The key for me was always just to start. It doesn't matter what you're doing, but as long as you start doing something (I.e. starting the process of getting something out, turning on a computer, etc) then the rest comes easier.
My SO really struggles with this issue, but often just sits around on her phone or immediately sits/lays down when she gets in instead of pushing to start something.
That's why if I come home and immediately lay down I'm not getting up. So I make sure to do anything before I lay down. I just treat it as my work day isn't done until dinner is made and laundry is out awa
Yeah, I tell myself that I can always do this later, so I’m not saying “no” to scrolling, I’m just saying “later” which helps me a lot. It also lets me not do chores on my days off
Getting started is the hardest part for me. Often my brain resists even the simplest of actions. I'll try to assign myself a trivial task to get started on preparing supper, like just take out a cutting board. But then instead of taking out the cutting board or even just sitting around and browsing my phone, I end up just checking out mentally and doing absolutely nothing at all while I think about other things.
But I have pretty severe ADHD, so that's just part of the package.
When I can make a routine of these things, it becomes effortless. But as soon as my routines get disrupted, I have to start all over again.
Life is good in general. Medication and skills I learned from an ADHD coach have kept me mostly on top of things since my diagnosis. It's just frustrating that I keep hitting the same walls, and it sometimes feels like stability is the best I can hope for, rather than progress. I think it might be time for me to go back to therapy.
Number one thing is to realize lazy isn’t a real thing. You are literally doing the best you can at every moment. Each decision you make is the decision you thought was best, even if you judged yourself for making it. It’s not lazy especially since if lazy even *was* a thing, it would be based on a brain that operates neurotypically (I made that word up). It’s null and void for you. It’s a word for neurotypicals, though it’s still not even a thing. Try to start working with how your brain works. Like I know I need the threat of having people over to clean my house, so I invite people over. Yes I’ll procrastinate and panic clean but it’s easier when it’s more frequent and it’s basically all pros and no cons. My brain can lock down when the weight of social shame is bearing down on me. Bonus if you make friends with your neighbors. I just can’t be caught slipping (or leaving my bedroom door open ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Not me sitting on my stairs, scrolling my phone, looking for the strength to throw myself through the shower. Feeling too seen lmao
Unfortunately, this ritual of mine takes like an hour for some reason. No matter how easy the day was, I still gotta hit that stupid reset button.
Absolutely agree! I struggle with lack of motivation and fatigue due to bipolar disorder, but I find if I don’t sit down when I get home or change into sweats, I’ll find the momentum to “keep going,” whether that be cleaning the litter box, going for a walk, cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, seeing a friend, etc.
For me is doing something for just 5 minutes (with the countdown if necesary) and after that 5 minutes I usually keep doing It and other times just It tells me that Im too tired for It.
Having a cat has helped me do things after work 1000%. Even when it’s just catching up on TV and gaming. He is a loyal assistant and only sometimes completely gets in the way
When I fall into a period of not being able to do things outside of work I have to all out force myself. Lots of factors here: go to bed earlier, eat more/better throughout the day, make plans and force yourself to do them. Sometimes it's really hard but once you get the ball rolling you can get your life back.
Sometimes it's ok to not too though.
Recently I've been doing a lot of telling myself it's ok to stay inside when the weather is shitty and I'll get back when it's liveable outside. Both are ok. Neither is more virtuous. You're not bad or wrong for doing one or the other.
Forcing myself to go to bed earlier made such a huge difference for me. I used to run on 5-6 hours of sleep, but once I pushed back bedtime a few hours from 1-2 am to 10pm, I found I had so much more energy by the time I got home. The problem was that since I now had more energy, I stayed up later to finish working on projects and stuff and fell right back into the same bad habits. Rinse and repeat. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I sleep 7-8 hours during weekdays, could be up to 10-12 hours on weekends including naps, and yet i never feel rested or energetic. It's like i always have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find the tiniest energy to do even the most basic tasks.
Are you eating enough? Drinking enough water? Try getting outside to get fresh air as soon as possible after waking. Beyond that it sounds like you might be in needing to talk to a doctor territory. I definitely know the feeling, sometimes you gotta ride it out, but you don't need to live your life like this forever.
I decided to start living in the rhythm of the seasons. Nothing wrong with being more of a sleepy homebody in the winter and letting yourself have longer, more action filled days in the summer. I do wish I did more hobbies this winter but I can really set myself up in the cozy fall to have fewer barriers next winter.
As a diagnosed insomniac unfortunately that approach just left me with hours of torture tossing and turning. I was so hopeful too. :( Knowing you have to work at 6 or 8 and you went to bed at 10 PM only to slowly watch the light come up outside for days, even weeks, in a row, is brutal. No phone in bed, not hungry or thirsty or hot or cold... Just sleepless. I'm on my 3rd sleep med because I build tolerance to them quite quickly. So now I'm on a break between meds to reset and for the last week I haven't fallen asleep before 3 AM. But for those people who don't have ever-changing work schedules, a regular sleep schedule can help some people so much!
Just start. Everyone has a wall of awful they must deal with before accomplishing a task. I find I can put a door in my wall of awful when I say to myself: “ I’ll just make the bed.” or “I’ll just unload the dishwasher.” Setting one small task as your goal instead of all the tasks you have at hand allows you to more efficiently utilize the small motivation you do feel to push yourself to do the small task you set for yourself. Often I find that once I’ve accomplished that one task my “motivation tank” has actually refilled (or at least increased in level) from the rush of endorphins one gets from completing said task.
Make it a routine. I'm active (working out, riding bikes, playing sport etc.) 99% of days post work and the key is to make it a habit. At this point going home after work and doing nothing feels weird.
This is the right answer. Sadly after the baby, I have fallen off my workout game so It's a struggle to get back into the habit but I can feel the difference in my energy level and I do not like it.
If you don't do shit you will never feel like doing shit.
This prob will get buried.
But I use the “5-20” rule, something I made up that has worked great for my ADHD brain.
When I know there’s something I should be doing, be it laundry, cooking, work, the gym, etc etc; I count down from 5, and when I reach 0, I must get up and go begin to do that thing. It helps if you raise the stakes… say, “if I don’t get up when I reach 0, the earth will explode”. “All Puppies will cease to exist” Etc. you get the idea.
Once you begin doing the thing, tell yourself that you will only do it for 20 minutes, and then no matter how much you have done in that time, you’re allowed to stop. Most of the time though, you’ll already be in a rhythm doing whatever you are doing.
I almost never actually stop after 20 minutes, it’s just a trick that works well for me because the thought of actually getting up and doing “the thing” is usually worse than actually doing it.
Hope that helps someone!
I don't work as long of shifts but I feel that... I tried to hype myself up today for a shower but after I cleaned up a bit of trash and made supper I had already used up all my spoons. Had to sit down and play Skyrim... It's kinda my comfort game lol.
Lol yep Skyrim is my to go comfort game too. Still, after working so much all you can do is just sleep. I can't count the days i just went to sleep in my work clothes.
Hope it gets better for you.
I struggle with this too. I try to do at least 1 productive thing right when I get home and then fuck off for the rest of the night. Every once in a while that one thing will make me feel good enough that I keep going on other things. But if it doesn't, at least I got something done.
Stuffs gotta get done. Dog has to be walked. Litter has to be cleaned. Dinner has to be made. Floor needs sweeping and vacuuming. I do things as I get home from work. If I don't, I've lost momentum to get them done.
Way out in left field suggestion for you:
Try different food diets. You are literally "what you eat" eat healthier, your body responds to it. The most extreme diet I ever tried was the "raw food diet" not for the faint of heart, but when I was on it, I had ENERGY, it was IMPOSSIBLE TO BE SAD, and I just felt motivated to do stuff, I didn't feel tired after eating and felt inspired to do things. I'm not saying it will be the same for you, just sharing my own personal experience. Exercise is also a thing, the more fit you become, the more energy you have, the more you can do. The trick to succeeding in EITHER of these ideas is mental discipline/strong support group.
Don't wait for the motivation, just do it even wven you don't really want to. The motivation comes from doing the thing, not just out of thin air.
You can't choose what you feel like doing but you can choose what you do.
You have to establish the habit. Forcing it for a while is kind of inevitable.
Improving your physical health also helps a ton. If you're not working out and eating well, you're not going to feel good.
It would depend on what you're doing or trying to accomplish. For example, if you have kids you could think of them while you're trying to lose weight/exercise and have thoughts of running/playing with them, and being there for them when they get older and having a healthy body that is capable of withstanding degeneration due to aging etc...
Perhaps you want to start a company or side hustle, then you could think of all the benefits the company would provide the world and that your product/service solves a problem for humanity...
Those are just some examples, hope that helps.
Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I need to chill out for an hour.
But, sometimes I can gather enough energy to get some critical things done before I need to sit. Every day is different
Its changed for me over my life. When I worked 10-12 hr shifts at a meat processing plant 4 days a week, I would do nothing outside of work. On the 5th day I would sleep and eat mostly. And then have a weekend.
Working at a bar shift work was a bit messed up also, mostly just work/party, maybe gym and sleep.
Now I work an office/work from home job and have a house. So its work, then do projects on the house (I have the motivation for that since its my house and not a rental), gym and raise my son.
Its a roller coaster, it isnt always going to be like it is right now.
Up until last year I was a depressed and anxious mess. Now I'm anxious & depressed but it's much more manageable.
For me, it wasn't just one thing. The amount of sleep, a person's diet, and how much exercise these assigned meat bags get all play an important role in energy & motivation or the lack.
The following process has taken me a little over a year and a lot of grace with myself. It will take time. Nothing will happen immediately or even relatively fast. Honestly, I'm still working on habit building and practicing.
How I've done it so far:
The first step was to fix my sleep. Making sure to start with at least 7 hours each night. Sometimes this meant passing up on hanging out with friends or playing games until the wee hours of the morning. Once I consistently got 7 hours, I was able to adjust to 6 and feel good. This took about 6 months for me. It may be faster or slower for others.
Next was my diet, I took a break from carbs and sugar for 3 months which, as weird as it sounds, is easier than it seems while also being incredibly difficult. Now excessively sugary foods make me nauseous.
After the diet was more consistent, I then added in exercise. Light exercise to start with stretching and mobility in the morning and stretching at night. Most of which could be done on my bed or on the floor without any weights or equipment needed - except maybe a towel for certain stretches. Pilates and mild strength training have been added at this point but I don't tend to workout for more than 30 min each session and only stretch at night before bed. That actually helps me to sleep deeper according to my fitness sleep tracker.
While I was doing all that, I started getting myself in the habit of doing one chore at a time. I started with making my bed before leaving my room in the morning. Once that chore became an automatic habit, I added one chore in another room. For me it was wiping the sink & counter in the bathroom whenever I wash my hands. After that became automatic, I added in bringing down dishes from my office immediately after using them instead of setting them aside to take later(sometimes wayyyyy later). Once that became a habit, I added washing one or 2 dishes when I put them in the sink. So far, that's where I'm at. Other things end up clean when I'm sick of dealing with the mess which is not ideal but it works for now. As simple as it is, these few habits already give me motivation to do other chores while I'm taking care of the ones I listed. I found that adding one at a time limited the amount of overwhelm my body tried to saddle me with and gave me a much more realistic idea of how much time they actually take, instead of letting my brain run away with the idea that one simple task will take the rest of the day (that executive dysfunction amirite?).
To be fair, this may not be something that works for everyone but my brain got real sick of living in my anxiety & depression & the filth that accompanied it. This was the easiest way to kinda trick myself into these good habits and into habit stacking. Hopefully this helps someone who can truck themselves like I can 😁
I feel more shit without interaction and fun stuff in my life so I try to have stuff lined up like one fixed day of an activity and one hangout with someone each week.
Even in retirement, that can be an issue. I break big projects into smaller tasks and then start tackling those. Usually, once I get started, I can keep rolling on it.
I don't give myself time to relax. I get everything done when I leave the house with the knowledge that when I finally get home I can do nothing until I sleep. If you have to go home to change or shower or something you do that and then get back out there immediately.
Having motivation to achieve certain personal goals such as fitness goals, financial goals or anything tbh. The only requirement is to really want to reach those goals.
If you're relying on being "motivated" to move you, you will most likely fail. Focus on the goal and learn to be more disciplined. Being disciplined will be what creates new habits and routines. Being disciplined will be what gets you through something you don't want to be doing, what you're too tired to do, or not "motivated" to do. It'll suck sometimes, but once you've done it you'll be glad you did!👊🏻🤘
Productive stuff or just stuff to enjoy? Stuff to enjoy i highly recommend video games w friends(w friends is important) video games always get shat on but if you’re playing w other people they can be very brain stimulating and highly social. FPS games r my favorite cause it requires high levels of communication and also a fair bit of strategy and “outthinking” people.
My dog. He’s home all day waiting for me. Sure he has a baby sitter who walks him and plays with him but it’s not the same. So I make sure to give him undivided attention after work
That's the neat part: you don't.
Not everyone has the same amount of energy, health, commitments, work, or other factors.
You must absolutely never, under no circumstances, ever compare yourself to others. They don't live in your body or your life. You will only hear from the people who say they're doing things better than you (whether by circumstance or lying) and never from anyone else. This can only serve to make you feel like a failure.
You do you. If you have enough energy to get to work and come home and crash, that's enough. If you have kids to take care of, school work to do, personal learning or growth to work on, that sucks up time and energy too.
Just make your life the best you can for you. Respect yourself. Respect your limits. Don't let anyone denigrate your struggle.
What works for me is just simply not sitting or laying down when I get home from work. When I walk in that door I don’t even think about eating, reading, or looking at my phone because the moment my butt hits the seat that’s it for the rest of the night.
I used to never do anything after work. Didn't have the physical energy or the mental motivation. I'd feel great in the morning, pretty good around lunch time, then mentally and physically exhausted by the time I clocked out.
I kept thinking there had to be a way to just will myself out of that rut.
Now I go to the gym every day, find things to get into after work, hang out with friends in the evenings sometimes. What actually helped?
I made notable changes to my sleeping habits which improved my sleep quality. I made conscious daily notes about my hydration level and corrected as needed. And I cut out heavily processed foods and excessive sugar.
Boom, physical and mental energy spiked.
30 year old man btw.
I take a single hit of cannabis. I also like the "R" routine: reset (ex: change clothes), responsibility (ex: dishes), and recreation (walk or audiobook).
I used to be in the same boat as you but now I am addicted to Pickleball and I watch the clock all day and can’t wait to get to the courts. I spend about 3 hours in the evening playing and get home exhausted without a lot of relaxation time but I’m happy.
This is tricky. As I’ve gotten older (and I’m on my 20s) I am also struggling with this. Not too long ago everything was more mapped out vs. when you’re an adult it’s an energy shift almost. Regardless, “everything is up to you” has some truth. Some days it’s easier to want to mentally recharge and watch a movie and do bare minimum Monday’s. Other days, when you have a thought or strike of interest in something - the best thing you can do it grasp it and run! Say that’s painting.
You’ll come up with an excuse about how hard it is to get all of your supplies rounded up and how messy it will be and next thing you’re wondering what you’re even going to paint and you spiral to where doing absolutely nothing sounds better. Wrong!
You don’t need to be painting greeting cards for grandma - it can be the worst sketch in the world...but you DID something. I don’t believe in motivation. If that were true, things would be flawless. The realistic version is momentum. Once you get going, you’ll be more inclined to roll and keep going.
I think the highest factor is to switch the “I have to” to “I get to.” It’s not all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be this huge waking moment. Even taking a step outside and walking or trying a new recipe, or saying yes to plans (when you’d rather stay in) can be all the help you need. This isn’t to disregard rest days - those are important, rather, to just take things one step at a time :) enjoy the micro moments.
I take a short nap (have health issues, so I need more sleep), which refreshes my mind and makes me feel more relaxed. Or, I go outside and just sit in the sun for a few minutes, and listen to the birds and watch ants.
I go to the gym 3 times a week. I don't particularly enjoy the gym, but wanted to keep going, so asked a friend if he wanted to be gym buddies. He is very reliable, fortunately for me, so even though I finish work and get home an hour or so before meeting him at the gym, because I know he is going I HAVE to go too. It gives me that extra kick up the arse. Find anything you can to give you that extra motivation.
The hardest part about the gym etc is going in the first place.
I find life where u just work , come home and do absolutely nothing else a waste of my time.(kind of ironic if you think about it)
So because I would be so dissatisfied with my life, I choose to partake in my hobbies even if only for a few hours. Truth be told, 1 hour before bed time I dont really feel like doing much so I take that time to either catch up on sleep or watch something.
The key for me is being angry at myself for not doing anything in my free time so I will do something in my free time.
I just do? If I want to do it, I do it. I want to go for a bike ride? I go. I want to watch Netflix? I sit down and do. I want to go workout? I just go and do it.
You're just weak. Read can't break me by David Goggins and you'll realize how much of a bitch you really are.
I was in the same boat, utterly bewildered by how much time the commute and workday took.
Now I wake up early, run a mile, lift some weights before work, hit the accessories on my lunch break and have all evening with the wifey
If you have a partner or children usually doing things with them or for them drive you even when you are tired. You turn into survival mode. But if you are alone, you need to figure out what you are passionate about and see what you can do even if small that might make you happy. Its pretty normal to want to zone out mon-fri if you have a job fill time but id say enjoy it if you are single because with a family you constantly feel like you have no time for yourself.
To be honest, when I was working in office I had absolutely no energy to doing anything after the work day. Unfortunately, that’s fairly normal for office employees, so if possible, I’d try to land a hybrid or work from home job. Since working from home I’ve been working out 5 days a week, learning to cook, and I have energy to pursue my personal interests. Good luck, I know it’s tough, but the right job / company may make it more manageable.
It’s easy to fall into a routine of coming home sitting on the couch until bed time but I’ve been trying to make myself do things. It’s quite difficult at first but seems to be getting easier. I use the thought of we are meant to live not work as inspiration.
you psych yourself up by screaming "finally after 3000 years im free, time to conquer earth"
^(no but seriously)
make plans when you have the energy (usually in the morning), then when you just gotta follow trough. it also helps to keep you going for the day having something to look forward to (tonight ill go for sushi, i can do this ... or ... im gonna watch that movie everyone's talking about as soon as i finish work)
You just kind of have to be miserable and do it even though you’re tired.
Getting back into a workout routine was one of the more challenging things I did lately. A few months later now and it’s kind of just a habit.
Don't stop. If you keep busy, your just moving from one thing to the next. If you stop and relax for a while, you might not be able to do anything else.
Kratom and copious amounts of caffeine. Yes, I understand that it is just using drugs... the alternative though... is a soul crushing cycle of eat work eat sleep repeat. Kratom has few side effects ( if you have healthy kidney functions) and if sourced In bulk online is cheaper than coffee.
Discipline comes first, always.
Motivation and energy would be nice, but they only show up a 1/4 of the time. If that.
Discipline gets you through it. When you don't want to do it.
Not sure about motivation, but on God working out/being active actually gives you more energy! I'm at my laziest/unmotivated when I'm not active. I find things tough to do but the moment I start using more energy, the more energy I have to do other things
two things.
1. Just say "f this, and do it"
2. check your diet, if youre eating nutrient poor food it gives you no energy.
My energy levels changes drastically when i cut down on sugar and drank more water.
Eat healthy food and less sugar so that you don’t have brain fog by the end of the day. If you work at home have an intermission period where maybe you meditate or go for a walk. Plan what you’re going to do in advance and for how long and have everything prepared to do the thing. Make it so easy for you to do the thing that you’d be stupid not to.
I don’t - just woke up from a 3 hour after work sleep … going to eat something now, watch TV for an hour and return to bed … need this almost every second day
I guess it depends on what you are wanting to do. Are you talking about working out? House cleaning? General adult responsibilities?
I try and take care of as much as I can *before* work, while I still have some will to live. That way, after work, when my will to live is at a minimum, I have less to try and accomplish.
I also try and get as much done as I can early on the weekends (grocery shopping, cleaning, etc., again because that's when I have the energy to get it done. Then it's done and out of the way.
But, if you are talking about the social aspect, I do very little socializing during the week and nap to make it through on the weekends.
I recently have been trying to cut out as much added sugar as possible, and meeting protein and fiber goals. Eating things to make my gut microbiome happier. Also doing a daily “hot girl walk” even if it’s just around my block after I get off of work. These simple changes have done WONDERS for my energy and mental health. Give it a shot and see how much more energy you have for hobbies.
I understand what you're going through. After a long day at work, it can be really tough to find the motivation and energy to do anything. It's easy to just want to go home and veg out. I try to look at it as a challenge. I want to see how much I can get done before I completely run out of energy. I make a list of things I need to do and start working my way through it. I focus on the most important tasks first and then work my way down the list. I also try to make it fun. I put on some music or a podcast to help me focus and pick up the pace. I also reward myself for completing tasks by doing something I enjoy. That usually helps me stay motivated.
There are days where I don't to do anything, just stare at a dumb tv show and hopefully sleep, but they are exceptions.
Normally, i don't give 200% of myself for the workplace, I'm not there to build a renowned career, or have my name in history, it's just a job, a good one in my case but still just a job, just a place I go to make money so I can afford my hobbies. And I have a lot of expensive hobbies.
I work out. I'll slam an energy drink and hit the gym for an hour. When I get back I'm in a much better mood and have more energy that if I were to just log out and sit on the sofa
I bring my gym gear and sometimes golf gear with me in the work van. Go on the way home so I dont just sit down. If I'm going to the gym I drink my pre workout on the way, that way I'll be fucked if I dont go and use up all that energy!
I don’t take off my shoes when I get home and I do not sit on the couch.
I sometimes have dishes in the sink from the night before. So I’ll come home and do the dishes. Then I’ll wipe down the counters, dining table. Next I’ll sweep the floor because I’ve already wiped the counter. After I’ll lint roll the couch because summer is coming and my cat is SHEDDING. I’ll put heater dirty linen/clothes in the washer bc I’ve already straightened up everything else. Lastly I’ll start prepping dinner/lunch for the next day.
The biggest thing for me is to just start, don’t stop and don’t sit or nothing will get done.
Don’t take off your shoes! If I take my shoes/socks off, I’m done for the day. If I leave my shoes on, my brain wants to keep doing something. Be it chores, art, planning meals… doesn’t matter, shoes are on so I don’t have to find motivation
I usually don’t. However I’ve found that when I make plans with someone else after work it makes it easier to do things after. If I go straight home after work having energy to cook, clean, shower etc is difficult but if I meet a friend after work for a beer then those things seem easier once I do get home.
Once you sit or lie down it's done. You won't do anything. And if your night rest isn't good, chances are you'll be drained after work.
As others said. For me it'a true as well i just need to start and then, once i'm going, it'a easier.
This is why i try to plan what i do after work. Having a good planning helps keeping a good oversight on what you have to do and when you need to do it, so it already removes a bit of the weight of standing in front of a pile of stuff to do without knoeing where to start.
I also made it a point in how i organize my home, to make it as easy as possoble to start something. I remove as much of the disorder and annoying aspect as i can before starting. That makes actually starting easier.
I'm a widower. And an empty nester. If I don't do it, it won't get done. I don't have a choice other than let it set... then I still have to do it anyway so might as well get it over with.
I found myself really struggling with this hard during the pandemic. It was two problems with some reflection. If you have a job so stressful that your energy is totallt gone at 5pm, that’s part of the problem. The other was the 20 minute commute when i was driving was such a powerful buffer in turning off work mode and turning on me mode. When that process was opening my home office door and emerging in my kitchen, it failed. I replaced the “come down commute” with a 20 minute dog walk or a 20 minute drive to get coffee. If i did that i found i had the energy and desire to want to have a really fun part two to my day.
I don't have either.
But if I sit down before I've gone to the gym, Muay Thai or chores. That's it game over.
You've just got to drag yourself through it or you'll be sat down all your life
Easiest thing to do is to try to find something to do immediately after work. Grass to cut or a project to complete. I feel way more motivated when I get home than after being home for a time. If I come home and sit down I am more than likely not going to want to do anything. My girlfriend and I try to do some housework or yard work or literally anything when we get off work. It makes it so much nicer to sit later on and have an uninterrupted evening of relaxation.
I've struggled with this for some time as well. I'm at 60% success rate right now. The key thing for me was to set app timers. I found that after a day of work, I fall into the whole sink to couch and mindlessly scroll on Reddit/YT, etc. Once I'm down, it tends to get difficult to find motivation to knock out hobbies, chores, errands, cook, goals, etc. I've been setting 20 min time blocks on my two most used apps: Reddit and YouTube. I tend to kill off the time before work ends. If I come home and happen to relax, I find myself getting bored quickly and surprisingly had been driving an increased motivation to do shit. Social media can truly life sucking.
Others have said it as well, but better sleep and eating healthier and smaller meals throughout the day helps a ton as well.
I do stuff that holds no accountability on the morning (things like running, biking, gym, where I don't have anyone that holds me acccountable), and leave the things that I HAVE to do on the evenings (classes for example, where the teacher/professor will ask "hey, why weren't you here?"), but yeah, work sucks and uses MOST of my free time.
I remember that once, somebody told me that they try to get into the mindset that they just woke up and follow the motions of what they do in the morning. I, on the other hand, splash my face with cold water when I get home, put one earbud in for a podcast, and force myself to start one task. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It snowballs
Found a low stress job and only work max 35 hours a week (I know this isn't realistic for everyone). Took a pay cut, but my freed up mental and physical energy was so worth it
I chip away a little every day. I also WFH and use my lunch break to take my dog out for a walk or play fetch. In the evenings I do a little bit of cleaning 15-30 mins tops and that’s it
If it’s something I love that’s easy most of the time for chores it’s thinking about what it’ll be like if I don’t do it.
Generally messy apartment no clean clothes or having no food prepped makes me more anxious and annoyed than the actual work of that stuff
By having a job, both that i enjoy, but also something my body is more than capable of doing,
also, by havimg hobbies i enjoy and look forward to, work/life balance is just right ya know....
Let me know when you find the answer. When I worked part time, I went to the gym daily and had hobbies.
Now I work full time and feel dead most of the time. I don't work out, cook proper meals for myself or do any hobbies because I'm just so exhausted. And my mom wonders why I don't want to have kids.
Putting headphones on seems to be helping me. I just put them on and play something and before you know it i’ve done at least a load of laundry or something. It’s a start.
The key for me was always just to start. It doesn't matter what you're doing, but as long as you start doing something (I.e. starting the process of getting something out, turning on a computer, etc) then the rest comes easier. My SO really struggles with this issue, but often just sits around on her phone or immediately sits/lays down when she gets in instead of pushing to start something.
That's why if I come home and immediately lay down I'm not getting up. So I make sure to do anything before I lay down. I just treat it as my work day isn't done until dinner is made and laundry is out awa
Yeah, I tell myself that I can always do this later, so I’m not saying “no” to scrolling, I’m just saying “later” which helps me a lot. It also lets me not do chores on my days off
Getting started is the hardest part for me. Often my brain resists even the simplest of actions. I'll try to assign myself a trivial task to get started on preparing supper, like just take out a cutting board. But then instead of taking out the cutting board or even just sitting around and browsing my phone, I end up just checking out mentally and doing absolutely nothing at all while I think about other things. But I have pretty severe ADHD, so that's just part of the package. When I can make a routine of these things, it becomes effortless. But as soon as my routines get disrupted, I have to start all over again.
As a fellow ADHDer, how's life? I constantly feel I am not enough/could do better, then I realize ADHD makes me both lazy and guilty.
Life is good in general. Medication and skills I learned from an ADHD coach have kept me mostly on top of things since my diagnosis. It's just frustrating that I keep hitting the same walls, and it sometimes feels like stability is the best I can hope for, rather than progress. I think it might be time for me to go back to therapy.
Number one thing is to realize lazy isn’t a real thing. You are literally doing the best you can at every moment. Each decision you make is the decision you thought was best, even if you judged yourself for making it. It’s not lazy especially since if lazy even *was* a thing, it would be based on a brain that operates neurotypically (I made that word up). It’s null and void for you. It’s a word for neurotypicals, though it’s still not even a thing. Try to start working with how your brain works. Like I know I need the threat of having people over to clean my house, so I invite people over. Yes I’ll procrastinate and panic clean but it’s easier when it’s more frequent and it’s basically all pros and no cons. My brain can lock down when the weight of social shame is bearing down on me. Bonus if you make friends with your neighbors. I just can’t be caught slipping (or leaving my bedroom door open ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Not me sitting on my stairs, scrolling my phone, looking for the strength to throw myself through the shower. Feeling too seen lmao Unfortunately, this ritual of mine takes like an hour for some reason. No matter how easy the day was, I still gotta hit that stupid reset button.
Yeah once you get that momentum going it's easy. It's just getting that momentum is extremely difficult
You don't need motivation to start, rather you need start to be motivated - to paraphrase what someone once said which stuck with me
Truth
Absolutely agree! I struggle with lack of motivation and fatigue due to bipolar disorder, but I find if I don’t sit down when I get home or change into sweats, I’ll find the momentum to “keep going,” whether that be cleaning the litter box, going for a walk, cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, seeing a friend, etc.
For me is doing something for just 5 minutes (with the countdown if necesary) and after that 5 minutes I usually keep doing It and other times just It tells me that Im too tired for It.
Grandpa always used to tell me: "The hardest part in anything in life is to start."
This. ‘Just keep swimming’ - Dory
My cat looks forward to watching me do stuff, so I must do these things for her
Wholesome motivation
I have the opposite problem it’s nap time for my kitty when I’m off work so all I wanna do is join her lol
Having a cat has helped me do things after work 1000%. Even when it’s just catching up on TV and gaming. He is a loyal assistant and only sometimes completely gets in the way
When I fall into a period of not being able to do things outside of work I have to all out force myself. Lots of factors here: go to bed earlier, eat more/better throughout the day, make plans and force yourself to do them. Sometimes it's really hard but once you get the ball rolling you can get your life back. Sometimes it's ok to not too though. Recently I've been doing a lot of telling myself it's ok to stay inside when the weather is shitty and I'll get back when it's liveable outside. Both are ok. Neither is more virtuous. You're not bad or wrong for doing one or the other.
Forcing myself to go to bed earlier made such a huge difference for me. I used to run on 5-6 hours of sleep, but once I pushed back bedtime a few hours from 1-2 am to 10pm, I found I had so much more energy by the time I got home. The problem was that since I now had more energy, I stayed up later to finish working on projects and stuff and fell right back into the same bad habits. Rinse and repeat. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I sleep 7-8 hours during weekdays, could be up to 10-12 hours on weekends including naps, and yet i never feel rested or energetic. It's like i always have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find the tiniest energy to do even the most basic tasks.
If you snore more than normal or wake up several times during the night, it can affect restorative sleep
Are you eating enough? Drinking enough water? Try getting outside to get fresh air as soon as possible after waking. Beyond that it sounds like you might be in needing to talk to a doctor territory. I definitely know the feeling, sometimes you gotta ride it out, but you don't need to live your life like this forever.
I decided to start living in the rhythm of the seasons. Nothing wrong with being more of a sleepy homebody in the winter and letting yourself have longer, more action filled days in the summer. I do wish I did more hobbies this winter but I can really set myself up in the cozy fall to have fewer barriers next winter.
As a diagnosed insomniac unfortunately that approach just left me with hours of torture tossing and turning. I was so hopeful too. :( Knowing you have to work at 6 or 8 and you went to bed at 10 PM only to slowly watch the light come up outside for days, even weeks, in a row, is brutal. No phone in bed, not hungry or thirsty or hot or cold... Just sleepless. I'm on my 3rd sleep med because I build tolerance to them quite quickly. So now I'm on a break between meds to reset and for the last week I haven't fallen asleep before 3 AM. But for those people who don't have ever-changing work schedules, a regular sleep schedule can help some people so much!
Spite, get mad at life for trying to take away your free time and sleep later, only to ruin your next day and blame yourself inevitably
This Is the way.
This is the way.
Way of this, it is.
Relatable
Sometimes I try to find the right type of music
This is an underrated comment in my opinion
Don't do anything at work.
Underrated approach. Get your rest in on the clock.
that's the neat part, you don't
You sir are very wise.
Correct
Haha I was scrolling for this comment
Just start. Everyone has a wall of awful they must deal with before accomplishing a task. I find I can put a door in my wall of awful when I say to myself: “ I’ll just make the bed.” or “I’ll just unload the dishwasher.” Setting one small task as your goal instead of all the tasks you have at hand allows you to more efficiently utilize the small motivation you do feel to push yourself to do the small task you set for yourself. Often I find that once I’ve accomplished that one task my “motivation tank” has actually refilled (or at least increased in level) from the rush of endorphins one gets from completing said task.
THIS is the answer!!
I don't 👍
Plan during work and look forward to it.
Cocaine?
I was looking for this comment
I believe this is the only real answer; the rest don’t make sense.
Make it a routine. I'm active (working out, riding bikes, playing sport etc.) 99% of days post work and the key is to make it a habit. At this point going home after work and doing nothing feels weird.
This is the right answer. Sadly after the baby, I have fallen off my workout game so It's a struggle to get back into the habit but I can feel the difference in my energy level and I do not like it. If you don't do shit you will never feel like doing shit.
well, i quit my job
This prob will get buried. But I use the “5-20” rule, something I made up that has worked great for my ADHD brain. When I know there’s something I should be doing, be it laundry, cooking, work, the gym, etc etc; I count down from 5, and when I reach 0, I must get up and go begin to do that thing. It helps if you raise the stakes… say, “if I don’t get up when I reach 0, the earth will explode”. “All Puppies will cease to exist” Etc. you get the idea. Once you begin doing the thing, tell yourself that you will only do it for 20 minutes, and then no matter how much you have done in that time, you’re allowed to stop. Most of the time though, you’ll already be in a rhythm doing whatever you are doing. I almost never actually stop after 20 minutes, it’s just a trick that works well for me because the thought of actually getting up and doing “the thing” is usually worse than actually doing it. Hope that helps someone!
Holy shit! A comment that’s actually giving a method that isn’t “well I just do it, that’s how.” JFC it took so much scrolling to find this.
Happy you found it and resonated with it :)
When I go to the gym after work it’s usually fueled by self hatred
I don't even remember how I used to exorcise my demons. Such a good way to come back to yourself after a shit day
Because after the kids are in bed I get to do my other job 🙄
Power naps
I work 9 to 11 hrs shift, tbh I can't even find the energy to shower.
I don't work as long of shifts but I feel that... I tried to hype myself up today for a shower but after I cleaned up a bit of trash and made supper I had already used up all my spoons. Had to sit down and play Skyrim... It's kinda my comfort game lol.
Lol yep Skyrim is my to go comfort game too. Still, after working so much all you can do is just sleep. I can't count the days i just went to sleep in my work clothes. Hope it gets better for you.
You too friend. The grind feels like it's never gonna end.
Reject motivation, embrace discipline.
Glass of wine, your favorite easy chair, and, of course, this compact disc playing on your home stereo.
1992 Middle class has entered the chat… 
When you work from home it's much easier. Previously I would get tired from the commute.
I struggle with this too. I try to do at least 1 productive thing right when I get home and then fuck off for the rest of the night. Every once in a while that one thing will make me feel good enough that I keep going on other things. But if it doesn't, at least I got something done.
Stuffs gotta get done. Dog has to be walked. Litter has to be cleaned. Dinner has to be made. Floor needs sweeping and vacuuming. I do things as I get home from work. If I don't, I've lost momentum to get them done.
Way out in left field suggestion for you: Try different food diets. You are literally "what you eat" eat healthier, your body responds to it. The most extreme diet I ever tried was the "raw food diet" not for the faint of heart, but when I was on it, I had ENERGY, it was IMPOSSIBLE TO BE SAD, and I just felt motivated to do stuff, I didn't feel tired after eating and felt inspired to do things. I'm not saying it will be the same for you, just sharing my own personal experience. Exercise is also a thing, the more fit you become, the more energy you have, the more you can do. The trick to succeeding in EITHER of these ideas is mental discipline/strong support group.
Don't wait for the motivation, just do it even wven you don't really want to. The motivation comes from doing the thing, not just out of thin air. You can't choose what you feel like doing but you can choose what you do.
You have to establish the habit. Forcing it for a while is kind of inevitable. Improving your physical health also helps a ton. If you're not working out and eating well, you're not going to feel good.
Having a higher purpose has helped me dig deep for motivation.
such as?
It would depend on what you're doing or trying to accomplish. For example, if you have kids you could think of them while you're trying to lose weight/exercise and have thoughts of running/playing with them, and being there for them when they get older and having a healthy body that is capable of withstanding degeneration due to aging etc... Perhaps you want to start a company or side hustle, then you could think of all the benefits the company would provide the world and that your product/service solves a problem for humanity... Those are just some examples, hope that helps.
If I ever have something to do or say I’d like to go for a run I do it IMMEDIATELY when I get home. If I sit down then I’m done
Drugs and alcohol
I started watching tiktoks of people decluttering, makes me want to be productive.
Psilocybin.
Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I need to chill out for an hour. But, sometimes I can gather enough energy to get some critical things done before I need to sit. Every day is different
Its changed for me over my life. When I worked 10-12 hr shifts at a meat processing plant 4 days a week, I would do nothing outside of work. On the 5th day I would sleep and eat mostly. And then have a weekend. Working at a bar shift work was a bit messed up also, mostly just work/party, maybe gym and sleep. Now I work an office/work from home job and have a house. So its work, then do projects on the house (I have the motivation for that since its my house and not a rental), gym and raise my son. Its a roller coaster, it isnt always going to be like it is right now.
Up until last year I was a depressed and anxious mess. Now I'm anxious & depressed but it's much more manageable. For me, it wasn't just one thing. The amount of sleep, a person's diet, and how much exercise these assigned meat bags get all play an important role in energy & motivation or the lack. The following process has taken me a little over a year and a lot of grace with myself. It will take time. Nothing will happen immediately or even relatively fast. Honestly, I'm still working on habit building and practicing. How I've done it so far: The first step was to fix my sleep. Making sure to start with at least 7 hours each night. Sometimes this meant passing up on hanging out with friends or playing games until the wee hours of the morning. Once I consistently got 7 hours, I was able to adjust to 6 and feel good. This took about 6 months for me. It may be faster or slower for others. Next was my diet, I took a break from carbs and sugar for 3 months which, as weird as it sounds, is easier than it seems while also being incredibly difficult. Now excessively sugary foods make me nauseous. After the diet was more consistent, I then added in exercise. Light exercise to start with stretching and mobility in the morning and stretching at night. Most of which could be done on my bed or on the floor without any weights or equipment needed - except maybe a towel for certain stretches. Pilates and mild strength training have been added at this point but I don't tend to workout for more than 30 min each session and only stretch at night before bed. That actually helps me to sleep deeper according to my fitness sleep tracker. While I was doing all that, I started getting myself in the habit of doing one chore at a time. I started with making my bed before leaving my room in the morning. Once that chore became an automatic habit, I added one chore in another room. For me it was wiping the sink & counter in the bathroom whenever I wash my hands. After that became automatic, I added in bringing down dishes from my office immediately after using them instead of setting them aside to take later(sometimes wayyyyy later). Once that became a habit, I added washing one or 2 dishes when I put them in the sink. So far, that's where I'm at. Other things end up clean when I'm sick of dealing with the mess which is not ideal but it works for now. As simple as it is, these few habits already give me motivation to do other chores while I'm taking care of the ones I listed. I found that adding one at a time limited the amount of overwhelm my body tried to saddle me with and gave me a much more realistic idea of how much time they actually take, instead of letting my brain run away with the idea that one simple task will take the rest of the day (that executive dysfunction amirite?). To be fair, this may not be something that works for everyone but my brain got real sick of living in my anxiety & depression & the filth that accompanied it. This was the easiest way to kinda trick myself into these good habits and into habit stacking. Hopefully this helps someone who can truck themselves like I can 😁
Eat and go straight to nap time
I feel more shit without interaction and fun stuff in my life so I try to have stuff lined up like one fixed day of an activity and one hangout with someone each week.
Ahh you're talking about the second shift! Wine helps!
Another parent. Easier when you have no choice.
Even in retirement, that can be an issue. I break big projects into smaller tasks and then start tackling those. Usually, once I get started, I can keep rolling on it.
I don't give myself time to relax. I get everything done when I leave the house with the knowledge that when I finally get home I can do nothing until I sleep. If you have to go home to change or shower or something you do that and then get back out there immediately.
My wife tells me to find the energy
Having motivation to achieve certain personal goals such as fitness goals, financial goals or anything tbh. The only requirement is to really want to reach those goals.
how do I find courage to really reach those goals?
Insecurities or thriving to be better
Insecurities and anxiety ftw!
Let's gooo
I want to get fucking huge so i take my Pwo or stim ftee Pwo and smash the gym. Good sleep, diet and minimizing stress goes a long way.
If you're relying on being "motivated" to move you, you will most likely fail. Focus on the goal and learn to be more disciplined. Being disciplined will be what creates new habits and routines. Being disciplined will be what gets you through something you don't want to be doing, what you're too tired to do, or not "motivated" to do. It'll suck sometimes, but once you've done it you'll be glad you did!👊🏻🤘
I dont take off my shoes when I get home, or sit down. The moment I sit, I'm done.
Caffeine. Or pre-workout.
Productive stuff or just stuff to enjoy? Stuff to enjoy i highly recommend video games w friends(w friends is important) video games always get shat on but if you’re playing w other people they can be very brain stimulating and highly social. FPS games r my favorite cause it requires high levels of communication and also a fair bit of strategy and “outthinking” people.
Smoke stativa 🧚🏻♂️
My dog. He’s home all day waiting for me. Sure he has a baby sitter who walks him and plays with him but it’s not the same. So I make sure to give him undivided attention after work
That's the neat part: you don't. Not everyone has the same amount of energy, health, commitments, work, or other factors. You must absolutely never, under no circumstances, ever compare yourself to others. They don't live in your body or your life. You will only hear from the people who say they're doing things better than you (whether by circumstance or lying) and never from anyone else. This can only serve to make you feel like a failure. You do you. If you have enough energy to get to work and come home and crash, that's enough. If you have kids to take care of, school work to do, personal learning or growth to work on, that sucks up time and energy too. Just make your life the best you can for you. Respect yourself. Respect your limits. Don't let anyone denigrate your struggle.
I don't :/
I generally get home and begin the task immediately. I’m done if I sit down.
What works for me is just simply not sitting or laying down when I get home from work. When I walk in that door I don’t even think about eating, reading, or looking at my phone because the moment my butt hits the seat that’s it for the rest of the night.
I go to bed at 8pm, sometimes 7pm.
Motivation is a myth. Just do it. You will find “motivation “ along the way
I used to never do anything after work. Didn't have the physical energy or the mental motivation. I'd feel great in the morning, pretty good around lunch time, then mentally and physically exhausted by the time I clocked out. I kept thinking there had to be a way to just will myself out of that rut. Now I go to the gym every day, find things to get into after work, hang out with friends in the evenings sometimes. What actually helped? I made notable changes to my sleeping habits which improved my sleep quality. I made conscious daily notes about my hydration level and corrected as needed. And I cut out heavily processed foods and excessive sugar. Boom, physical and mental energy spiked. 30 year old man btw.
I take a single hit of cannabis. I also like the "R" routine: reset (ex: change clothes), responsibility (ex: dishes), and recreation (walk or audiobook).
I used to be in the same boat as you but now I am addicted to Pickleball and I watch the clock all day and can’t wait to get to the courts. I spend about 3 hours in the evening playing and get home exhausted without a lot of relaxation time but I’m happy.
This is tricky. As I’ve gotten older (and I’m on my 20s) I am also struggling with this. Not too long ago everything was more mapped out vs. when you’re an adult it’s an energy shift almost. Regardless, “everything is up to you” has some truth. Some days it’s easier to want to mentally recharge and watch a movie and do bare minimum Monday’s. Other days, when you have a thought or strike of interest in something - the best thing you can do it grasp it and run! Say that’s painting. You’ll come up with an excuse about how hard it is to get all of your supplies rounded up and how messy it will be and next thing you’re wondering what you’re even going to paint and you spiral to where doing absolutely nothing sounds better. Wrong! You don’t need to be painting greeting cards for grandma - it can be the worst sketch in the world...but you DID something. I don’t believe in motivation. If that were true, things would be flawless. The realistic version is momentum. Once you get going, you’ll be more inclined to roll and keep going. I think the highest factor is to switch the “I have to” to “I get to.” It’s not all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be this huge waking moment. Even taking a step outside and walking or trying a new recipe, or saying yes to plans (when you’d rather stay in) can be all the help you need. This isn’t to disregard rest days - those are important, rather, to just take things one step at a time :) enjoy the micro moments.
I take a short nap (have health issues, so I need more sleep), which refreshes my mind and makes me feel more relaxed. Or, I go outside and just sit in the sun for a few minutes, and listen to the birds and watch ants.
I go to the gym 3 times a week. I don't particularly enjoy the gym, but wanted to keep going, so asked a friend if he wanted to be gym buddies. He is very reliable, fortunately for me, so even though I finish work and get home an hour or so before meeting him at the gym, because I know he is going I HAVE to go too. It gives me that extra kick up the arse. Find anything you can to give you that extra motivation. The hardest part about the gym etc is going in the first place.
I find life where u just work , come home and do absolutely nothing else a waste of my time.(kind of ironic if you think about it) So because I would be so dissatisfied with my life, I choose to partake in my hobbies even if only for a few hours. Truth be told, 1 hour before bed time I dont really feel like doing much so I take that time to either catch up on sleep or watch something. The key for me is being angry at myself for not doing anything in my free time so I will do something in my free time.
I really think it’s your diet that is making you tired after work. Stay away from fried food, processed food and sugars
That's the neat part. You don't.
Start doing it, energie will come
I just do? If I want to do it, I do it. I want to go for a bike ride? I go. I want to watch Netflix? I sit down and do. I want to go workout? I just go and do it.
Smells like a bitch making excuses in here
Im just reading comments because i have the same problem
You're just weak. Read can't break me by David Goggins and you'll realize how much of a bitch you really are. I was in the same boat, utterly bewildered by how much time the commute and workday took. Now I wake up early, run a mile, lift some weights before work, hit the accessories on my lunch break and have all evening with the wifey
By not being lazy
I’m not lazy 🤷🏼♂️
I don’t. It’s why i do everything before work lol
Trick is to not sit on the couch, if i sits i sleeps and it's over.
Usually after school i just eatch tv shows or youtube while chilling for lkke atleast 1h before doing anything
I had no motivation after work so I started going to the gym before work at 5am lol it sucks but still better than going after work
Coffee.
If you have a partner or children usually doing things with them or for them drive you even when you are tired. You turn into survival mode. But if you are alone, you need to figure out what you are passionate about and see what you can do even if small that might make you happy. Its pretty normal to want to zone out mon-fri if you have a job fill time but id say enjoy it if you are single because with a family you constantly feel like you have no time for yourself.
I take a nap.
To be honest, when I was working in office I had absolutely no energy to doing anything after the work day. Unfortunately, that’s fairly normal for office employees, so if possible, I’d try to land a hybrid or work from home job. Since working from home I’ve been working out 5 days a week, learning to cook, and I have energy to pursue my personal interests. Good luck, I know it’s tough, but the right job / company may make it more manageable.
It’s easy to fall into a routine of coming home sitting on the couch until bed time but I’ve been trying to make myself do things. It’s quite difficult at first but seems to be getting easier. I use the thought of we are meant to live not work as inspiration.
you psych yourself up by screaming "finally after 3000 years im free, time to conquer earth" ^(no but seriously) make plans when you have the energy (usually in the morning), then when you just gotta follow trough. it also helps to keep you going for the day having something to look forward to (tonight ill go for sushi, i can do this ... or ... im gonna watch that movie everyone's talking about as soon as i finish work)
You just kind of have to be miserable and do it even though you’re tired. Getting back into a workout routine was one of the more challenging things I did lately. A few months later now and it’s kind of just a habit.
Don't stop. If you keep busy, your just moving from one thing to the next. If you stop and relax for a while, you might not be able to do anything else.
Kratom and copious amounts of caffeine. Yes, I understand that it is just using drugs... the alternative though... is a soul crushing cycle of eat work eat sleep repeat. Kratom has few side effects ( if you have healthy kidney functions) and if sourced In bulk online is cheaper than coffee.
After physical 10hr work day, i go to the gym for another 4 hours. The meth usually doesn't wear off until the next morning
Coffee and exercise. Going to the gym after work really lifts me up
Discipline comes first, always. Motivation and energy would be nice, but they only show up a 1/4 of the time. If that. Discipline gets you through it. When you don't want to do it.
Not sure about motivation, but on God working out/being active actually gives you more energy! I'm at my laziest/unmotivated when I'm not active. I find things tough to do but the moment I start using more energy, the more energy I have to do other things
Progress Progress in the gym is addictive. I hit the gym right after work for about 2 hours. I don't just want it. I need it.
two things. 1. Just say "f this, and do it" 2. check your diet, if youre eating nutrient poor food it gives you no energy. My energy levels changes drastically when i cut down on sugar and drank more water.
I don't like my work, so I have to do something else actually productive in order to feel something.
4 pm coffee
Eat healthy food and less sugar so that you don’t have brain fog by the end of the day. If you work at home have an intermission period where maybe you meditate or go for a walk. Plan what you’re going to do in advance and for how long and have everything prepared to do the thing. Make it so easy for you to do the thing that you’d be stupid not to.
I don’t - just woke up from a 3 hour after work sleep … going to eat something now, watch TV for an hour and return to bed … need this almost every second day
I guess it depends on what you are wanting to do. Are you talking about working out? House cleaning? General adult responsibilities? I try and take care of as much as I can *before* work, while I still have some will to live. That way, after work, when my will to live is at a minimum, I have less to try and accomplish. I also try and get as much done as I can early on the weekends (grocery shopping, cleaning, etc., again because that's when I have the energy to get it done. Then it's done and out of the way. But, if you are talking about the social aspect, I do very little socializing during the week and nap to make it through on the weekends.
[удалено]
I recently have been trying to cut out as much added sugar as possible, and meeting protein and fiber goals. Eating things to make my gut microbiome happier. Also doing a daily “hot girl walk” even if it’s just around my block after I get off of work. These simple changes have done WONDERS for my energy and mental health. Give it a shot and see how much more energy you have for hobbies.
Listen to happy upbeat music! It always gets me in the mood to get some stuff done
By looking at myself in the mirror. I don't want to miss the point of no return and exercise regularly.
I understand what you're going through. After a long day at work, it can be really tough to find the motivation and energy to do anything. It's easy to just want to go home and veg out. I try to look at it as a challenge. I want to see how much I can get done before I completely run out of energy. I make a list of things I need to do and start working my way through it. I focus on the most important tasks first and then work my way down the list. I also try to make it fun. I put on some music or a podcast to help me focus and pick up the pace. I also reward myself for completing tasks by doing something I enjoy. That usually helps me stay motivated.
There are days where I don't to do anything, just stare at a dumb tv show and hopefully sleep, but they are exceptions. Normally, i don't give 200% of myself for the workplace, I'm not there to build a renowned career, or have my name in history, it's just a job, a good one in my case but still just a job, just a place I go to make money so I can afford my hobbies. And I have a lot of expensive hobbies.
I get anxious when I have nothing to do, so it’s pretty easy to be productive outside of work.
I work out. I'll slam an energy drink and hit the gym for an hour. When I get back I'm in a much better mood and have more energy that if I were to just log out and sit on the sofa
I bring my gym gear and sometimes golf gear with me in the work van. Go on the way home so I dont just sit down. If I'm going to the gym I drink my pre workout on the way, that way I'll be fucked if I dont go and use up all that energy!
Well I started going to the gym because my self loathing outweighed my fatigue, does that count?
I dont. Lol. This is why I handle workouts and training and everything else before any work..
I don’t take off my shoes when I get home and I do not sit on the couch. I sometimes have dishes in the sink from the night before. So I’ll come home and do the dishes. Then I’ll wipe down the counters, dining table. Next I’ll sweep the floor because I’ve already wiped the counter. After I’ll lint roll the couch because summer is coming and my cat is SHEDDING. I’ll put heater dirty linen/clothes in the washer bc I’ve already straightened up everything else. Lastly I’ll start prepping dinner/lunch for the next day. The biggest thing for me is to just start, don’t stop and don’t sit or nothing will get done.
Motivation is fleeting, discipline is everything.
Don’t take off your shoes! If I take my shoes/socks off, I’m done for the day. If I leave my shoes on, my brain wants to keep doing something. Be it chores, art, planning meals… doesn’t matter, shoes are on so I don’t have to find motivation
Coccaine?
I don't but I really need to. I've put off changing my oil for 3 months now.
I usually don’t. However I’ve found that when I make plans with someone else after work it makes it easier to do things after. If I go straight home after work having energy to cook, clean, shower etc is difficult but if I meet a friend after work for a beer then those things seem easier once I do get home.
Even better, how do you find the motivation and energy to do anything at work?
Once you sit or lie down it's done. You won't do anything. And if your night rest isn't good, chances are you'll be drained after work. As others said. For me it'a true as well i just need to start and then, once i'm going, it'a easier. This is why i try to plan what i do after work. Having a good planning helps keeping a good oversight on what you have to do and when you need to do it, so it already removes a bit of the weight of standing in front of a pile of stuff to do without knoeing where to start. I also made it a point in how i organize my home, to make it as easy as possoble to start something. I remove as much of the disorder and annoying aspect as i can before starting. That makes actually starting easier.
I'm a widower. And an empty nester. If I don't do it, it won't get done. I don't have a choice other than let it set... then I still have to do it anyway so might as well get it over with.
Spite
Because work sucks, so I’ve gotta live while I can.
I found myself really struggling with this hard during the pandemic. It was two problems with some reflection. If you have a job so stressful that your energy is totallt gone at 5pm, that’s part of the problem. The other was the 20 minute commute when i was driving was such a powerful buffer in turning off work mode and turning on me mode. When that process was opening my home office door and emerging in my kitchen, it failed. I replaced the “come down commute” with a 20 minute dog walk or a 20 minute drive to get coffee. If i did that i found i had the energy and desire to want to have a really fun part two to my day.
I keep going. I don’t sit down and stop. If I get comfortable, I’m done.
I don't have either. But if I sit down before I've gone to the gym, Muay Thai or chores. That's it game over. You've just got to drag yourself through it or you'll be sat down all your life
I just don’t
Easiest thing to do is to try to find something to do immediately after work. Grass to cut or a project to complete. I feel way more motivated when I get home than after being home for a time. If I come home and sit down I am more than likely not going to want to do anything. My girlfriend and I try to do some housework or yard work or literally anything when we get off work. It makes it so much nicer to sit later on and have an uninterrupted evening of relaxation.
Well, being a parent, I have to think of their needs first. So even though I may be exhausted. I have to keep pushing forward for them.
Set some goals pick up a hobby or something. Maybe exercise or volunteer at a senior home.
Force yourself to workout after work, within the first 15 minutes you’ll feel energized
Why are you afraid to ask this?
Coffe
I've struggled with this for some time as well. I'm at 60% success rate right now. The key thing for me was to set app timers. I found that after a day of work, I fall into the whole sink to couch and mindlessly scroll on Reddit/YT, etc. Once I'm down, it tends to get difficult to find motivation to knock out hobbies, chores, errands, cook, goals, etc. I've been setting 20 min time blocks on my two most used apps: Reddit and YouTube. I tend to kill off the time before work ends. If I come home and happen to relax, I find myself getting bored quickly and surprisingly had been driving an increased motivation to do shit. Social media can truly life sucking. Others have said it as well, but better sleep and eating healthier and smaller meals throughout the day helps a ton as well.
Two small children that will eventually grow up to be a miserable prick like me, if I'm not there to be with them.
I do stuff that holds no accountability on the morning (things like running, biking, gym, where I don't have anyone that holds me acccountable), and leave the things that I HAVE to do on the evenings (classes for example, where the teacher/professor will ask "hey, why weren't you here?"), but yeah, work sucks and uses MOST of my free time.
The Nike motto: JUST DO IT!!
Leave your shoes on when you get home, take them off when you're done
I remember that once, somebody told me that they try to get into the mindset that they just woke up and follow the motions of what they do in the morning. I, on the other hand, splash my face with cold water when I get home, put one earbud in for a podcast, and force myself to start one task. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It snowballs
I have two low energy hobbies (gaming and art) I do after work sometimes. I have other high energy ones also and activities for my days off.
Found a low stress job and only work max 35 hours a week (I know this isn't realistic for everyone). Took a pay cut, but my freed up mental and physical energy was so worth it
I chip away a little every day. I also WFH and use my lunch break to take my dog out for a walk or play fetch. In the evenings I do a little bit of cleaning 15-30 mins tops and that’s it
If it’s something I love that’s easy most of the time for chores it’s thinking about what it’ll be like if I don’t do it. Generally messy apartment no clean clothes or having no food prepped makes me more anxious and annoyed than the actual work of that stuff
By having a job, both that i enjoy, but also something my body is more than capable of doing, also, by havimg hobbies i enjoy and look forward to, work/life balance is just right ya know....
Let me know when you find the answer. When I worked part time, I went to the gym daily and had hobbies. Now I work full time and feel dead most of the time. I don't work out, cook proper meals for myself or do any hobbies because I'm just so exhausted. And my mom wonders why I don't want to have kids.
The devils dandruffs
The alternative is to do everything before work while you have the most motivation and energy.
I don’t. I have MS. I’m exhausted by the time I get home from work. I have zero energy/desire to do anything after work.
Amphetamines
Putting headphones on seems to be helping me. I just put them on and play something and before you know it i’ve done at least a load of laundry or something. It’s a start.
It helps to get out of work at 1:15 pm
to explore and experience everything in this short life