# Off-Topic >  MOTIVATION

## Turboconqueringmegaeagle

I dont normally struggle getting motivated to go into the shed and build something but quitting smoking has had some unexpected side effects, not just am i generally lacking energy but going into the workshop with a beer and a smoke after work was all id be thinking about all day at work, sometimes id be in there till 2 am....
Right now i'm working longer hours, its autumn (fall if you want) so its getting chilly and dragging myself away from the fire indoors is always a struggle.
I'm interested in hearing about everyone else's workshop vices and if anyone else ever feels ashamed at them self for sitting through an episode of call the midwife or whatever tripe the missus is watching instead of going and doing something productive.

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bukwessul (Nov 1, 2017),

metric_taper (Nov 3, 2017),

Seedtick (Nov 1, 2017),

Syko Triker (Nov 2, 2017),

Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017),

volodar (Jul 19, 2019)

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## Jon

One recommendation that you see frequently in communities that focus on productivity and motivation is something referred to as the "5 Minute Rule". This means that you agree to work on something productive for just 5 minutes. Once 5 minutes are over, you can stop, having completed your goal. However, in many cases, once you're over the initial 5 minutes, you have enough inertia to keep going.

What has helped me when procrastinating anything is to analyze _why_ I'm procrastinating. Oftentimes I'll realize that I'm procrastinating because I fear that I'll screw up the job. In that case, I find I need to do more research or practice more before tackling the job. Other times, I find that the reward for the task is too vague or distant to motivate me, so I'll agree to a small simple award for myself, because something like "I'll be more knowledgeable and satisfied with my life" isn't motivating enough to fight off procrastination.

Harvard Business Review is good for topics like this. Here are two articles on determining why you're procrastinating, with tactics to address the various stumbling blocks:

How to Beat Procrastination - Harvard Business Review
5 Research-Based Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination - Harvard Business Review

Good on you for quitting smoking. No doubt it will make all of the above more challenging, but ultimately, when you succeed, more rewarding.

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Syko Triker (Nov 2, 2017),

Tiny (Nov 2, 2017),

Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017),

Turboconqueringmegaeagle (Nov 1, 2017),

volodar (Jul 19, 2019)

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## Turboconqueringmegaeagle

what a fantastic resource! having been thoroughly distracted, i then found an article on distraction.
This is without doubt the finest aspect of the internet, not just finding an useful snipit of info like the timing procedure for a villiers stationary engine but as in this case, an entire library of well written invaluable literature, so thank you very much Jon.

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## Nitrous

> I dont normally struggle getting motivated to go into the shed and build something but quitting smoking has had some unexpected side effects, not just am i generally lacking energy but going into the workshop with a beer and a smoke after work was all id be thinking about all day at work, sometimes id be in there till 2 am....
> Right now i'm working longer hours, its autumn (fall if you want) so its getting chilly and dragging myself away from the fire indoors is always a struggle.
> I'm interested in hearing about everyone else's workshop vices and if anyone else ever feels ashamed at them self for sitting through an episode of call the midwife or whatever tripe the missus is watching instead of going and doing something productive.




First, there is NOTHING more useful to you or your family than quitting smoking. PERIOD.
Few if any of us use our time as wisely as others (including ourselves) might expect BUT you will not regret the decision to quit smoking.
Now, just don't go crazy with all the money you will save!

Good Luck,
Doug

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## bricolage

The five minute rule is what I probably do, or should do. I frequently find it hard to actually get going but as soon as I start I don't think about anything else, I just do it. I must look at the Harvard material - and apply it.

David

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## Ed Weldon

My answer is to plan a small job, easy to start and finish in less than a half hour that you go to first on visiting your shop. Then leave it at done to greet you on your next visit. The satisfaction of viewing it twice is a motivator. 
Lately preping specialized cardboard storage boxes for the shop with some selected cutting and regluing or maybe just a spray can paint job to reinforce and cover advertising has been my thing. Verticle storage wood tool blocks is another one. Sharpen some tools. Replace that dull band saw blade or sanding belt. Make wood or metal handles for tools like files, pointed tools or fine wires like you use for cleaning spray can nozzles. Make sanding blocks for all the grit and grades of abrasive paper you use. Tear op some sandpaper sheets for hand sanding. Hone your knives. Better still, sharpen your spouse's kitchen knives. Add some logical order to your machining stock or just your surplus cutoffs. Color code things for identification. (everything metric in my shop is color coded red). If you are getting on in years carry a sharpie pen in your pocket and don't miss an opportunity to mark the blank visible end of an object or storage container with some identification of what's inside. This will support you flagging memory and be appreciated by your heirs.
Ed Weldon

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Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017)

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## Syko Triker

I too look forward to going in my garage/workshop with a tea or coffee and a smoke as I don't smoke in the house or at work.
I dislike most TV programs and anyway the wife is watching her choice of viewing.
I get my fold up chair, turn on the radio sit, roll a cigarette, drink some coffee and decide what I am going to do.
I only get a hour or two at the most but never leave the garage feeling like I have not accomplished something however small.
Last nights aim was to put up another shelf I did two, so was feeling really good about it when I went to bed.
Well done for giving up I'm nearly there and its the garage smoke thats the hardest.

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Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017)

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## tonyfoale

> I dont normally struggle getting motivated to go into the shed ............
> I'm interested in hearing about everyone else's workshop vices and if anyone else ever feels ashamed at them self for sitting through an episode of call the midwife or whatever tripe the missus is watching instead of going and doing something productive.



I would have thought that you could have no greater motivation than avoiding "an episode of call the midwife". If that doesn't do it for you then I think that there is no hope for you.
My TV viewing is normally, and in order of importance, restricted to motoGP, reruns of "Last of the Summer Wine" and the news. Nothing sends me to the workshop quicker than when her indoors picks up the remote control.

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olderdan (Nov 2, 2017),

Syko Triker (Nov 2, 2017),

Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017)

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## Frank S

Being retired I never run out of things that need doing. It seems that I always have 3 or 4 sometimes more projects started at the same time. Many of these are not the simple devote a few hours to them and they are done. Quite the contrary some of them might require several weeks of steady time to complete on top of that if they require monetary expenditures they may need to be budgeted and spread out over several months. When this happens rather than jumping in and working to the point of OH DARN there just is not enough reserve funds this month to finish this maybe I should dip into other funds and knock this one out then worry about next month when it gets here. Instead I will pace the project so that I always have a little to do on it I might only work on it a few hours a week while working on other projects simultaneously. 
And then there will be days that I call my discovery days where I decide that I just might not work on any of the current projects rather I am going to see what I can discover in my hoard of stuff that could possibly become a new interesting project, or just possibly refresh my memory as to what where and how much of whatever it is that I have. 
Today was such a day it started out with something I thought of that I knew I had but hadn't seen it in over a year I wasn't at all sure why I felt that I needed to locate it because currently it is not germane to any of my ongoing projects. So I set about rearranging a trailer full of pure junk to most people. Every time I would find something interesting I would examine it then decided to find a better place to store it this went on for most of the day My wife kept asking me what I was looking for and my patent response was I have no idea but when I find it I'm sure I will know. The problem with today's discovery day is now I really need to devote about a week of them in a row.
So for anyone who has a motivational lapse or wakes up with the Brono Mars lazy song 

 in their head just do it have a discovery day be lazy and don't actually start anything before the day is done if you have 1/100th of the stuff that I have you will have found that you were so busy trying not to do anything that you may need another day doing the same thing just to finish what you thought you wern't doing anyway.

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Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017),

volodar (Jul 19, 2019)

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## mklotz

Set yourself tasks that can be completed in a day. "Organize the shop" is far too large a task to be practical. Pick a shelf or drawer to organize and train yourself to derive satisfaction from accomplishing that bit of the larger task.

Getting the creative side of your mind involved can often produce ideas that will propel you into motion and that motion can provide the inertia to carry you along into the less spectacular tasks. An exercise in which I often indulge is to pick up a tool at random and try to think of alternate uses for it beyond its intended purpose. This frequently leads to designs for entirely new tools. Once I have something I really want to build, getting moving in the shop is easy.

When I was in college we used to play a game where the object was to think of something in the real world that had no possible use. [Certain simplistic "uses" such as doorstop and anchor were excluded.] Of course, the real utility of the game was to think of a use for whatever object was tendered. The game provided inspiration for many unusual items, a few of which had real utility. 

In a related vein, mentally redesigning tools that already exist can lead to the sort of motivational fallout that keeps you going. As an example, design a sine bar that has a calibrated dial with a slope so the user can just turn the dial to the mark corresponding to the angle he desires. Alternatively, design a tangent bar where a screw with a calibrated dial is used to select the angle.

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Toolmaker51 (Nov 2, 2017),

volodar (Jul 19, 2019)

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## IAMSatisfied

> ...not just am i generally lacking energy...



Your body is used to having "crutches" in the form of artificial stimulants, so you have to retrain it to rely on what nature intended. Having an exercise routine, even a relatively simple one, will stimulate your body to produce endorphines, dopamines, seratonin, in short, all of the things that elevate your mood and give your energy a lift WITHOUT the negative side effects of artificial stimulants, such as nicotine and caffeine. 

Side-note: I love coffee, but it doesn't love me back. When I drink it regularly (like more than once a week), I don't notice much, if any, lift in mood and I get really irritable and my threshold for handling stressors is severely reduced and I have to work at focusing on single-tasking. In short, there's no free lunch, artificial stimulants have a greater downside than upside.

So, a regular exercise routine will elevate your mood and energy, and thereby help with motivation.

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Toolmaker51 (Nov 3, 2017)

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## olderdan

I seems that we are all pretty much singing off the same hymn sheet with this topic.
In the early days of marriage I did try and watch TV as a couple, but being a serial fidget I would get bored and irritable till one day my wife said why don't you go and do something else you would be happier doing (exit stage right) and that's how it has been since.
Mornings we walk the dogs and the rest of the day is mine, marital bliss at last.
My TV interest is limited to any form of motorcycling, news and documentaries and I will record all of that and watch when it suits.

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PJs (Feb 26, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Nov 3, 2017)

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## Ed Weldon

There's a lot to be said for having a comfy spot in the workshop to just sit and wind down. In my crowded shop that may still be worth the effort to arrange something like that. During the day I stay on my feet almost constantly even though I'm retired. I think that's better for my physical condition than a lot of sitting. But it's hard to physically relax when you are standing and I tire sooner.

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## Toolmaker51

All kinds of good suggestions here. Use of time never seems an issue, until there isn't enough remaining. I apologize to any I may not have clicked 'Thanks', they all apply in one measure or another. I can procrastinate well as anyone, but it's usually keyed to priorities as underlying element. Don't smoke at all, drink very little, no vices that detract holding tools or manipulating machine controls.
Never the less; my motivation to work is simple, fun, and can be free or at very low cost. 
1. Get an internet connection in your workspace,
2. locate a streaming music service,
3. create your own music lists of everything you'd like to hear. Not just what you are accustomed with.
4. install SPEAKERS, not earbuds....
5. and per lyrics of Bo Diddley "you've got it (your radio, 1962 era) turned down too low" then hollers "TURN IT UP!".
I won't set a link, not hard to find at all. But even if they are working [getting paid] it's patently evident they are also having fun playing great music. How is that different than welding, single-point threading, porting heads, tramming a Bridgeport, wiring a motor...You have to make your shop your environment.

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Frank S (Nov 2, 2017)

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## Jon

A lot of this is in _how_ we procrastinate. Some good advice is, when procrastinating, to do other things. Maybe something easier, or less demanding.

The extreme of this viewpoint is something called "structured procrastination", advanced most notably by philosopher and Stanford professor John Perry. Perry wrote a humorous article about procrastination, called How to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done. Perry expands on the concept of doing other things while procrastinating, and tongue-in-cheek advocates this strategy. If you keep doing your low-priority tasks while procrastinating your high-priority tasks, eventually the low-priority tasks will be complete, and the high-priority tasks will be displaced by newer tasks. Thus, your previously high-priority tasks will become your new low-priority tasks, so you'll have no problem doing them.

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Frank S (Jan 10, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jul 19, 2019)

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## tonyfoale

Maybe I am the odd one out here, but I really don't understand the concept of procrastination. 
If you don't want to do anything then that's OK. If you want to do something that's OK too.
As for me I have two problems, deciding which of many things to do next and where to find the 48 hour day.
We all have to die sometime and then none of it will have mattered anyway but until then I have no time for procrastination and I have no problem getting motivated.

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olderdan (Jan 11, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jul 19, 2019)

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## rekkol

I usually don't need inspiration, but lately I have become less effective. Its hard for me to start a new project, it's hard for me to bring it to the end. I recently found a good article, there are tips on how to cope with procrastination. Some tips help me tune in to work. For example, putting things in order in a workshop, I usually start from the easiest and so enter the workflow. I plan for the day a few tasks and come up with a reward for completing each. It really helps.

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## Warst19

> I usually don't need inspiration, but lately I have become less effective. It’s hard for me to start a new project, it's hard for me to bring it to the end. I recently found a good article, there are tips on how to cope with procrastination. Some tips help me tune in to work. For example, putting things in order in a workshop, I usually start from the easiest and so enter the workflow. I plan for the day a few tasks and come up with a reward for completing each. It really helps.



 Thank you, rekkol, for sharing. Especially I liked tips #1 "Break Down Your Tasks" and #5 "Always Have a Schedule". As for me, those are the most useful things in finding motivation. What also works well - I reward myself for completing tasks and trying not to be hard on myself if in case of procrastination.

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## MeJasonT

Tidying up works for me. Just getting in to your workshop environment is the trigger. Reading through your day book/scrapbook of notes and drawings of previous endeavours, the endless list of To Do lists any general mind dumps usually gets me kick started ito either wanting to be constructive or gets me searching for tools to make. Good word of advice though don't open homemadetools.net or you will start procrastinating about all the tools you want, need and must make before your demise - its lethal.

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Toolmaker51 (Jul 19, 2019)

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## Toolmaker51

> Tidying up works for me. Just getting in to your workshop environment is the trigger. Reading through your day book/scrapbook of notes and drawings of previous endeavours, the endless list of To Do lists any general mind dumps usually gets me kick started ito either wanting to be constructive or gets me searching for tools to make. *Good word of advice though don't open homemadetools.net or you will start procrastinating about all the tools you want, need and must make before your demise - its lethal.*



Ooooooh NnNnNnoooooo! We're doomed! 
I use notebooks and a clipboard which usually collect sketches. I have more projects than any could count; but I'm thrilled by the fact they are ongoing and dovetail together.
For example. Seems a good job to get related tooling unpacked and grouped. Then I'll do a simple live inventory, when I don't want to do 'work'. Procrastination to me, is a reaction; idea/ project/ acquisition get prioritized to short range time and available resources. But when this building gets voltage, watch out! 
Hardest project I've ever conceived, using every worthwhile shop experience of 50 years [good & bad] to have a running facility.
And the lethality of demise is no concern. My goal in life is to live forever.
So far so good!

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MeJasonT (Jul 20, 2019)

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## Crusty

Went out today just to look over the old surface plate that I bought and while looking at it I saw that it would need its own stand. I went to the stack of scrap steel that I scored over the weekend just to look for possibilities and discovered a couple of angle steel frames which could be joined to make a sturdy stand for the plate. One thing led to another and by lunch time I had a finished stand for my surface plate. I still need to look the plate over however and who knows what that will result in tomorrow.

Just take the first step and more will naturally follow it.

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MeJasonT (Jul 20, 2019)

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## Toolmaker51

Motivation vs procrastination. A very wise, (though not photogenic man jk lol), says 



> Just take the first step and more will naturally follow it.



Yes, that's all one need. Get things done by starting. Interesting projects develop inertia.

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## Jon

Agreed, that's good motivation advice. You just promise yourself that you will put 15 minutes toward a task. If you quit at the exact 15-minute mark, no problem - you have kept your promise. People often find that once that inertia is going, they don't want to stop.

I see a lot of younger guys confusing productivity vs. motivation in online communities focused on productivity methods that I visit. Even more troubling, many of them claim that they are trying to be "productive", and they're reporting what looks to me (I'm not a psychologist) like internet addiction disorder - saying things like they "just can't" stop browsing YT vids, Tik-Tok GIFs, reddit, etc. Then they're looking for recommendations for the right app that will help them.

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MeJasonT (Jul 20, 2019),

Toolmaker51 (Jul 20, 2019)

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## Frank S

A lot of times during these hotter days of summer instead of getting out and getting started on something I'm working on, if we need to go town we elect to get that out of the way. By the time we get back the morning is shot it will already be nearing 100 and I'm out of the mood to do much. So what might have taken an hour or so in the earlier morning hours when it was a little cooler might take me the rest of the afternoon because much of my work is out in the sun and the older I get the more breaks I find myself taking

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## Crusty

There's also the retired factor Frank.

How many retired people does it take to change a light bulb?

Just one but it takes all day.  :Cool:

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Toolmaker51 (Jul 21, 2019)

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## Frank S

> There's also the retired factor Frank.
> 
> How many retired people does it take to change a light bulb?
> 
> Just one but it takes all day.



in my case I might decide I didn't need it in the first place and just leave it alone

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## Toolmaker51

> Agreed, that's good motivation advice. You just promise yourself that you will put 15 minutes toward a task. If you quit at the exact 15-minute mark, no problem - you have kept your promise. People often find that once that inertia is going, they don't want to stop.
> 
> I see a lot of younger guys confusing productivity vs. motivation in online communities focused on productivity methods that I visit. Even more troubling, many of them claim that they are trying to be "productive", and they're reporting what looks to me (I'm not a psychologist) like internet addiction disorder - saying things like they "just can't" stop browsing YT vids, Tik-Tok GIFs, reddit, etc. Then they're looking for recommendations for the right app that will help them.



Motivation is either a playground slide or an incline. many times we have to set-up conditions [ofttimes not visible to others] to get something going. 
Productivity is measurable; even in the service industry.
Those guys on line "trying to be productive" need to drop the phone or keyboard and get at it. Admittedly, internet can get absorbing but time comes to search versus wander. Even I know that.
I'm packing up special tools, icewater and a little food and heading for the building. A flatbed is on the way, need to arrange where the equipment is going to be placed. 
As I have no internet connection up there, appears a lot will get done! Sure have a mobile phone, it just makes the web tedious, a great dissuasive element.

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