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How do you guys motivate yourselves to complete tasks? Like exercising, class, etc.

I have issues with this myself because of depression, anxiety (since it drains me) asperger’s. I actually still haven’t found a solution to this. :/ I guess one way I deal with stuff at home is by thinking how much I want to avoid my mom nitpicking me since I still live with my parents, but even that doesn’t help lol. I still procrastinate. Also, now that my dad and I aren’t talking, it is even worse since I don’t want to go out where my dad is >.<.
 
For me, the ultimate motivator is food. If I know I'll be able to eat my favorite snack or meal, it helps me get through the day. I love bagels so knowing that I'll get have a crunchy and delicious bagel tomorrow really boosts my morale.

When I'm exercising, it's getting to watch my favorite anime. I'll save up episodes so I can watch them while I'm on the treadmill. No treadmill, no anime.
 
By saying "if I don't do this one more time/for a few more minutes someone will die" LOL
 
I have issues with this myself because of depression, anxiety (since it drains me) asperger’s. I actually still haven’t found a solution to this. :/ I guess one way I deal with stuff at home is by thinking how much I want to avoid my mom nitpicking me since I still live with my parents, but even that doesn’t help lol. I still procrastinate. Also, now that my dad and I aren’t talking, it is even worse since I don’t want to go out where my dad is >.<.
Exactly this! This is how I am/feel! I have ADHD, and high functioning autism and all I ever do is feel depressed.
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For me, the ultimate motivator is food. If I know I'll be able to eat my favorite snack or meal, it helps me get through the day. I love bagels so knowing that I'll get have a crunchy and delicious bagel tomorrow really boosts my morale.

When I'm exercising, it's getting to watch my favorite anime. I'll save up episodes so I can watch them while I'm on the treadmill. No treadmill, no anime.
How effective is this method, would you say?
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By saying "if I don't do this one more time/for a few more minutes someone will die" LOL
Is this helpful?
 
I have no clue if any of what I'm about to write will be helpful, but just know that I've shared the same struggles. This is what I've tried to do..

When I was in school I had to install one of those apps that blocks you from going on certain websites. The one I used was called "self control" for Mac. Having a dedicated study playlist to help get me in the study mood. Setting up a study space away from my bedroom (too many distractions in my room). I would mostly use the school library but when I was at home I had a desk shoved in to a dark miserable corner of the basement to be the most boring and distraction free space as possible. Lastly, I kept a planner of all the deadlines and stuff I needed to get done so that I could prioritize what needed to be done first. This helps me to avoid wasting time trying to decide what to work on because I've just already decided everything days/weeks in advance in my planner! So I just consult my planner to see what I should be doing and get to work.

For exercising I'm not huge on this. I don't do a lot of intense exercise but at minimum I try not to spend the whole day just sitting. I agree amemome that TV on the treadmill is a great encouragement. I used to do this as well (when I had access to a treadmill). I also like to "take myself on walks" sometimes as though I'm a dog that needs to be taken care of, so I tell myself that I need to take myself for a walk.
 
I just don’t. I gave up on my life getting more meaningful after COVID hit. Why try to do anything if the world is all messed up?
 
I’ve always struggled with motivating myself to exercise but that’s mainly because of my mental state lol

for class, I just remind myself how much better I’ll feel once work is out of the way and if I’m studying I’ll try and follow the Pomodoro technique, where you set a timer to get work done then take a short break as a “reward”. It’s made me so much more productive and I’ve realised how much I can get done in 30 mins! Granted, I do still procrastinate and push the work back but that always leads to feeling guilty.
 
Motivation is great to get started with something but it's not sustainable long term. What you need is discipline not motivation. This is something I wish I knew when I was still school and not something I had to struggle with as an adult. These are steps that worked for me but you might have to experiment to find something else that worked for you. To start making habits. The easiest first step for me was having a schedule.

By schedule I don't mean you don't have to be super strict about doing certain activities at certain times of days although that can work for some people but not all. I wake up around at the same time everyday even weekends and try to go to bed roughly around the same time. Obviously exceptions are made like being sick or other activities.

Also another thing is to learning to forgive yourself when you screwed up. I haven't worked out the last few days despite being pretty consistent about it as you can tell from the fitness check-in thread I made in August. But it's not going to stop me from working out today or tomorrow.

It's going to be unpleasant and painful at first. You are forcing yourself to do something you don't want to do and you are going to have to work through that discomfort. If you don't do it now then when?

For working specifically, I tell myself that if I have 20 minutes to just lay on the couch and browse my phone aimlessly I have 20 minutes to workout. Honestly I feel a lot better about working out because than 20 minutes can easily turn into an hour and there's nothing on my phone that would have given me the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment in the same amount of time.
 
I struggle with this as well. None of the solutions I have are concrete right now, but they have helped me out a bit.

For exercise, I just think that i'm not going to be weak and i'm automatically determined to become stronger. Blasting music also helps me get fired up.
When it comes to schoolwork, I usually say after 10 questions or after writing this paragraph I can break to eat food or play 15 minutes of a game.
 
I really love bullet journalling, as the flexibility suits me well - when I'm needing more structure I can make daily to do lists and when I have less energy I can make looser weekly/monthly to do lists I can pick away at over time.

I also really like pomodoro tecnique and use an app called plantie which sets a timer for 25 minutes while a plant grows on your screen ☺️ Gamifying/visualising periods of productivity definitely helps me - sometimes i draw plant pots in my journal and for each pomodoro/25 minute work session i complete I'll add a flower 🌸

for some context, I have disabling chronic fatigue syndrome and intermittent depression so I'm not able to do much, and a lot of the time I get way less done than I'd like to.

I recommend being kind and gentle with yourself and celebrating what you do get done, even if it's only one 25 minute session or one small task.
 
my motivation is the fear of rejection/failure. I have untreated ADD and horrible executive dysfunction so it's extremely difficult for me to be motivated for anything.
 
When it comes to routine tasks, assignments, projects, work, etc., I recommend setting specific amounts of time to dedicate to them or a specific goal. I don't like to use myself as an example, but I think this might help.

For the longest time I couldn't get around to writing much. I had an idea for a novel with a lot of backstory and lore, but never got the right motivation to just work on it consistently. I then read how one novelist wrote their books, dedicating four hours at a time in the morning and one hour in the evening. I set my own goal of reaching four hours or 2,000 words with the option of going over either one if I feel hot and want to wrap up. I did this every weekday for three months. In the end, I didn't reach my goal every single day, but I did on most days and I was able to finish the rough draft phase.

The reason I use that as an example is routine. Routine establishment helps with mental health such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Many of the greatest writers, artists, and many others have found personal success and happiness through establishing a routine and sticking to it. You may not always be able to stick to that routine, and it will be difficult to start it (trust me), but keep going until it sticks and you'll notice a big difference both in how you feel and what you can accomplish.
 
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I became relatively lazy with working out mid-Covid and only recently jumped back to the gym. My motivation is this silly challenge my husband and I created amongst ourselves. Whoever works out more during the week wins a "favor". The favor never expires and can be used for practically anything.

It costs nothing except a little bit of pride and it's pushing us to maintain a healthier lifestyle (when I go to the gym, I feel like I have to eat very well that particular day). It feels great knowing that even if I lose the challenge that week, I'm still benefiting health wise.

In case you're wondering, I plan on using my favors towards the dishes after a big meal was made, lol. Sometimes those lazy days hit hard.
 
for me, i try to think of events that i’m looking forward to in the future. whether it’s a new season of your favourite tv show or even a new horizons update, it helps to think of them and acknowledge that in order to get to what you’re excited for, you have to get your responsibilities out of the way.

also, something else that i’ve been trying to do is to look at each task one by one, rather than looking at it as a whole. rather than saying “i need to exercise and complete __ tasks”, focus on one thing at a time. focus on task #1 first or exercising first and then keep going as you make your way down the list of what you need to do. it might sound a bit ineffective but this is what helps me most of the time - looking at your workload in its entirety is stressful and makes you feel worse but if you take things one step at a time, it might make what you have to do feel a little easier c’:. good luck!
 
Yes.

Honestly I don't even know how I motivate myself. And clearly it only works sometime as I'm failing math right now because I'm not doing my work in it, but I'm doing decently in every other class.

Its hard to motivate yourself. Especially when your mental health is already down the drain as it is. I'm tired all the time, my head constantly hurts due to my health issues, and overall I want to sleep all day. But... I find a way out of it. I get up and clean a little bit. I put on a video or movie in the background while doing something I'm supposed to be doing. Sure, I may get it done slower but at least I'm getting it done. Sometimes I reward myself with a treat or a break. I mostly just go with the flow,I wish I could give proper advice.
 
The only thing that helped me with school and with work now is a set schedule/calendar. That, and getting things done early or ahead of time. I don’t do this myself, but doing things in small increments throughout the week could help too rather than just tackling it all at once (I tackle things all at once and manically grind them out because I’m crazy, lmao).
 
I use Habitica to help me get a little motivated! It's basically a to-do list in the form of an RPG, although it's much more fun if you have friends or actively seek out groups though.

I use it more as a planner to help me track what I need to get done for the day because I'm at home 24/7 from online classes and rarely ever leave, which makes me very lazy and exhausted.
 
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