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Comment by scrollaway | Hacker News Reader

It's ok to be lethargic sometimes. If it's very regular it could be a symptom of something else (maybe psychological; depression, general lack of motivation), so maybe you can talk to a therapist about it.

Go for a run? If you don't have the energy to run, go for a walk. If you're not going to do anything during the day, might as well enjoy the sun and visit new places.

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I wholeheartedly agree with this. Sometimes you feel lethargic, sometimes you feel inspired. The best thing to do is enjoy the heck out of the lethargic times and avoid judging yourself too harshly -- you're only human.

Over time you can try to identify things that lengthen lethargic periods, and things that inspire you, and try to build those. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being demotivated from time to time. I just see it as a natural recharge time between inspired times.

Some things that I find bring on inspired times:

- Sit around and disconnect from the internet. Boredom is fantastic as a motivational tool.

- Exercise.

- Do nice things for your friends and family. Invite people over for dinner, play board games, mow your grandmothers' lawn. Or just write them a letter.

I find walks to be instrumental in keeping my mood up. I take a 15-20 minute walk in the mornings and in the afternoons -- I time it around those "will this day ever end" moments that come around 10:30 and 3:00. Getting some sunshine, focusing on other things, and getting out of the cube for a bit can do wonders.

I work for a government outfit as a programmer and I don't have the cool frameworks to play with, the pool table in the break room, etc. Sometimes you just have to get out of the space for a bit and let your mind wander.

Another option is to sit down and have a think. If your subconscious is trying to deprive you of all activities, other than thinking, there might be a reason for it.

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