Newton's first law of motion. Body in motion remains in motion
So cant get stuck if i never sit down, keep on moving. Start in the morning and drop dead in the evening, never sit down too long in the meanwhile.
Though yeah probably not that helpful in getting into motion again once stuck. Body in rest remains at rest
Yeah, my husband is always trying to get me to eat, and I'm like if this train slows down one bit, I'm done for the day. Do you want the laundry folded or not?
My fiance also can't stop or they lose momentum, so I hand feed them snacks periodically throughout the day so they can keep going and not starve. Dino nuggies, carrot sticks with ranch, diagonally cut sandwich with the crust removed; the works.
This is how I do it. As soon as I sit down, it's over. Really annoying when I am working with friends/family who always want to take a lunch break, because they insist I join them and I lose all my steam if I do.
I definitely have this but it falls apart when working on my computer unless theres one really urgent task or a work call. The fact I'm sitting or the waiting for something to load or something gets in the way stops my motion. Do you have any solutions for computer work?
Watch a show with confident and or flat out deranged (but still motivated/functional) characters.
Wait for code-switching or whatever it is to kick in so you can easily start thinking and acting like said character.
Do the action the way you think they would.
You might have executive dysfunction but Hannibal Lecter sure doesn’t. (Bad example but I’ll leave it because it’s funny)
No joke I would do this to write essays in high school. It made my scores go up if I decided I would write the essay as though I was Cave Johnson
For completing household tasks, I’d recommend deranged characters like from Hazbin Hotel
For completing tasks that might make you anxious, I highly recommend someone who would be bored doing the task but still do it, so go watch The Witcher and then say under your breath “fuck” before doing the now more tedious than anxious task lol
I also really do recommend you choose humorously chaotic or satirical characters for most boring/tedious tasks btw because it makes life so much more entertaining to imagine their commentary about the action or your life in general.
Imagining that a character is talking to you (rather than… possessing you… being played by you?) can also be fun, like hearing Johnny Silverhand give you patronizing and cuss-word riddled but still somewhat motivating pep talk for going outside or writing an email lol
I pretend I’m two hours away from having to be at the airport to take a flight and I haven’t even started packing. Once I’m in that mindset, all the fog lifts, and I can see clearly. Every task is done to completion. I remember where I put (almost) everything. It feels like I’m flying.
I've had too many dreams where I was in that situation, and no matter how many times I did the math in my head I just couldn't work it out to where I could get to the airport on time.
In real life, I'm neurotic about flights. Like I'll show up four hours early and still have anxiety until I'm on the plane. So those dreams are just cruel and unnecessary.
Reading your "advice" makes me sick to my stomach, recalling experiences that I never even had and only dreamed of having.
Like it was so bad, it burnt out my anxiety about deadlines and I became so dysfunctional because I just couldn't care about doing anything on time anymore, the anxiety was so bad that it broke my ability to even care in the first place...
Dang that sucks man. And pretty crazy that it has the opposite effect on you! It’s not intended as any sort of “advice” though. This is just one of the things I do to trick myself into hyper productive mode. It’s amazing what I can accomplish once that last-minute-panic inspiration hits. The hard part for me is breaking through the barriers where that inspiration lies.
I knowingly pick a new side project / fascination to focus on. I'm always forcing myself not to pickup side projects so I can actually finish something, but when struggling to motivate myself at all to get unstuck, I engage in the guilty pleasure of a new sideproject for a day or so to get going.
I use to say. My flat is never as clean as when I have to study. I never study as much as when I really have to clean. It never really occurred to me that I can weaponize this. Thanks!
I have to have a sacrificial task at work. I can juggle dozens of different projects, but only if I have an annoying one that sits and festers. The only way it will get done is if a different, more annoying, task takes its place.
I have to try this. I'm going to make playlist of sea shanties, Alestorm, and Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew and move it to the top of my "get stuff done" folder.
I love how the first playlist is basically just the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, with a healthy dose of Skyrim thrown in.
The music is basically...pirated.
Devices with low battery and the charger is out of reach.
Drinking a bunch of water.
Playing an album with nothing queued afterwards.
Along the same lines: incidental timeboxing. My toaster takes 2 mins, and leaving the kitchen means I'm likely to end up with sad cold toast, so I better stay and deal with some of the kitchen mess in those two minutes. The phrase "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean" has been strangely useful to me.
Allowing things to be partially done, but not in a state where is going to be a big problem. For example, the above kitchen mess.
A cup and bowl with food left in it will be hard to clean and attracts bugs and grows mold, and that's a problem.
An empty but dirty cup and bowl is better but still harder to clean.
A rinsed cup and bowl filled with water left in the sink is easiest to clean, so that's the least problematic state to leave it in, and it's not much harder to do that than it is leaving the food-filled cup and bowl there to begin with.
Ya, if you have any kind of brainrot habits, scrolling on Lemmy, Instagram, YouTube, etc, stop immediately and getting things done is actually a lot easier. Adding amphetamine salts is also a major game changer.
Heh, I'm just busting chops. Generally, I agree with you, with the caveat that "professionals" are not commodities. The therapist who is perfect for me will probably be terrible for someone else.
I'll stop there, before my cynicism gets too far out of control. :D
Brain wants to shut down and not execute? Well let's make a motherfucking day of it then, no more voluntary muscle control, I'll let this bitch flop and slither right off the sofa til we bang our head on the coffee table.
Usually shocks the system back into action for a minute, during which I am de Captain now.
Ahh I've found my people. One rule for me that worked is 'no trying after 6pm'. At anything. But what you really truly need are stims. They make you eat tasks for breakfast
I picture the most over-achieving, manically driven person I know. Someone whose calendar is booked full half a year in advance from all their hobbies, friends and side-hustles. Then I pretend I'm them, magically teleported into my body, looking at the situation they found themselves in. I comment on the mess in my room, imitating their voice and everything.
Then I say "Well, it is what it is, let's fix this shit" and get to work.
I'm the same way, except my body insists upon going to sleep at 10PM. I can push past that, but insomnia awaits me after midnight.
I can't explain what the underlying mechanism is, only that your brain and body just function differently in conjunction with your circadian rhythm. Provided you have a good rhythm, that is (not all neurodivergent types have that). In the worst cases, like dementia patients, this is called 'sundowning' and is a real shit-show. For high-functioning types, it's where your body prepares for sleep and your brain shifts gears.
As for what that has to do with ADHD, I'm not sure - it's probably been studied. My best guess is that melatonin helps, and maybe the brain is more receptive to dopamine at night? You may have fewer environmental distractions at night too; I know I do.
Convince myself that I have the most perfect plan in the world.
Get out of bed and put on socks? I will move my duvet to the right in a fast tug with my right arm. Flashy! Swing both feet down to the floor simultaneously and get up in one smooth motion. Strong! Then grab the first pair of socks I can find blindly. Brave!
Something my therapist told me and that works more often than not. Set out to do the task for a very small time, like 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, you may find that you are absorbed in that task, but if not, just stop doing it.
The idea I think is to get over the difficulty in starting a task.
Often the catatonic ADHD can't move. Mode is related to resistance, starting a task.
Giving yourself an easy out that you know you can use after 3 minutes is an easy way to trick your brain into deciding that test starting a task isn't such a big deal.
Therefore allowing you to move.
If you can't move because depression then that's different.
Can't tell if you're joking, but to me this line of reasoning (which I've also subscribed to in the past) is kind of like saying "what's the point in choosing to eat this delicious food over this gross food, when by tomorrow I won't be tasting either of them anyways?"
I'm not kidding and I've been (literally) dead. So yeah, I didn't care much about anything at that time.
What I'm getting at is that is not related. You're right you should try to get most out of life you can and treating yourself and others well. But as a motivation the perspective of life ending in general does not matter (to me) at all.
Sometimes does for me too, but I think on those days the truth was I was too depressed to do anything anyways. Sometimes its just time for a day of rest. If I find myself feeling that way then I know its time to have a chill day
I try to see my eventual death as a good thing. The impermanence of all things helps make sure that the universe and all its particulars (like humanity) continually have the opportunity to reinvent themselves. It's like the ultimate failsafe against our world becoming locked into some kind of permanent hellish state. There's always the moments of instability caused when elements decay and vanish.
Of course its silly to try to pretend like there's nothing sad or bad about death either. But I can think about it as a hard sacrifice that I'm ultimately happy to make. There are other reasons too but this is the one on my mind today.
Ok so have you seen the Dropout show Dimension 20? The Mentopolis season has a character (played by Hank Green) called The Fix, whose job is to go around this 1930s-coded brain city and literally mob-enforcer style "take care of" distractions.
So I just chat with my The Fix in my head. It is starting to work a bit more all the time.
That actually just reminded me of another unhinged coping skill: how John Green is (or at least was) actively hostile toward the coping skills he was effectively using. "My stupid mental health walk for my stupid mental health" is a phrase that still runs through my head sometimes.
Drinking a good amount of water! It makes me pee every 30-45 minutes and somehow that interruption keeps me focused on whichever task I was doing. Plus, keeps you hydrated and healthier skin 😂
Nope, all good, depends on the person, also I meant that the water intake can help focus with tasks during the time you’re doing those tasks, I didn’t mean it like I’m drinking gallons of water all day long and peeing all day long 😂
My top one is writing my own project management software, and maintaining it for over a decade as its only user, because without it I would be 100% dysfunctional. It could be argued that the software isn't even that good. But it involves ranking the tasks against each other so at the end you have to pick something concrete.
Similarly, I have a spreadsheet I've been refining for years synced across all my devices for task management. No premade solution satisfied me. The columns I use:
Task: short description of task
Details: any helpful details to remember
Did: date last done
↻: repetition interval in days currently going all the way from daily (1) to every other year (728)
Do: next do/due date
Meta Notes: usually hidden notes for future me about why a task is set up the way it is or placed where it is to avoid relearning certain lessons
I keep everything brief enough for the main 5 columns to comfortably fit both the width of my phone and a space I keep available on my left desktop monitor.
The Do column is calculated for me and is color coded from red (very late) through orange (missed a day), yellow (do today), green (near future), blue, purple, and black (far future).
Completing a task is usually as simple as Ctrl+; or F4 (or a calendar tap) in the Did column, and the immediate feedback of the color change keeps me invested in continuing.
I use this same layout for routines, projects, leisure, etc. which all have their own sheets. To give you an idea of how thorough these are, my routines one has about 200 lines.
That sounds super interesitng. How does the ranking work? Like you've got a bunch of things you need to do, but you don't want to. So you ask would you rather do x or y until you choose an action?
So I watched a video negatively critiquing Theoden's tactical prowess and I wasn't able to talk about how the Rohirrim have special armour for their horses that gives them the ability to crush anything standing in their way.
IIRC you can use the Rohirrim in the game Shadow of War to basically erase any orcs on the map.
Put all the shit i have to do on my calendar back to back to back and start the moment I get it if need to create a false sense of "oh shit" and it works for me.
Getting it out bed isn't always the easiest so I rub one out, well I gotta get up to clean that mess, that a shower, and get in it.
I’ll cautiously second the first part with a variation. Using the calendar as “oh shit” dates only seems to work for us for things that have burned us before and we apply the “oh shit” factor to that date. Like a payment due and we have it marked to post it 5 days earlier, the panic has to be about getting it out on the dssignated day.
This one might not be weird to some, but it's my "one weird trick".
I put my shoes on.
I normally work from home, so usually don't even wear shoes most of the day. And when I need to go outside for a minute or two, I don't wear my shoes either.
But on the days that I get up and put my socks and shoes on in the morning, I feel extra motivated for the whole day. I definitely get more things done.
This is good. Putting on a nicer shirt helps me as well. I'm not in a white shirt and tie by any means, but just something nicer than my casual tees really does seem to make a difference in getting me in a good mental place for being more focused.
I'm sure for some it makes no difference and I would hate to sound like I'm supporting the stupid office dress code policies that I loathe, so please chime in if this doesn't work for you
Unless I'm at a point in a project where all the hard work is behind me and now I just have to implement (I call it my "victory lap" phase) then I'll dress right down and just do it.
But that's a special time.
Actually, it makes me wonder if that's what work is like for neurotypical folks all the time. 🤯
Hardly any responses are "unhinged". But I'll try my best.
Don't force yourself to do it. Instead, look at your list*, and just simulate the items one by one in your head, as if you'd do it.
Sometimes it happens that I really, really feel like doing one of them, like a neurotypical. It doesn't sound like it'd work, but it does.
There is never any pressure to do any of them; then it would not work, because starting the process would be the new thing to be stuck on. Quite often, I just don't feel like doing any of them. But that was not the job, the job was to simulate them. And it's done, and I can allow myself to do nice things then.
(*) If there is no list, making the list is the only job. Don't start on any items on it, just create the list. Then relax and enjoy whatever you want, until you feel like doing simulations.
I used to do this. Since I was a child, but it'd regularly trick me into thinking I'd done the thing. I'd have mentally done it so it was checked off the brain list, then someone would be upset later but I swore I had done it!
This would also escalate in the morning when I'd fall back asleep and dream about going about my day, then wake up late thinking I was already on my way to work or school.
My way around this is to do "incomplete" simulations. I just need an idea of how it'd feel to be on the task, not finished it. Never simulate to the end, or one of two things will happen: 1. waking up to the harsh reality where it is not done yet, 2. thinking it is done.
E. g. when I need to go grocery shopping, I simulate how I get up, shoes on, grab a bag, think about whether I need a jacket or umbrella, get out of the door, start walking. How would that feel?
I've figured out mindset is everything for me which sucks because I've gotten that drilled into me as a kid but figuring out stuff about one self only works if you figure it out yourself. Getting into the mindset needs to be not so obvious. I can't just repeat "I am component, I am smart, I won't postpone". I need to get into a vibe of getting stuff done and I honestly can't explain it better than it being a vibe.
Medium energy (not high energy because then I just get a small panic attack) electronica music helps a lot for some reason.
Also small breaks from time to time but I can't set myself a time or I will just keep thinking about the timer.
Heres my process:
Eat something, do one thing I do want / can motivate myself to do, and then DON'T SIT DOWN! If you need a drink mid, drink standing up. If all else fails, play boppy af music, and imagine you're in one of those movies where the cut scene shows a dance / song sequence, involving them just going about their everyday, but with dance, then go about whatever you can motivate yourself to do, but with flourish. Bonus points if you sing your own lyrics about your feels. Or just sing what you're doing, and let whatever lyrics fall out of your head, naturally, after that. It's actually pretty fun.
Unhinged? I tell myself “I don’t need motivation” and then just do the thing, people at least act like this is unhinged when I tell them it works, it’s literally just CBT in action
Maybe 5 feet maybe 500, but I need to move and I know it will change my current collection of brain noises to a different and potentially more useful cacophony of quantum farts.
Im putting this as unhinged advice cause it is kinda unhinged but like those sigma male motivation videos sometimes work. I dont mean the "beat your wife" kind but there are ones that have compilations of professional athletes and whatever. Like why it works, i dont subscribe to all of the alpha male stuff but watching a 300lbs man pull an airplane with a chain while some inexcusable techno/hardstyle plays helps sometimes. Also get up, get your blood pumping and get ready like youre about to do a similal feat, and instead clean your home or whatever your goal was.
Assuming you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, abusing your prescriptions like that is a very bad idea. You should consider taking some medication breaks to lower your tolerance, but most importantly seeing your ADHD specialist to review your dosage.
Argue with every intrusive thought in the morning till 8am comes around, then tell them "Time for my adderall! And time for YOU ALL to shut the FUCK up!" then gleefully take it and wait 40-45 mins for brain silence.
Jerking it while doing tedious bullshit on my side monitor has worked for me in the past. Probably not great for executive function long term though so I don't do it regularly and it's usually that I get distracted enough from what I'm watching by whatever annoying task popping into my head that I just start chipping away at it.
Embrace your hyper-fixation, leverage it to compete tasks while keeping a plan of attack for the day. Compete only what must be completed, leave the rest.
Go a direction backed up with facts. I know this because of this this and this. Things you know. Doesn't matter where, just what you know. Saying this as I struggled trying to get out of high school in 1995.
Be proud of what you know and be humble about what you don't.
Facts are your friend. You make them work better than most.
I start by cleaning. Which can be a hard thing to start. I just break it down to as many small tasks as I can. Once I have an ordered, clean space, it's easier to do whatever I need to do
The danger is when I end up cleaning the entire house and still haven't started the onerous task. But feeling organized certainly helps reduce distraction.
Putting on my boots and walking into something. IDK why but it works, problem is that then I don't know how to slow down again resulting in me pacing until my laundry is done.
I don't have any hacks, my brain kind of just flips back on to what I'm supposed to be doing after a few minutes any time I get onto a train of thought
Honestly if we’re ever overwhelmed we just go to the bathroom for 10 minutes, just sit there on our phone and if need be hyperventilate in privacy sometimes sparkling water in our face.
If we’re panicking over a certain fear we’ll end up cursing it like it should fear us and just binge some memes
When stuck being frustrated we take a second and zone out like hard reset and our brain is like “mood”
I vaped weed in the afternoon during business hours a few times when I was absolutely not getting shit done. A lot of the time it shook up my mental context well enough that I actually got started on the thing. Not always though, and generally this is just plain bad advice, especially if you're not working a knowledge job like tech work
Make an iced latte by rehydrating and frothing dry milk powder, and brewing the espresso shots using ice-cold water in a hand-pump travel espresso maker.
Fair enough, but there's a reason I linked the actual espresso maker that I use to make cold brew. Making a cold espresso requires saturating the grounds and holding a lower pressure for longer before reaching the required pressure to actually pass the water through the grounds. Without this extended soaking period, you'll instead just make cold coffee-stained water.
Technically, any of the hand pump espresso makers can do the same thing, but not without significant effort. During the minute-long pressurized soaking period (30 seconds if you favor speed over flavor), you have to keep gently pumping to maintain the necessary pressure. A lever action has massive endurance and precision advantages over the piston action espresso maker that I also use.
So, while there are plenty of other lever espresso makers, most of them aren't what I'd consider portable, and all of them cost more than my first three espresso makers combined. I'm honestly not sure if the one I linked is even manufactured anymore, their website seems to be a little dead when I've tried visiting, and their customer service hasn't responded to my recent help requests.
WELL. Now this is going to be quite unhinged. It all starts with one of my favorite stories I've ever read. In it, the protagonists are given powers by the gods to exercise their will in the world. But, realising that these gods are assholes, the protagonists rebel (while keeping the powers). A war breaks out and well, the plot happens.
Personally, I've always hated authoritarian figures in general. By hated, I mean HATED. With a burning passion.
In the story, there's an analogue to Loki. This character is shown to whisper "thoughts" into people (and gods) he wants to manipulate. Whenever I begin to procrastinate, I imagine it's Loki whispering mischief in my ear. Him attempting to manipulate me to stop me from doing the good things I want to do. A simple, "fuck off Loki" works wonders!
I kinda did something similar when I was plagued with suicidal thoughts. I imagined it was Badb (the Irish goddess of death) circling around to claim her prey. To add some plot, I imagined it as, "Badb wants to snatch me away, as my survival means less prey for her in the years to come". Basically, some "main character", "protagonist" energy to keep the entire thing interesting. Whenever I even came across the thought of kms, a simple, "Haha Badb you bitch, not today. It ain't that easy (to get me), you collosal loser" worked! I haven't come close to spiralling down AT ALL after I started taunting Badb. So hey, it worked for the better, right?
Now here's the thing - I know this is objectively false of course. The "war against gods and authority" is objectively not real. I KNOW THAT. But, I subjectively like to pretend that it is, just so that it:
makes me connect abstract things that strongly motivate me to do/not do something with real life.
makes stuff more interesting and fun! I mean hey, rebelling against the gods is kinda based, and it's even cooler if it's YOU who's doing that (pretending to do that, I know)!
196 Comments
ManixT@lemmy.world · 177 pts · 128d
Start a more important task so you can neglect that and work on the other things you were supposed to do. A sacrificial task, if you will.
tresspass@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 128d
I do this. Productive procrastination. The terrible thing is that it works
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 128d
My place was never as clean as when i was failing school for not submitting stuff that was pretty trivial for my level
moendopi@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 127d
Ha! I tend to forget things so I swear I can only ever remember n-1 things. So having one thing to forget helps me remember everything else.
Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org · 112 pts · 128d
Newton's first law of motion. Body in motion remains in motion
So cant get stuck if i never sit down, keep on moving. Start in the morning and drop dead in the evening, never sit down too long in the meanwhile.
Though yeah probably not that helpful in getting into motion again once stuck. Body in rest remains at rest
Warning: not the healthiest approach
ChexMax@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 128d
Yeah, my husband is always trying to get me to eat, and I'm like if this train slows down one bit, I'm done for the day. Do you want the laundry folded or not?
Omnipitaph@reddthat.com · 16 pts · 128d
My fiance also can't stop or they lose momentum, so I hand feed them snacks periodically throughout the day so they can keep going and not starve. Dino nuggies, carrot sticks with ranch, diagonally cut sandwich with the crust removed; the works.
rabbit_wren@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 127d
That's beautiful. Truly.
Carrot@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 128d
This is how I do it. As soon as I sit down, it's over. Really annoying when I am working with friends/family who always want to take a lunch break, because they insist I join them and I lose all my steam if I do.
brewery@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 128d
I definitely have this but it falls apart when working on my computer unless theres one really urgent task or a work call. The fact I'm sitting or the waiting for something to load or something gets in the way stops my motion. Do you have any solutions for computer work?
Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 128d
FASTER computer so there are never waiting times! (and tune the hell out of it)
Or just get old and it'll feel like the computer gets faster.
mech@feddit.org · 2 pts · 127d
That doesn't work if you're forced to use Azure products.
No idea how they even managed to make an export of a list of 200 users take over a minute.
AnarchoEngineer@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 103 pts · 128d
Watch a show with confident and or flat out deranged (but still motivated/functional) characters.
Wait for code-switching or whatever it is to kick in so you can easily start thinking and acting like said character.
Do the action the way you think they would.
You might have executive dysfunction but Hannibal Lecter sure doesn’t. (Bad example but I’ll leave it because it’s funny)
No joke I would do this to write essays in high school. It made my scores go up if I decided I would write the essay as though I was Cave Johnson
For completing household tasks, I’d recommend deranged characters like from Hazbin Hotel
For completing tasks that might make you anxious, I highly recommend someone who would be bored doing the task but still do it, so go watch The Witcher and then say under your breath “fuck” before doing the now more tedious than anxious task lol
I also really do recommend you choose humorously chaotic or satirical characters for most boring/tedious tasks btw because it makes life so much more entertaining to imagine their commentary about the action or your life in general.
Imagining that a character is talking to you (rather than… possessing you… being played by you?) can also be fun, like hearing Johnny Silverhand give you patronizing and cuss-word riddled but still somewhat motivating pep talk for going outside or writing an email lol
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de · 8 pts · 128d
alright, lets go, i'll now make pancakes like Luna would.
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 127d
Wait. Are you suggesting that I just role-play or "play pretend" my way out of distraction by just pretending I'm someone else?
You son of a bitch, I'm in.
I mean, he's got other problems though. This idea has the right spirit but I'm not trading my cards in for that.
rumschlumpel@feddit.org · 1 pts · 127d
LMAO
Septimaeus@infosec.pub · 1 pts · 126d
ElJefe@lemmy.ca · 79 pts · 128d
I pretend I’m two hours away from having to be at the airport to take a flight and I haven’t even started packing. Once I’m in that mindset, all the fog lifts, and I can see clearly. Every task is done to completion. I remember where I put (almost) everything. It feels like I’m flying.
fiat_lux@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 128d
Fuck, I'm going to try that. Thanks!
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 11 pts · 128d
I've had too many dreams where I was in that situation, and no matter how many times I did the math in my head I just couldn't work it out to where I could get to the airport on time.
In real life, I'm neurotic about flights. Like I'll show up four hours early and still have anxiety until I'm on the plane. So those dreams are just cruel and unnecessary.
Reading your "advice" makes me sick to my stomach, recalling experiences that I never even had and only dreamed of having.
Like it was so bad, it burnt out my anxiety about deadlines and I became so dysfunctional because I just couldn't care about doing anything on time anymore, the anxiety was so bad that it broke my ability to even care in the first place...
ElJefe@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 128d
Dang that sucks man. And pretty crazy that it has the opposite effect on you! It’s not intended as any sort of “advice” though. This is just one of the things I do to trick myself into hyper productive mode. It’s amazing what I can accomplish once that last-minute-panic inspiration hits. The hard part for me is breaking through the barriers where that inspiration lies.
haroldfinch@feddit.nl · 72 pts · 128d
I knowingly pick a new side project / fascination to focus on. I'm always forcing myself not to pickup side projects so I can actually finish something, but when struggling to motivate myself at all to get unstuck, I engage in the guilty pleasure of a new sideproject for a day or so to get going.
glitchdx@lemmy.world · 59 pts · 128d
Weaponized procrastination. Avoid doing the thing you want to do by doing something else.
Just the other day I cleaned most of my apartment because I was not in the headspace to write lore.
Another day I really needed to do laundry, most productive writing day I had in a while.
iconherder@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 127d
We call that “productive procrastination.” But I like how you call it weaponized.
JennaR8r@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 127d
Yeah after the first two words I thought this was going to involve knives or guns 😳
nis@feddit.dk · 4 pts · 127d
Nobody says it cant.
Duitara@feddit.org · 9 pts · 127d
I use to say. My flat is never as clean as when I have to study. I never study as much as when I really have to clean. It never really occurred to me that I can weaponize this. Thanks!
Mohamed@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 128d
That's how do most of my tasks.
pancakes@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 127d
I read this as "weaponized prostitution" at first and was ready to hear how it works for some people, because it sure as hell didn't work for me.
glitchdx@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 119d
That sounds like some good smut if anyone wants to write it
I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 127d
I have to have a sacrificial task at work. I can juggle dozens of different projects, but only if I have an annoying one that sits and festers. The only way it will get done is if a different, more annoying, task takes its place.
GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world · 56 pts · 127d
Putting on my playlist of pirate music.
Broke: "Ugh, I need to sweep, mop, and do the dishes."
Woke: "ARRR, IT BE TIME TO BE SWABBIN' THE DECK, YE SCURVY BILGE RAT!! AN' WASH ALL O' THE DISHES IN THE GALLEY, OR YE'LL BE WALKIN' THE PLANK!!"
Edit: Ye asked fer the map to me hidden treasure. Here it be, me hearties!
beSyl@slrpnk.net · 7 pts · 127d
Link please?
MashedTech@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 127d
Link?
ninth_plane@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 127d
Please, link?
ContriteErudite@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 127d
I have to try this. I'm going to make playlist of sea shanties, Alestorm, and Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew and move it to the top of my "get stuff done" folder.
mech@feddit.org · 3 pts · 127d
I love how the first playlist is basically just the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, with a healthy dose of Skyrim thrown in.
The music is basically...pirated.
fiat_lux@lemmy.world · 53 pts · 128d
Unavoidable timers. For example:
Along the same lines: incidental timeboxing. My toaster takes 2 mins, and leaving the kitchen means I'm likely to end up with sad cold toast, so I better stay and deal with some of the kitchen mess in those two minutes. The phrase "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean" has been strangely useful to me.
Allowing things to be partially done, but not in a state where is going to be a big problem. For example, the above kitchen mess.
Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 128d
Hell yea
HubertManne@piefed.social · 1 pts · 128d
I kinda do this type of thing.
Techlos@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 52 pts · 128d
Chugging a quad shot espresso while saying 'get up trinity. Get. Up.' in my head
If you time it right, the anxiety from the caffeine hitting really sells the feeling that a matrix agent is coming to kill you so better get moving.
rumschlumpel@feddit.org · 1 pts · 127d
Where do you get the espresso from when you're stuck?
Zink@programming.dev · 47 pts · 128d
I have a simple 5-step plan I've used to do this.
Heyyy today seems like the perfect time to go do that yard work that it's been too cold for!
_stranger_@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 128d
are...are you literally me?
HubertManne@piefed.social · 8 pts · 128d
you guys are what im desperately trying to avoid. no offense.
sexy_peach@feddit.org · 4 pts · 128d
You're missing out, it's amazing
_stranger_@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
To each their own 🍻
varyingExpertise@feddit.org · 1 pts · 128d
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
Haha I might have ADHD myself but growing up with ADHD parents must be something else
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 127d
It really is.
I'm 99% positive that my mother has ADHD and my dad is AuDHD. Looking back the clues were... abundant.
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 126d
My dad has Au, but just mild and it never got in the way of the basic functioning of our family
rumschlumpel@feddit.org · 3 pts · 127d
AFAIK ADHD runs in the family, and autism definitely does ...
Samskara@sh.itjust.works · 43 pts · 128d
moseschrute@piefed.social · 21 pts · 128d
Do you have a designated dish and pleasure hands?
ZMonster@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
Scrubber handle insertion no doubt.
"Did you do the dishes?"
I'll bet porn of this already exists. I'm not going to let you know, but I 1000% will look later.
tryagain@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 127d
Do you mean that or are you just procrastinating?
ZMonster@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 127d
I mean I'm still at work for a few hours so I am definitely procrastinating but only because HR said this was the last straw.
tryagain@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 127d
Hats off to you, sir/ma'am
Noodle07@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
Somehow i can't wrap my head around number 3, do you wash the dishes with just one hand ?
forrgott@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 126d
Could always use one of those remote controlled toys
KuroiKaze@lemmy.world · 43 pts · 127d
I'm only gonna say this once
SEEK PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT GET THE FUCK OFF SOCIAL MEDIA
that's the only thing I know that really works
Zetta@mander.xyz · 14 pts · 127d
Ya, if you have any kind of brainrot habits, scrolling on Lemmy, Instagram, YouTube, etc, stop immediately and getting things done is actually a lot easier. Adding amphetamine salts is also a major game changer.
bestboyfriendintheworld@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 127d
Adding stims to scrolling increases the number and length of shitpost comments.
hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 127d
Not all of us have the privilege of getting actual, good professional help.
holymachinery91@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 127d
Autistic burnout happens about 70% less often for me ever since I limited social media time to 30 minutes per day.
denaggels@feddit.org · 6 pts · 127d
Yes, but having a toolbox with shit that works for others might still come in handy, even after a successful therapy.
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 127d
Found the therapist...
KuroiKaze@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
Haha this looks really sketchy if you just glance at it fast. Haha no I'm not a professional just someone that has recently found the way out.
Rivalarrival@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 127d
Heh, I'm just busting chops. Generally, I agree with you, with the caveat that "professionals" are not commodities. The therapist who is perfect for me will probably be terrible for someone else.
I'll stop there, before my cynicism gets too far out of control. :D
KuroiKaze@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 126d
The drugs are important so psychiatrist is my advice
Feathercrown@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 128d
Sit perfectly still and actively refuse to engage with any tempting distractions until you give up out of boredom and do the thing you need to do
TherapyGary@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 21 pts · 128d
I tried this a few times, but I usually just ended up staring at the wall for several hours
Feathercrown@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 128d
Impressive mental fortitude
Inkstainthebat@pawb.social · 3 pts · 127d
Extremely entertaining internal monologue
fizzle@quokk.au · 5 pts · 128d
I read someone say they sit and state at the white ceiling. Just the thought of doing that is enough to get me started.
mineralfellow@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
Staring at the wall has been huge for my productivity.
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
Although it might work, this would burn so mich mental energy for me
Feathercrown@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
It's only to be used as a last resort
HubertManne@piefed.social · 2 pts · 128d
this is why my game updates on the community are the same game only slightly further along
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 34 pts · 128d
Intentionally start spiraling to have a panic attack to get me off my ass to do the thing.
Literally just start smacking myself in the face until I do the thing
Uh yeah, I was once far less mentally well than I currently am…
CucumberFetish@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 128d
Self induced panic attack to fall asleep. Healthy coping mechanisms ftw!
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 128d
Look, it does work tho(i am definitely not recommending it, it just used to work for me too)
Agent641@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 128d
Brain wants to shut down and not execute? Well let's make a motherfucking day of it then, no more voluntary muscle control, I'll let this bitch flop and slither right off the sofa til we bang our head on the coffee table.
Usually shocks the system back into action for a minute, during which I am de Captain now.
caradenada@feddit.cl · 7 pts · 128d
Ooh, this one is interesting! Sounds like a reboot. "Have you tried turning yourself off and on again?"
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 128d
Problem is i would fall asleep from the lack of sleep i get from... not doing stuff and instead staying up late...
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
Ahh I've found my people. One rule for me that worked is 'no trying after 6pm'. At anything. But what you really truly need are stims. They make you eat tasks for breakfast
AlpacaChariot@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
This one gave me a laugh, what happens if someone walks in before you de captain now?
mech@feddit.org · 31 pts · 128d
I picture the most over-achieving, manically driven person I know. Someone whose calendar is booked full half a year in advance from all their hobbies, friends and side-hustles. Then I pretend I'm them, magically teleported into my body, looking at the situation they found themselves in. I comment on the mess in my room, imitating their voice and everything.
Then I say "Well, it is what it is, let's fix this shit" and get to work.
Hadriscus@jlai.lu · 4 pts · 128d
Do they leave your body after cleaning up your mess ? or do they leave and you have to summon them again
toynbee@piefed.social · 3 pts · 128d
Sounds like a reverse tulpa.
AnthropomorphicCat@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 128d
I have autism but not ADHD. In my case it's "wait until 1 a.m., take advantage of the night owl super boost".
For some reason I can't concentrate during the day. It's only after sunset when I can really focus. I wrote all of my master's thesis after 1:00 a.m.
eyes@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
Oh yeah that's real, I got all my best writing done between midnight and 3am.
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 127d
I'm the same way, except my body insists upon going to sleep at 10PM. I can push past that, but insomnia awaits me after midnight.
I can't explain what the underlying mechanism is, only that your brain and body just function differently in conjunction with your circadian rhythm. Provided you have a good rhythm, that is (not all neurodivergent types have that). In the worst cases, like dementia patients, this is called 'sundowning' and is a real shit-show. For high-functioning types, it's where your body prepares for sleep and your brain shifts gears.
As for what that has to do with ADHD, I'm not sure - it's probably been studied. My best guess is that melatonin helps, and maybe the brain is more receptive to dopamine at night? You may have fewer environmental distractions at night too; I know I do.
AlpacaChariot@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
This is me too, I don't really understand why it's like that but I'm SO productive at night.
Maybe it's about having eaten a really good meal or something? Or just all the other distractions disappearing?
I feel like there must be some a more scientific reason!
Deestan@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 128d
Convince myself that I have the most perfect plan in the world.
Get out of bed and put on socks? I will move my duvet to the right in a fast tug with my right arm. Flashy! Swing both feet down to the floor simultaneously and get up in one smooth motion. Strong! Then grab the first pair of socks I can find blindly. Brave!
Anarki_@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 128d
Hell yea
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 128d
I like you
Mohamed@lemmy.ca · 25 pts · 128d
Something my therapist told me and that works more often than not. Set out to do the task for a very small time, like 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, you may find that you are absorbed in that task, but if not, just stop doing it.
The idea I think is to get over the difficulty in starting a task.
JennaR8r@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 127d
Yeah we want to know how to get out of the catatonic "I can't move" mode.
bestboyfriendintheworld@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 127d
Interstitial Journal
Write down:
Example:
douglasg14b@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 127d
Yeah, that method addresses that.
Often the catatonic ADHD can't move. Mode is related to resistance, starting a task.
Giving yourself an easy out that you know you can use after 3 minutes is an easy way to trick your brain into deciding that test starting a task isn't such a big deal.
Therefore allowing you to move.
If you can't move because depression then that's different.
mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de · 24 pts · 128d
Remember that I'm going to die
Strider@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
Why would I get anything done then? When I'm dead idgaf.
mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 128d
Can't tell if you're joking, but to me this line of reasoning (which I've also subscribed to in the past) is kind of like saying "what's the point in choosing to eat this delicious food over this gross food, when by tomorrow I won't be tasting either of them anyways?"
Strider@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 127d
I'm not kidding and I've been (literally) dead. So yeah, I didn't care much about anything at that time.
What I'm getting at is that is not related. You're right you should try to get most out of life you can and treating yourself and others well. But as a motivation the perspective of life ending in general does not matter (to me) at all.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 6 pts · 128d
Yeah this has the opposite effect on me.
mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 128d
Sometimes does for me too, but I think on those days the truth was I was too depressed to do anything anyways. Sometimes its just time for a day of rest. If I find myself feeling that way then I know its time to have a chill day
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 128d
mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de · 7 pts · 128d
I try to see my eventual death as a good thing. The impermanence of all things helps make sure that the universe and all its particulars (like humanity) continually have the opportunity to reinvent themselves. It's like the ultimate failsafe against our world becoming locked into some kind of permanent hellish state. There's always the moments of instability caused when elements decay and vanish.
Of course its silly to try to pretend like there's nothing sad or bad about death either. But I can think about it as a hard sacrifice that I'm ultimately happy to make. There are other reasons too but this is the one on my mind today.
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 128d
dumbass@piefed.social · 2 pts · 128d
Yeah, but you got to witness the demonically destructive decline of society in real time tho, that's something.
osanna@lemmy.vg · 23 pts · 127d
wait, you guys are getting things done??
python@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 128d
Drink a lot of water and get up because you really need to pee
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
Hold your breath it works quicker
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 127d
Directions unclear. Woke up on floor.
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 128d
Ok so have you seen the Dropout show Dimension 20? The Mentopolis season has a character (played by Hank Green) called The Fix, whose job is to go around this 1930s-coded brain city and literally mob-enforcer style "take care of" distractions.
So I just chat with my The Fix in my head. It is starting to work a bit more all the time.
janewaydidnothingwrong@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
Much love for the brothers Green
ilinamorato@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
That actually just reminded me of another unhinged coping skill: how John Green is (or at least was) actively hostile toward the coping skills he was effectively using. "My stupid mental health walk for my stupid mental health" is a phrase that still runs through my head sometimes.
Solaris1220@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 128d
Drinking a good amount of water! It makes me pee every 30-45 minutes and somehow that interruption keeps me focused on whichever task I was doing. Plus, keeps you hydrated and healthier skin 😂
mimavox@piefed.social · 9 pts · 128d
It's that why everyone is drinking water by the bucket nowadays?
Phunter@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 128d
I hear they're up to troughs now.
subarctictundra@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 128d
No that's just because it's gotten less hydrating due to global warming
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 128d
If you're peeing every 30-45 mins, I think you might be over-hydrating
Solaris1220@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
Nope, all good, depends on the person, also I meant that the water intake can help focus with tasks during the time you’re doing those tasks, I didn’t mean it like I’m drinking gallons of water all day long and peeing all day long 😂
starman2112@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 127d
My top two are reminding myself that the stupidest people alive manage to do the thing, and listening to Theoden's speech at Pelennor Fields
Screaming DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! right before calling the mechanic to schedule an oil change rn
x0x7@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 127d
My top one is writing my own project management software, and maintaining it for over a decade as its only user, because without it I would be 100% dysfunctional. It could be argued that the software isn't even that good. But it involves ranking the tasks against each other so at the end you have to pick something concrete.
ericwdhs@discuss.online · 3 pts · 127d
Similarly, I have a spreadsheet I've been refining for years synced across all my devices for task management. No premade solution satisfied me. The columns I use:
I keep everything brief enough for the main 5 columns to comfortably fit both the width of my phone and a space I keep available on my left desktop monitor.
The Do column is calculated for me and is color coded from red (very late) through orange (missed a day), yellow (do today), green (near future), blue, purple, and black (far future).
Completing a task is usually as simple as Ctrl+; or F4 (or a calendar tap) in the Did column, and the immediate feedback of the color change keeps me invested in continuing.
I use this same layout for routines, projects, leisure, etc. which all have their own sheets. To give you an idea of how thorough these are, my routines one has about 200 lines.
Acamon@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
That sounds super interesitng. How does the ranking work? Like you've got a bunch of things you need to do, but you don't want to. So you ask would you rather do x or y until you choose an action?
billwashere@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 127d
It has been too long since I watched that.
snoons@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 126d
So I watched a video negatively critiquing Theoden's tactical prowess and I wasn't able to talk about how the Rohirrim have special armour for their horses that gives them the ability to crush anything standing in their way.
IIRC you can use the Rohirrim in the game Shadow of War to basically erase any orcs on the map.
BallShapedMan@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 128d
Put all the shit i have to do on my calendar back to back to back and start the moment I get it if need to create a false sense of "oh shit" and it works for me.
Getting it out bed isn't always the easiest so I rub one out, well I gotta get up to clean that mess, that a shower, and get in it.
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 128d
My cat motivated me this morning in a similar way by vomiting on my bed
BallShapedMan@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
😱🤣🤣🤣
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
I’ll cautiously second the first part with a variation. Using the calendar as “oh shit” dates only seems to work for us for things that have burned us before and we apply the “oh shit” factor to that date. Like a payment due and we have it marked to post it 5 days earlier, the panic has to be about getting it out on the dssignated day.
Second part…whatever works.
HubertManne@piefed.social · 3 pts · 128d
the problem here is putting things in my cal is a task I have a hard time motivatiing or finishing if it had to be everything like this.
BallShapedMan@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 128d
I feel you there. I like buttons, screens, and colors. And this scratches that itch!
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net · 17 pts · 128d
Mindfulness meditation and strength training. Both of these things together do not get enough credit for how they complement and enhance each other.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 128d
Hmmm working out has helped
flubba86@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 127d
This one might not be weird to some, but it's my "one weird trick".
I put my shoes on.
I normally work from home, so usually don't even wear shoes most of the day. And when I need to go outside for a minute or two, I don't wear my shoes either.
But on the days that I get up and put my socks and shoes on in the morning, I feel extra motivated for the whole day. I definitely get more things done.
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 127d
Also WFH. Just showering and putting out outside clothes goes a LONG way to getting to motivated.
whelk@retrolemmy.com · 8 pts · 127d
This is good. Putting on a nicer shirt helps me as well. I'm not in a white shirt and tie by any means, but just something nicer than my casual tees really does seem to make a difference in getting me in a good mental place for being more focused.
I'm sure for some it makes no difference and I would hate to sound like I'm supporting the stupid office dress code policies that I loathe, so please chime in if this doesn't work for you
grrgyle@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 127d
Yeah something nice but still comfortable.
Unless I'm at a point in a project where all the hard work is behind me and now I just have to implement (I call it my "victory lap" phase) then I'll dress right down and just do it.
But that's a special time.
Actually, it makes me wonder if that's what work is like for neurotypical folks all the time. 🤯
flubba86@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
Oh yes, that's a good one too. I do notice that myself too.
bestboyfriendintheworld@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 127d
During COVID I walked around the block in the morning before starting to work from home.
aislopmukbang@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 128d
FreddiesLantern@leminal.space · 16 pts · 128d
Start provoking/taunting the task as if it was a fight about to happen.
AddLemmus@lemmy.ml · 15 pts · 128d
Hardly any responses are "unhinged". But I'll try my best.
Don't force yourself to do it. Instead, look at your list*, and just simulate the items one by one in your head, as if you'd do it.
Sometimes it happens that I really, really feel like doing one of them, like a neurotypical. It doesn't sound like it'd work, but it does.
There is never any pressure to do any of them; then it would not work, because starting the process would be the new thing to be stuck on. Quite often, I just don't feel like doing any of them. But that was not the job, the job was to simulate them. And it's done, and I can allow myself to do nice things then.
(*) If there is no list, making the list is the only job. Don't start on any items on it, just create the list. Then relax and enjoy whatever you want, until you feel like doing simulations.
Doublenut@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 127d
I used to do this. Since I was a child, but it'd regularly trick me into thinking I'd done the thing. I'd have mentally done it so it was checked off the brain list, then someone would be upset later but I swore I had done it!
This would also escalate in the morning when I'd fall back asleep and dream about going about my day, then wake up late thinking I was already on my way to work or school.
I try to only do this for large tasks now.
AddLemmus@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 127d
My way around this is to do "incomplete" simulations. I just need an idea of how it'd feel to be on the task, not finished it. Never simulate to the end, or one of two things will happen: 1. waking up to the harsh reality where it is not done yet, 2. thinking it is done.
E. g. when I need to go grocery shopping, I simulate how I get up, shoes on, grab a bag, think about whether I need a jacket or umbrella, get out of the door, start walking. How would that feel?
I described it in more detail here: https://lemmy.ml/post/36147982
N0libri@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 15 pts · 128d
I've figured out mindset is everything for me which sucks because I've gotten that drilled into me as a kid but figuring out stuff about one self only works if you figure it out yourself. Getting into the mindset needs to be not so obvious. I can't just repeat "I am component, I am smart, I won't postpone". I need to get into a vibe of getting stuff done and I honestly can't explain it better than it being a vibe. Medium energy (not high energy because then I just get a small panic attack) electronica music helps a lot for some reason.
Also small breaks from time to time but I can't set myself a time or I will just keep thinking about the timer.
ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 128d
As much caffeine and nicotine as I can physically tolerate.
Thcdenton@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 128d
Start a war in the Middle East 🤠
LavaPlanet@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 128d
Heres my process: Eat something, do one thing I do want / can motivate myself to do, and then DON'T SIT DOWN! If you need a drink mid, drink standing up. If all else fails, play boppy af music, and imagine you're in one of those movies where the cut scene shows a dance / song sequence, involving them just going about their everyday, but with dance, then go about whatever you can motivate yourself to do, but with flourish. Bonus points if you sing your own lyrics about your feels. Or just sing what you're doing, and let whatever lyrics fall out of your head, naturally, after that. It's actually pretty fun.
vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 11 pts · 128d
get really really really baked
CultLeader4Hire@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 128d
Unhinged? I tell myself “I don’t need motivation” and then just do the thing, people at least act like this is unhinged when I tell them it works, it’s literally just CBT in action
cheat700000007@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 128d
Self inflicted cock and ball torture is pretty unhinged
Afaithfulnihilist@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 127d
Get up and run.
Maybe 5 feet maybe 500, but I need to move and I know it will change my current collection of brain noises to a different and potentially more useful cacophony of quantum farts.
So I get up and run.
AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 128d
Im putting this as unhinged advice cause it is kinda unhinged but like those sigma male motivation videos sometimes work. I dont mean the "beat your wife" kind but there are ones that have compilations of professional athletes and whatever. Like why it works, i dont subscribe to all of the alpha male stuff but watching a 300lbs man pull an airplane with a chain while some inexcusable techno/hardstyle plays helps sometimes. Also get up, get your blood pumping and get ready like youre about to do a similal feat, and instead clean your home or whatever your goal was.
pntha@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 128d
double dose the pharmaceutical speed
Silic0n_Alph4@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
Assuming you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, abusing your prescriptions like that is a very bad idea. You should consider taking some medication breaks to lower your tolerance, but most importantly seeing your ADHD specialist to review your dosage.
pntha@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 128d
it didn’t ask for hinged advice
Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 9 pts · 127d
My partner tells me "there will be consequences if you dont do it now" My brain is that dumb luckily that it falls for it lol
Jessvj93@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 127d
Argue with every intrusive thought in the morning till 8am comes around, then tell them "Time for my adderall! And time for YOU ALL to shut the FUCK up!" then gleefully take it and wait 40-45 mins for brain silence.
Bloefz@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 127d
I don't really have one. I just get stuck 😢
Ps, she's @cherry.adhd on instagram, can recommend following her.
Francislewwis@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 128d
I set a 5-minute timer and race it like my life depends on it… somehow turning it into a game actually works 😅
tixnou@feddit.cl · 8 pts · 127d
I imagine labeouf shouting "JUST. DO IT"
modus@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 127d
This doesn't work if you also suffer from oppositional defiance disorder.
stoicmaverick@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 127d
YES IT DOES!
lightnsfw@reddthat.com · 8 pts · 128d
Jerking it while doing tedious bullshit on my side monitor has worked for me in the past. Probably not great for executive function long term though so I don't do it regularly and it's usually that I get distracted enough from what I'm watching by whatever annoying task popping into my head that I just start chipping away at it.
ZMonster@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 128d
Mushrooms
j4yc33@piefed.social · 7 pts · 128d
Think about a reason to hate yourself. Being hollow and empty is a good way to create space to fill the time doing everything that needs to be done.
endless_nameless@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 128d
I'll just flat out say this is horrible advice. Negative self talk worsens depression and in turn worsens your productivity.
TherapyGary@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 128d
You really think being hollow and empty isn't good for productivity?
Inkstainthebat@pawb.social · 1 pts · 127d
Bit of a gamble I'd say, usually it's medium efficiency at most menial tasks until I collapse inwards and cry, after that it's anyone's guess
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 127d
Meds.
Zoomboingding@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 128d
Blow a minor deadline so I can get motivation not to miss the next one~
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 6 pts · 128d
PTSD.
I turn on the bathroom exhaust fan. HVAC going is good. When HVAC gets shut down things are about to go to shit.
ProfessorHoover@infosec.pub · 4 pts · 127d
You grew up on a spaceship?
Edit: not to pry, just had a random thought while reading your comment.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 127d
Navy.
serenissi@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 127d
c/usernamechecksout
Strider@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
Start with something easy.
Plan bigger things and break it into smaller tasks.
Get the right equipment to do this.
No that pen won't do get another one.
Ugh let's look through reviews of ebook notepads.
Look forever to buy one for an acceptable price.
Start taking notes.
Never get anything done.
saltesc@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 128d
I just force myself to start knowing that my next issue will be forcing myself stop.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 128d
Embrace your hyper-fixation, leverage it to compete tasks while keeping a plan of attack for the day. Compete only what must be completed, leave the rest.
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
That last line is just my entire default OS. Although it depends on the day what "must be completed" means.
Nunar@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
Go a direction backed up with facts. I know this because of this this and this. Things you know. Doesn't matter where, just what you know. Saying this as I struggled trying to get out of high school in 1995. Be proud of what you know and be humble about what you don't. Facts are your friend. You make them work better than most.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 127d
Fucking SCREAM
toad@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 127d
Icy shower.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 128d
I start by cleaning. Which can be a hard thing to start. I just break it down to as many small tasks as I can. Once I have an ordered, clean space, it's easier to do whatever I need to do
pageflight@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 128d
The danger is when I end up cleaning the entire house and still haven't started the onerous task. But feeling organized certainly helps reduce distraction.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 128d
Life's still a dumpster fire, but my bathroom sparkles!!
AddLemmus@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 128d
How the heck is that unhinged?
grrgyle@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 128d
It doesn't work but I write about doing the task and every once in a while that unsticks me
Sprinks@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 127d
For a quick focus jolt, a snack size slim jim from the "slim jim chute", as i like to call it, and a shot glass of redbull.
My office (work from home) has a very narrow laundry chute we dont use, so I placed a 2x4 in it to cover the chute. Now it stores a box of slim jims and a cheap jelly fish speaker.
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 127d
Putting on my boots and walking into something. IDK why but it works, problem is that then I don't know how to slow down again resulting in me pacing until my laundry is done.
ThatGuyNamedZeus@feddit.org · 2 pts · 128d
I don't have any hacks, my brain kind of just flips back on to what I'm supposed to be doing after a few minutes any time I get onto a train of thought
GarboDog@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
Honestly if we’re ever overwhelmed we just go to the bathroom for 10 minutes, just sit there on our phone and if need be hyperventilate in privacy sometimes sparkling water in our face.
If we’re panicking over a certain fear we’ll end up cursing it like it should fear us and just binge some memes
When stuck being frustrated we take a second and zone out like hard reset and our brain is like “mood”
noxypaws@pawb.social · 2 pts · 128d
I vaped weed in the afternoon during business hours a few times when I was absolutely not getting shit done. A lot of the time it shook up my mental context well enough that I actually got started on the thing. Not always though, and generally this is just plain bad advice, especially if you're not working a knowledge job like tech work
fartographer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 127d
Make an iced latte by rehydrating and frothing dry milk powder, and brewing the espresso shots using ice-cold water in a hand-pump travel espresso maker.
hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 126d
fartographer@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 126d
Fair enough, but there's a reason I linked the actual espresso maker that I use to make cold brew. Making a cold espresso requires saturating the grounds and holding a lower pressure for longer before reaching the required pressure to actually pass the water through the grounds. Without this extended soaking period, you'll instead just make cold coffee-stained water.
Technically, any of the hand pump espresso makers can do the same thing, but not without significant effort. During the minute-long pressurized soaking period (30 seconds if you favor speed over flavor), you have to keep gently pumping to maintain the necessary pressure. A lever action has massive endurance and precision advantages over the piston action espresso maker that I also use.
So, while there are plenty of other lever espresso makers, most of them aren't what I'd consider portable, and all of them cost more than my first three espresso makers combined. I'm honestly not sure if the one I linked is even manufactured anymore, their website seems to be a little dead when I've tried visiting, and their customer service hasn't responded to my recent help requests.
wraekscadu@vargar.org · 1 pts · 127d
WELL. Now this is going to be quite unhinged. It all starts with one of my favorite stories I've ever read. In it, the protagonists are given powers by the gods to exercise their will in the world. But, realising that these gods are assholes, the protagonists rebel (while keeping the powers). A war breaks out and well, the plot happens.
Personally, I've always hated authoritarian figures in general. By hated, I mean HATED. With a burning passion.
In the story, there's an analogue to Loki. This character is shown to whisper "thoughts" into people (and gods) he wants to manipulate. Whenever I begin to procrastinate, I imagine it's Loki whispering mischief in my ear. Him attempting to manipulate me to stop me from doing the good things I want to do. A simple, "fuck off Loki" works wonders!
I kinda did something similar when I was plagued with suicidal thoughts. I imagined it was Badb (the Irish goddess of death) circling around to claim her prey. To add some plot, I imagined it as, "Badb wants to snatch me away, as my survival means less prey for her in the years to come". Basically, some "main character", "protagonist" energy to keep the entire thing interesting. Whenever I even came across the thought of kms, a simple, "Haha Badb you bitch, not today. It ain't that easy (to get me), you collosal loser" worked! I haven't come close to spiralling down AT ALL after I started taunting Badb. So hey, it worked for the better, right?
Now here's the thing - I know this is objectively false of course. The "war against gods and authority" is objectively not real. I KNOW THAT. But, I subjectively like to pretend that it is, just so that it:
_haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 128d