Trying to find motivation
Tags: mentalhealth, sideprojects
Published: 2020-02-18 14:39:36

I haven't been blogging on the site for very long, but since I've been blogging I've been coming up with some cool ideas that I think would be fun to work on or would be cool as a tool etc.

The problem is, is that I find it difficult to find the motivation to work on any projects in my own time. 

I'm finding it hard to find that *spark* ✨✨ of inspiration that I used to get when thinking about projects.

# What is procrastination?

Procrastination is basically your brain not wanting to do anything too difficult - it wants that hit of dopamine, it's an addict. It will try and get it the fastest way it knows how, and in a world where I can load an app and look at funny pictures, it's really not suprising that it's so easy to fall ino weeks of unproductive activity.

## There are so many easy ditractions

I could make a massive list of easy ways that my brain can create a good feeling, one easy way - games, another? Funny cat videos. I could go on all day about stupid things that can release good feelings.

If you think of certain activities they can give a release of dopamine, but it takes a while to get there - as I say the brain can be lazy and want the fastest way to feel happy constantly and because your brain is lazy you in turn become lazy and want that drug hit.

## Discipline

How you are supposed to combat this is to create a schedule and manage your time effectively, say to yourself that for example 6-7 pm is self learning time, and then after that it's game time etc.

## So what's stopping you?

I think currently what is stopping me is just exhaustion and burn out, let me explain my typical week:

Monday: 
5:00 - get up and get to the gym, get some physical exercise in before work
8:30 - get to work
12:00 - (lunch) read a book listen to podcasts, whatever.
13:00 - Back to work
17:00 - Walk 40 minutes home
17:00 - 21:00 - personal time

Tuesday: 
5:00 - get up and get to the gym, get some physical exercise in before work
8:30 - get to work
12:00 - (lunch) read a book listen to podcasts, whatever.
13:00 - Back to work
17:00 - Walk 40 minutes home
17:00 - 21:00 - personal time

Wednesday: 
7:00 - get up
7:50 - walk 40 minutes to work
8:30 - get to work
12:00 - (lunch) read a book listen to podcasts, whatever.
13:00 - Back to work
17:00 - Walk 40 minutes home
17:00 - 21:00 - personal time

Thursday: 
5:00 - get up and get to the gym, get some physical exercise in before work
8:30 - get to work
12:00 - (lunch) read a book listen to podcasts, whatever.
13:00 - Back to work
17:00 - Walk 40 minutes home
17:00 - 21:00 - personal time

Friday: 
5:00 - get up and get to the gym, get some physical exercise in before work
8:30 - get to work
12:00 - (lunch) read a book listen to podcasts, whatever.
13:00 - Back to work
17:00 - Walk 40 minutes home
17:00 - 21:00 - personal time

Saturday/Sunday - complete personal time.

## So what do you do with all that free time?

🎸 - I play guitar
📚 - I read books
🥙 - I eat food
🗣  - Meet up with friends


In general I try and wind down before it all starts again.

but recently one of my favourite hobbies 💻 coding has just fallen by the wayside. I'm really not happy about it.

# So what can you do?

There are slices of time where I'm not doing anything - just watching endless youtube videos or reading tweets or doing something I shouldn't be doing. This is the time I need to capture, to make it my own once more.

I have so many ideas, and it's a shame that none of them are seeing the light of day (in my opinion).

## Why are you writing this?

To keep myself acountable! I like writing things like this ina  public space it makes things feel more official, like if I don't do what I've said I'd do then I'm letting someone somewhere down so please if you read this keep me ccountable to my actions.

Signing off.....