I'm uncomfortable posting this because I dislike displaying weakness, but it's been the source of some frustration for me for a while now. I need some suggestion or advice on motivation. I have habits that need to change and things I need to do, but despite working everything out in my head, I can't seem to figure out how to make myself do it, and it's very confusing and frustrating for me. I lack discipline and I don't know how to fix that. It's not just one specific thing, either. Anything from trying to change my sleep schedule to actively looking for a job to basics like brushing my teeth and bathing regularly is affected. I just don't feel like doing anything, and I'm a little irritated at myself because of it.

Looking at the world, life, and the current state of everything can be downright depressing.

All I know, is that one thing keeps me going. . . and it's the fact that if I don't do what's best for myself now, then I won't have the best chance of happiness in the future.

You need to do these things because they give you a chance to be happy. I shower when I get home because it puts me more at ease. I can write. I can work on other things, I can relax. It simply makes me feel better, and my mom doesn't complain about it then either.

There are plenty of reasons to do theses things, but you want to know the main reason? Because they do help you, and they DO give you a better chance at being satisfied before it's all over. No matter how bad things get. . . you can often find a way to make them better. Even if it takes years. Just don't give up and remember all the famous people who went through hell and back in order to not only become happy, but also recognizable in history.

You need to do these things because they are what's best for you, and logically you know it. That's all I can say that matters in the end.

This is something I struggle with myself, so despite my own inability to follow through, I'll try my best to suggest things that may help.

--Make a list of everything you need to do on a daily / weekly basis (preferably a physical copy to leave out where it's easily noticed to avoid forgetting).
--Exercise and eating as healthy as possible will definitely help you feel better, which makes motivation come more easily. The former is something essential that anyone can do, at the very least in small doses (things like simply stretching / walking for a while can really help).
--Listening to the right kind of Music can make a huge difference. Something that gets your blood pumping makes putting in effort less tedious.
--Lie to yourself. What I mean is fake the positive aspects of your attitude you lack. Even if you don't really believe it, telling yourself you're good at something, or have worth in any given way will make you feel better.

Obviously none of this means anything if you don't follow through with it, but doing this will make it easier in the long run. Most important is to KEEP following through as time goes on, as so many like myself will stop within 2 weeks or so. If you want some philosophical answer about why it's worth doing, I don't think it would make any difference if I gave you one. You have to find the drive within yourself, and nobody else can or will do it for you.

I hope this helps, even if only a little. Good luck with everything man.

I don't.

Sword legion : I guess I do think too much about the work and not enough about the results, now that think about. Something along the lines of "why do I do this again...?" crosses my mind from time to time and I supposed I just need to focus on the goals.

Mynamescox44 : Making a physical list is something that's crossed my mind before but it didn't pan out. Maybe part of why it didn't hold my attention is the fact that I was trying to work on everything on the list at once instead of working on them individually and gradually. I'll probably give that another try. It also never crossed my mind that I spend entirely too much time indoors. If they needed to, the police could probably ID my body with the massive butt print in the seat and elbow dents in the arm rests on my chair. Music is actually something I don't have a lot of unless it's something my dad is playing, and even then it's more in the background than anything else. Is it possible to not have enough music? There are some things that I, in a way, specialize in that a lot of others, particularly around me, don't and that does help. I guess I just lose sight of that because it seems like it'll be forever before I can actually put it into any kind of practical application.

Anyway, thank you both for taking the time to endure my ramblings. What's most confusing about this for me is that it's an emotional problem and that's unfamiliar ground for me. I usually take care of things with what little amount of functionality my head has, and that doesn't seem to apply to these things very well.

yoshirulez! : You're getting predictable. I expected that kind of response : /

The easiest thing for me to do is to take a break. I firmly believe that there are just off days, where no matter what you want to do, your body is unable to follow your heart.

Another thing that helps is doing something else that keeps your mind blank for a while, or at least gives you the time to rethink about what you need to do. The former helps to relieve the accumulated stress, and the latter can sometimes ignite a new fire within you in the case you realize you missed something interesting between the things you wanted to do. This last sentence can also be applied in case you have a few things "set to be tried out in the future", so like cox said, making a list of things you would like (and currently can) try out is of big help.

How do I apply these solutions in my life? The first is just mere routine, depending on how the day goes, but can also mean that I get off my chair and simply stare outside (unless its winter, of course). The second is more simple: playing videogames and doing things related to my staff roles really lightens my mood. Working in more than one guide at the same time, for example, means I have other things I can focus in, so if I lose motivation in one or become interested in another, I go for it. Likewise, digging through the VGR can also set my mind blank for a while (or basically derping around the internet, but digging through the RGR sounds more noble).

m0ssb3rg935 : It's tough to face the facts but you're taking a good first steps by objectively looking at this and throwing it out to the community.

We're not judging. At least I'm not judging. You're looking to improve yourself. Good for you.

Saying that, I can't understand some of the things you're talking about. I love to shower. The hot water is my escape and I get time by myself only when I'm the shower, it seems. I can relax and get clean. I like feeling clean. The same goes for my mouth with toothbrushing skills.

All that being said, making a change is tough. There's no good way to go about it. There's a thread about step by step directions on how to do something so I'll do that for you. I happen to do a lot of work in changing people's routines, mindsets, and daily activities of life. Even though my work focuses more on physical fitness, it relates to just about anything. This is completely unsolicited advice but I'm going to give it a shot.

1. Don't pick more than one small change at a time. If you try to do too much, you'll get upset, frustrated, and overwhelmed when it all doesn't go right. You may be 80% successful but you'll think about that 20% as a failure. It isn't but you perceive it that way. Then it all falls apart. Pick one little thing, brushing your teeth twice a day, and focus on that.

2. Depending on when you eat breakfast when you get up, pick a specific part of the morning routine to brush your teeth. Pick "Right when you wake up" or "twenty minutes after you're up and you've checked Vizzed" or even "Just after breakfast." Pick a time that will give you one minute where you can get in the bathroom and brush your teeth. If you go to the toilet at a specific time during the morning, pick that time.

3. Leave out a toothbrush and toothpaste where you can see it so you don't forget it and it's accessible. Even if it's in the cupboard or in a drawer, that can make you lazy and you won't do it.

4. Force yourself to actually take the individual steps to brush your teeth. Say aloud, "Turn water on," "Put paste on brush" and start brushing and count to twenty. Rinse your brush off, leave the stuff out. You're done. It took 1 full minute.

5. Focus on just that. Do that one thing every morning about the same time. Keep doing it over and over. It usually takes two weeks or more of really well-disciplined work to get it to stick more than right now but you can get there.

6. If you find a good reason to do it, you'll be more likely to succeed. When you do something because you 'should,' you're not going to be nearly as excited in doing it. Think about your parents telling you something is good for you. But if you decide for yourself, "Brushing my teeth will make me stronger, more disciplined, and teach me how to change for the better."

Good luck!

Right now it's usually Studio C or Psych...basically, having a good laugh then moving on. Even better, using those as inspiration and cracking jokes yourself and watching others smile or laugh. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Anyone who takes it too seriously really needs to lighten up. Drop some responsibilities that get in the way of enjoyment. Add some that don't. Try not to stress out when you mess up, but instead laugh! Laugh that things didn't work out your way and move on. Of course stress will be there. Sometimes it will get to you, as it does now. Boy, do I know about that. But loving and laughing really helps you to enjoy life and move on. I know about that, too

Having a lack of motivation means that the reason behind what you are doing/what you want to do is not strong enough, but I don't think it is a lack of motivation you are suffering from here. It's following through that poses the problem. Clearly there is something hindering your productivity and mental state, and the fact that you've addressed it here is proof enough that you want to do something about it. Simply admitting that you have a problem that needs fixing is half the battle. The other half is devising an effective approach to counteract and eliminate the problem which is where following through comes into play. 

Overcoming a lack of follow through is difficult, but it is definitely doable if you address all the little problems in your life and start small. Once you've confronted the little problems, slowly begin to address some of the larger problems that plague your mind. The key here is not to immediately dive into too many big things all at once because chances are, you'll become overwhelmed and nothing will change. Believe it or not, humans are not very good multitaskers, so individually tackling the small problems is the best approach to take. The purpose of starting small is to build your inner strength/confidence, even if it is only by a small amount. Once you've gained enough inner strength to address the little things, you can begin to address and eliminate the bigger problems. 

You mentioned that you would like to correct your sleep schedule. Applying what I mentioned above, you should start small. If you find yourself going to bed at 2:00 AM every Sunday, you should gradually ease yourself into going to bed earlier. On Monday, try going to bed at 1:30 AM, and on Tuesday, try 1:00 AM instead. The key is to break down each issue into manageable, achievable chunks rather than immediately starting with drastic changes. In any case (even more so with this one since it deals with sleep habits), you need to allow your mind and body to adjust and adapt to the changes you make. The first night will most likely pose a challenge to you, you might find yourself in uncomfortable territory and you might even want to revert back to your old ways. Don't. Take countermeasures and stick with a plan that works best for you. Set bedtime alarms for yourself, create a mental checklist of the things you did or didn't accomplish that day. For anything you didn't get done, set it aside for the next day. As silly as it might sound, creating a mental, or even a physical checklist of what you did/ didn't get done can help clear your mind before sleeping. Be sure to eat and set electronics aside at least an hour to two hours before going to bed. Far too many studies reveal that blue and white light exposure before bed only prohibit you from getting the deep sleep you need. If you stick with this approach every night, it will become routine within a month. 

If you take this approach and start with the small things first, you will be sure to notices changes in many aspects of your life within the first week or two. More importantly, whatever plans/goals you set aside for yourself, remember to start small and to stick with them, even if it is unpleasant at first. You'll be glad you did. I hope you can find some use out of this. 

Start small. That's simple enough, right? Most people that are very motivated tend to have a strong foundation or base that they've been building up over the years in order to prepare them for whatever comes their way. It's their source of strength, so to speak. If you don't have one, then you'll need to build one, and it needs to be able to last longer than just a few weeks or months. Other people in this thread have already mentioned that starting small is easier than tackling everything all at once, but what you choose to have as the very core of your foundation is important as well. For some people, they choose at least one thing to do every day like running, jogging, reading, etc. which builds up their resilience and helps them to bounce back from anything that gets them down. Running marathons can help build stamina. Reading can help expand your knowledge. Everyone's different so you'd have to choose something that's right for you by experimenting until you find it.

Most everyone in this thread has already covered choosing a good reason, making lists to keep track of your progress (feeling a sense of accomplishment is a good way to reinforce the new habits too), exercising and eating to keep yourself healthy, taking a break/clearing your mind to start anew, making/sticking to a new habit for months, and even finding something funny and then sharing the laughter/joy to lift your mood.

Thus, I'll talk about the finer points of some of those ideas.

1. Lists - Lists tend to be more useful if you prioritize the items. For instance, if you're setting goals, then it's better to set some long-term goals and some short-term goals. If you're making a list of movies you want to see, put the ones you want to see first at the top.

2. Exercise - Most people tend to feel better after exercising because certain chemicals are released that make you feel good as you exercise (endorphins). See if maybe just exercising a few minutes a day can brighten your mood. If you do physical strength training, you'll also get stronger and will probably not get tired as easily. Building muscles is also good because muscles sometimes automatically burn fat.

3. Health - Have you gone to see any doctors lately to check and see if your vitamin levels are okay or too low? You seem to have a sedentary indoor lifestyle, so there's a chance that you could be low on some vitamins (such as Vitamin D), which can sometimes lead to fatigue, depression and/or other problems. If your levels for certain vitamins are too low, you might even start to get sick more easily (weaker immune system) and feel too tired to move (some people can't even get out of bed after a while). I know of a few people that kept collapsing at the end of the day until they went to see a doctor and found out their iron levels were too low. It's been said that using pain relievers a lot (aspirin) can sometimes cause internal bleeding in the stomach, which then leads to some iron deficiency. It's not unimaginable for some people to think of taking pain relievers because of headaches they get from being tired and always working overtime. However, keeping your body in its best possible condition at all times is one of the best ways to make sure that when you are motivated, you won't have trouble keeping up with your workload.

4. Environment - Sometimes, if one's living space is disorganized or messy, it may lead to loss of focus or motivation to do anything because it takes so much more effort to find something (or even to jump over stuff to get in and out of the room lol). If your living space is disorganized, you could try to clean it or arrange it so it looks neater, and then see if your mood has improved any. Sometimes, changing your environment is all that's needed to keep yourself focused so you can continue to be motivated without being side-tracked by missing items or physical barriers to success.

5. Stick to the plan - Habits are hard to break and make, but once you manage to make a good one, you'll be all set. Research has shown that people who continue to use certain neural pathways over and over will tend to keep those pathways around longer, so if you can manage to create a pattern of thought and then stick to it, you'll be able to turn whatever you're aiming for into a habit. For example, if you're like me and you find Vizzed each day by typing the text for it into Google, at some point, you'll find that your fingers will automatically go to type "Vizzed" on their own as soon as you see a search engine and your fingers touch the keyboard, even when you're trying to search for other sites instead. XD Whether or not that's a good habit is another matter (I personally think of it as something positive though =P ).

In any case, I hope you'll find your source of motivation soon and that you'll at least consider trying out some of our suggestions at some point. Good luck with improving your mood and forming new and better habits, and feel free to ask if you need clarification for anything I listed above!