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How to start yourself up?
Ferrante | Sep 7 2006
Hi, The title can sound kind of funny, but I?m talking about serious stuff here. I?ve been treating a long term depression using entrainment for a few weeks now. Situation seems to be improving, but at this time I cannot put together enough energy to start new projects or things. Let me explain: I used to be an avid reader and a rapid learner. Now, it?s almost impossible for me to commit to a new task, because I cannot find the way to start. I?ve tried many techniques, like planning in advance, dividing big tasks in manageable chunks, putting reachable deadlines, without any results. My problem is: how do you guys get started to new things? How do you improve your force of will? Am I hopeless? Thanks. 6 Comments
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 The Answer.Submitted by duus on September 8, 2006 - 8:29am.
GOD;5833 wrote:
In my experience is always that first step that is the hardest -- after that it's not so bad. So I encourage you to toil with whatever hurdle you have for just 3-5 minutes. Make that your only goal and it may make the rest of it a bit easier. i'm with GOD. That's one reason I like Merlin's (10+2)*5 procrastination hack: http://www.43folders.com/2005/10/11/procrastination-hack-1025/ The idea is you make yourself work for "just 10 minutes" over and over again. But such a small, silly thing, for such a substantial issue you bring up, is duus trying to trivialize your question? hmmmm. Ferrante--I have lots of problems with the kinds of issues you mention . I used to have (some kind of) spring of motivation, when I was younger, that has seemed to have dried up (duus says in the passive voice, as to deflect responsibility). And I was searching for a long time for the Big Answer To The Question Of How To Get Things Done And Get Myself Back On Track And Finally Get My Life In Order And Accomplish All The Things I'd Left Behind but now....well, when I remind myself, I believe such a thing does not exist. That's the secret (to me) of the GTD/Lifehack mentality. There is no Big Cure. There is no One Answer. There are just small changes, little things, but the right bouquet of them, and maintaining them is work. It will never be "done." It's a process. A constant struggle. But there are things to learn. Small, incremental things. We are iterating to a better life. In small ways. We're writing little maintainance scripts on our life. Patches for problems that solve them in little ways, keep it going. We're just keepin' the old car runnin'. We're not going to buy a new car. It's not going to happen. We just gotta do little things to make this one continue to work. I'm usually scared about starting to work. So I just try to do something for 10 minutes. And then another 10 minutes. And then...another 10 minutes. And, after that, I try to work for 10 minutes. And that's the whole story. What do you think, Ferrante? » POSTED IN:
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