Procrastination versus personal motivation
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before but I have a moderate tendency toward procrastination. It is worse for some things than others but you can hardly blame me for wanting to put off vacuuming or doing the dishes. When it comes to work, and those things like it (exercise), I am not quite so bad but still not great. I often struggle to find motivation for that which needs to get done but am usually able to scrape together a few ounces. Some weeks, for one reason or another, the tendency is much stronger and I find myself in front of a television. One constant is that external sources will occasionally motivate me to act and even to pledge a change to my lazy ways. Tonight, a book I was reading did just that when I came across an essay which contained a quote that resonated with me…
Do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of; how much more than is necessary do we spend in sleep, forgetting that the sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there will be sleeping enough in the grave.
– Benjamin Franklin, The Way to Wealth
It is certainly an odd quote which likely made a lot more sense when it was written. I assume the fox reference speaks to the background of Franklin but I admit that I only know as much as was detailed by the kid in Big Daddy
If it was as easy as that we would all be in perfect shape due to our new years resolution. In fact, after a few years we would run out of stuff to resolve to do over the course of a year. It would probably run something like this: lose weight, read more books, learn martial arts, learn to cook, lose weight, learn to cook healthy, learn piano, write a book, make a million dollars, ?. At the end you are essentially Batman and just need to figure out a costume. But the moments of motivation pass, and quickly, so you do what you can and wait for the next wave.
Another great source of inspiration are movies, particularly those with a self-building plot line. A good example of this is during Batman Begins
Nothing works for me. I just keep putting things off until the very last minute. I’ve not yet been able to find something to keep me motivated, I guess.
Have a kid, adopt a kid, somehow aquire a kid, and suddenly the rare occasional moments that truly belongs to you are infused with the possibility of personal accomplishment — a sinful delight to a family man. At least, that’s what it took for me. There’s probably an easier way. . . Also, if you ignore important stuff, the little one’s going to starve, or freeze to death, or be eaten by wolves: great motivators!
Wolves don’t actually generally eat babies. That was just an example.
Oh boy, touchy subject here. I sometimes get these awesome ideas that take me so long to put into practice, and then when I actually do I love them. But in that space from idea to practice I honestly think I have a hate relationship with most of them XD
I always find a financial penalty increases motivation. Since I never forget to pay Rogers, Visa, etc. Or in the case of the gym you are paying to use the facilities so why not use them. It makes in cheaper in the long run. Or treat yourself like a small child and reward yourself with treats if you get something done earlier.