How to get work done when you’ve lost your enthusiasm

Just a few hours ago I submitted my taxes – they only took about 15 minutes mostly because they were simple and Im broke. But the tax man cometh and taketh anyway. I came to the sad realization that net-net my post tax take home is about as much as my pre-tax salary from my first internship (5 years ago). With this newly gained nugget of wisdom and my growing list of things-that-I need-to-get-done-for-work-by-COB-that-I don’t-care-about, I had a very strong desire to pack up and move to the Cayman Islands. But I can’t afford that. So how to dig deep and find the motivation to be productive when I’ve lost interest. Read on for some ways to trick yourself into being motivated when you’ve lost your enthusiasm

Make everyone think you’re already getting work done
See this article for tips . The idea is to buy yourself time to plan out your day while avoiding other people

Stop Multitasking
Having too much going on zaps energy and makes it difficult to focus. Instead of half-a$$ing several things, whole-a$$ one or two things. You have to choose one thing to do right now, focus on that and then move on. You won't screw up if you start with something really small and really easy.

Block off some time… later
Block off time on your calendar to work on one or two items. This way you know you will be working on a set task for a fixed amount time and only that task. If you know you are going to spend time on it later, that’s less time you will be distracted by it now

Know when to switch
Allot times for working on certain tasks - if you know you only have a certain amount of time you are allocating to a certain task, you’ll be more focused on getting more done within that timeframe and at least you know it won’t go on all day.

A working list of things i don’t know
A big time waster for me is spent looking up random things that I need more info on either related to my current task or not. I end up wasting time looking up some obscure fact and then next thing I know I’ve just lost 20 minutes. Rather, have a working list somewhere that you can right this random stuff down and come back to it later.

Keep a “Got Done” list
Worst then spending 20 minutes on nothing, is rounding out the day, looking at all the stuff you have left to do and having no idea what you got done for that day. Rather than making a “to-do list” jot down the things you got done. At least then you’ll know what you wasted your time on.

As for me, I spent most of the day on the first item of this list. But tomorrow I’ll practice what I preach…maybe…What helps you get the job done when you could care less about it?

 

dude, sorry to say, but i think all 6 of your suggestions are bs. they may actually be counter productive. all you have to remember is:

GSD -> GET SHIT DONE.

if you feel bored -> GSD if you feel tired -> GSD if you feel overworked -> GSD if you're GSDing - still think GSD. bam.

"...the art of good business, is being a good middle man, putting people togeather. It's all about honor and respect."
 
roofstreet:
dude, sorry to say, but i think all 6 of your suggestions are bs. they may actually be counter productive. all you have to remember is:

GSD -> GET SHIT DONE.

if you feel bored -> GSD if you feel tired -> GSD if you feel overworked -> GSD if you're GSDing - still think GSD. bam.

How is prioritizing and marking things off on your calendar counter-productive? Knowing what you're doing and when you have to do it is the best way to GSD in my opinion. Especially when you're eclipsing the 70 hours a week mark, trying to multitask with no direction is horribly inefficient.

 

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