed on top of is my 10k steps/day (well 70k/week) because the dog needs walking. Can't get on top of craft 'projects' so have scaled things down and now trying to do small (only takes 2 or 3 hours then it's finished) pieces.
Things with a comparatively short time scale is my advice. Hope that helps someone, somewhere.

I read a post on fb about how since the pandemic our needs re Maslow hierarchy of needs are not being met so re motivation we r doing the best we can. Of course there are a lot of super humans out there who would try to tell u otherwise ?

A timetable works best for me re sticking at a long desk-based task, which is where I often need motivation.
Setting a time to finish as well as a time to start and always in the morning if poss. I try to work it out the previous evening so that I don't torpedo the day before I start. Something I read somewhere but don't always achieve is to finish each day knowing just where to pick up the next day, and tidying everything away when I go off and do something else.
I enjoy 'schedules' and do get more done that way. But once I lapse...

Make a list of a few things you want/need to do. Decide on a "priority of the day". It might be something small like make a phone call/return a parcel etc but it's the only way I get things done at the moment. Somehow I get a sense of achievement from ticking off one or two things from the never ending list of must do one days!

The most comforting thing is not being alone in feeling unmotivated. So many good ideas here. I have no problem doing things on my own, but actually finding the will to get started is my problem. I’m beginning to wonder if, for me, it’s an age thing. I just feel old at 73.

I am sitting here looking at the rain & thinking- can I get out of my dance class this morning? If I hadn't paid in advance I would not go but I would be cross at myself as I do enjoy it when I get there. The motivation is that I have paid for it.
I find telling DH about something I know I will want to opt out of helps as he will nag me.
With luck someone will want to go for a coffee afterwards too so I will come home cheerful & fitter.

Gosh wish l had an answer to that one!

This is so true for me too . I find myself planning something then cancelling , my mind wants to do it but not my body . I would love to know the key to keeping the motivation .

I wish I knew! I got a lot done at the start of lockdown, (much of it very mundane household jobs), but there was a sense of achievement. Now, 6 months on, that ‘glow of achievement’ has well and truly worn off. I find that I really can’t be bothered to do anything - even the urgent things sit there, waiting reproachfully. Even getting up seems like an effort some days.

oops..after 20:30 better get up!

I'm fine with things I enjoy doing and even found making masks quite enjoyable.
Once I get going, that is.

We have sorted out a few things around the house, planted some bushes in the garden, grown more veg, I made jams and pickles.

However (and it's a big however) we have not sorted out all the Stuff which is crammed into every available cupboard and the attic.

Finish what you start.
Does that mean the jumper I started 25 years ago? I went wrong, put it on one side and can't remember how to do the pattern.

Oh and then there's the Nativity set.