I am currently in a transition stage in my life--ending my Study Abroad semester in France, potentially moving out of a dysfunctional home after moving back in temporarily, spending a lot of time on my own traveling/at home.
I'm writing because for some unbearable time, I've been feeling like my life is in a rut. I don't play my guitar or sing my own music anymore. I eat badly and without thought--often eat pasta dishes or friend eggs for a meal twice or thrice a day. I am messy as ever--My tiny room is in a disarray and I have a hard time keeping it even regularly clean.
I've gained about 6 lbs since I've been here. I don't work out--I guess I lack the motivation to do so here. I listen to music all day, eat whatever I want, go out and enjoy a party whenever I feel like it, get dinner at awesome restaurants often. I just have no structure and it seriously is having an impact on my discipline and motivation levels.
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posted by rhythm_queen
on May 12, 2013 -
16 answers
I went on a long, long break form my creative career cause I was feeling burnt out due to some failures and now I can't seem to get back into it, possibly because I no longer have a financial incentive to do so. How can I fix this? Warning: Long, super privileged person problems.
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posted by anonymous
on May 7, 2013 -
18 answers
And I mean anything. People, school, projects, hobbies... I always, always give up on the things I start. And it isn't even about losing interest. Yeah, there are things that I'll eventually lose interest in and quit and that's not really a problem. What bothers me is that I quit things I'm actually interested in, too. For example, I was so completely into a book I was reading last week. Really, really into it. You'd think I'd finish it, then, but I didn't. I have an entire library full of half-read books, most of which I'd love to start reading again but just can't. Won't. Cant. Ugh.
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posted by marsbar77
on May 5, 2013 -
23 answers
As soon as I write something down, I forget about it. This is very problematic for to-do lists... because as soon as I write down a thing I want to do, I no longer feel like doing it and find it uninteresting to even think about (because hey, I wrote it down, so I no longer have to think about it). Help me hack my motivation to overcome this.
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posted by danceswithlight
on Apr 26, 2013 -
24 answers
Looking for motivational songs that lyrically acknowledge tedium or lack of willingness to get something done while telling you to suck it up, in the vein of
(previously on MeFi) "Do It Anyway" by Ben Folds Five.
Need to be able to chant the refrain while, e.g., getting out of bed early to go work out. Has to have a driving beat, of course.
posted by psoas
on Apr 26, 2013 -
22 answers
I am putting together a playlist for bar exam preparations. I am looking for songs that will help ease the pain of studying and have compiled a few from a range of genres. What else can I add to this to make it the ultimate inspirational list of songs?
Here are some that I have already chosen:
Isley Brothers - Work to Do
Jay Z - 99 Problems
LL Cool J - Mama said knock you out
Beyonce - Run the World (girls)
David Bowie - Under Pressure
ODB - Got your money
Fugees - Killing me softly
posted by allthingsconsidered
on Apr 19, 2013 -
6 answers
My husband and I have made a pact to get in shape. It hasn't happened that often even though we both want to! What are some goals that have helped you (and a workout buddy) actually get out there?
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posted by Crystalinne
on Apr 14, 2013 -
33 answers
Problem is that I'm losing steam at this point, facing many more years of school ahead of me if I'm accepted into professional school. How I can shake the feelings of uncertaintly as I keep plugging away?
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posted by sunnychef88
on Apr 7, 2013 -
20 answers
Looking for lifehacks to help me thrive in a stressful high-pressure job working 50+ hours a week long-term. I am special, find out why..
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posted by f3l1x
on Mar 18, 2013 -
21 answers
You are a music teacher who knows how to make lessons fun and involving for a young person in a rebellious frame of mind.
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posted by yoHighness
on Mar 4, 2013 -
3 answers
Do you ever wake up in the morning, look at the tasks ahead of you, and ask yourself 'why bother'? If so, how do you answer that question?
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posted by MrOlenCanter
on Mar 4, 2013 -
28 answers
When I'm racing to meet a writing deadline, I feel a sense of exhilaration, momentum, and flow. How can achieve that state on a regular basis so I can make steady progress on my writing?
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posted by incandescentman
on Feb 27, 2013 -
17 answers
How do I keep motivating myself to do medical treatments when I'm so tired, physically, intellectually and emotionally?
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 14, 2013 -
15 answers
Two years into a Ph.D. program in the biological science (in the US) and I am in a lab doing research. The lab I'm in takes a hand-off approach to our research, so much of the motivation to do projects must come from me. Unfortunately I'm the kind of person who needs deadlines and strong guidance, and without these two things I've begun to drift a little. Any tips for keeping my eyes on the prize and staying immersed in my field?
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posted by Archibald Edmund Binns
on Feb 1, 2013 -
8 answers
I am grossly fat and very unhappy. I've already figured out how many calories I need to consume to lose weight and joined a gym and bought a scale (gross). I'm an emotional binge eater. How can I maintain my motivation?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 31, 2013 -
61 answers
I work alone, in an office isolated from other people with zero opportunity for social interaction. I could, if I wanted to, arrive at 8.30am, stare at a screen til 12.30pm, break from 12.30pm-1.30pm, then stare at a screen from 1.30-5.15pm.In silence. Alone. I really, really don’t want to. Help me come up with things I can do every hour to ‘break’ for a few minutes before getting back into the next hour-long block of work.
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posted by t0astie
on Jan 23, 2013 -
21 answers
I have a pretty decent job but don't enjoy it and have started underperforming - how can I motivate myself to work harder again?
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posted by sock of ages
on Jan 20, 2013 -
13 answers
Do you know about any researchers studying human behavior with regard to motivation, habits, and goal-setting, or books/papers about those topics?
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posted by markbao
on Dec 19, 2012 -
9 answers
So, you know that "career" thing people have? I managed to spend 2012 without one. The timeout was enlightening, but now I'm itching to move on to a brand new phase.
Um, how do I do that?
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posted by jessca84
on Nov 28, 2012 -
8 answers
Trying to convince a friend to see a therapist to deal with some recent emotional issues and having difficulties being a good advocate because she doesn't feel like she 'needs' it.
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posted by Green With You
on Nov 26, 2012 -
12 answers
What did you do to get through required courses that you hated, but in which you needed to do well? Help me make mine more bearable.
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posted by ocherdraco
on Oct 26, 2012 -
22 answers
I want to give up trying to date, I just keep getting rejected, can you guys help me stay motivated and not quit trying?
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posted by curious-mind
on Oct 17, 2012 -
83 answers
Starting a new job soon; unless I can manage my chronic motivation problems, it's all going to go wrong.
Help me mefi's; what's wrong with me, what can I do? What do you do?
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posted by BadMiker
on Oct 11, 2012 -
10 answers
I am interested in finding out what you say to yourself to snap yourself out of inertia and get or stay productive.
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posted by thorny
on Oct 6, 2012 -
29 answers
I'm losing focus on my weight loss goals and I don't want to fall off the wagon. I have had to fight hard to lose what I have lost, and I do not want to back track. How do you get your head back in the game and really find the time to focus on it and prioritize it when your life has become extremely busy?
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posted by PuppetMcSockerson
on Sep 18, 2012 -
12 answers
When everything on the surface seems healed and healthy after a breakup, how do you quash obsessive thoughts and anger about an abusive ex- two years on?
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posted by anonymous
on Sep 17, 2012 -
20 answers
If I feel like I "have" to do something, or that I'll get something out of doing something, I immediately lose interest. How can I learn to enjoy tasks for their own sake, even when I know that's not why I'm doing them?
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posted by jumelle
on Sep 15, 2012 -
9 answers
Please recommend books or blogs that document full/near-full recovery and rehabilitation after an injury.
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posted by mimo
on Aug 28, 2012 -
7 answers
I am in a cohort of a few PhD fellows who, at the time we could really use each other for support, find ourselves scattered to various corners of New England. How can we motivate each other when we don't see each other on a regular basis?
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posted by absquatulate
on Aug 15, 2012 -
5 answers
Where can I find information on how the best companies in the world deal with their staff? (eg, Fortune's Best Companies to Work For)?
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posted by Struan
on Aug 13, 2012 -
5 answers
How can I regain my motivation for weightlifting, when it feels like I am going in circles?
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posted by lollusc
on Aug 11, 2012 -
13 answers
I recently moved, am unemployed and finding it really hard to get motivated. What tips/tricks/apps/whatever have helped you keep to a schedule when you don't have any other reason to?
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posted by nakedmolerats
on Aug 10, 2012 -
16 answers
Need specific advice on finding motivation for work in a PhD program. Snowflakey background information included of course.
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posted by blue_bicycle
on Aug 3, 2012 -
10 answers
I am looking for 'healing' poetry: poems that 1) urge you to keep going, 2) tell you that yes, life is hard, but you can do it, 3) remind you to keep your shit together, 4) embrace you and say that you are not alone in this, or 5) just say that this too shall pass.
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posted by pleasebekind
on Jul 4, 2012 -
31 answers
I need advice as to how to motivate employees to complete their mandatory daily paperwork. Difficulty: tradesmen.
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posted by mireille
on Jun 27, 2012 -
24 answers
