Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to work? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself to work?

8 pointsjstx110 comments

Recently I've found it very hard to get anything done at work. I'm very uninterested in any of the work we do and sooner or later not contributing will be a problem. How do I push myself to get stuff done? Doesn't even need to be super productive - getting 2-3 good hours of work a day would be a great start.

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Well action precedes motivation. Motivation is sporadic and will let you down when you want to work most. The trick is to make baby steps towards your goal and then build momentum.

Are you sure you want to be there?

I found myself in this situation several years ago and eventually ended up on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). After I completed the PIP successfully and was thinking about how I got into that situation, I realized that the problem was that I had become totally checked out in a job I used to love. The lack of performance was my subconscious telling me that it was time to leave, so I did.

Maybe you'd be happier somewhere else.

I switch teams at my current company every 6-9 months. They let me do it because I am a very good developer. Otherwise I would be quitting very soon after joining. Its all about finding a company that will accomodate your needs as a worker, provided you provide good value.

It depends on your financial/family situation. Take a long vacation, maybe move to a different country for a year or two, then find a job in a different field. Or maybe even go back to school or launch your own company.

“Motivation” is a big scam.

You either do something or you don’t.

For whatever reasons it’s either to be or not to be. Period.

No need to speculate about “motivation”, it’s just another trick for your mind to be carried away from making the simple decision.

Boredom is one tool to help with work; like at my previous company we're not allowed to watch videos during work hours and this boredom helps a bit to not lose track of time doing non-work related stuff.

Don't think of getting the work done, but make a habit of progressing in small steps. The work will eventually get done.

The idea that I need to do something to support myself and family, and that this sucks less than many other jobs.

> I'm very uninterested in any of the work we do

I would recommend finding something you're interested in.

I'm working on it but I think it's going to take a few months to switch, and I don't want to be dead weight in the meantime.

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