Caught up... Think i need some help!

af_thefragile

I've noticed over the past couple of years i have been becoming increasingly lazy. So much that i keep leaving everything till the last moment and then end up doing a lousy job of things towards the rush of the last nick in time.
Also had to put down a lot of goals and plans i've had solely cuz i had become too lazy to work towards them.

I have tried many things over the years to get moving again... well, not many but basically things like going to the gym, trying to stay fit and active and also stuff like positivity and all that but i keep getting myself caught up in the moments of comfort and end up getting back to my increasingly lazy self.

I shouldn't say this but maybe this very laptop is a grand contributor to what i've become. Sitting on my ass for hours absorbing the incredible knowledge of things enclosed in the works of the internet, i think i have lost my ability to move. I have lost my ability to go out there and do it while i just sit in and absorb more knowledge on how to do it instead.

And this has got me an epiphany lately. Learning is 80% doing and only 20% studying and planning. I can sit all day to plan, study and research about how to write the next amazing song or how to snap the perfect enchanting picture or even how to turn my life around to "turn those goals into reality" but you won't get **** done until you move! You can have all the knowledge and its all worthless unless you're putting it into practice somewhere. Even if you're crap at it, the only way of getting better at something is to practice, practice, practice some more and when you feel you're not getting any better and its not working, practice the little more and you'll get it. Then you can sit for the 20% of planning/reading before moving on to practice at the next level again. So stop analyzing hit songs and learning about catchy chord progressions, just pick up your guitar and play something! Stop reading tons of books about lightning and composition, just pick up your camera and take those pictures! Stop making "to do" lists and plans for the week, just MOVE!!!

And don't we all know this "knowing and not doing is not knowing". But still i'm right here sitting in front of this very laptop which i know is the reason of me writing all of this here. We all know it but we don't do it. Why is that so? Is it the way to discriminate between the ones who make it and the ones who die trying to make it. The ones who spend 80% of their time doing it from the ones who spend 80% of the time planning to do it.

Anyway, if you've read through all of that, thanks for reading. And by this stage you might be eager to scream out "but what's your point? and why is this in PI??!".
Well, here's the answer. I have become increasingly lazy and i'm sick of trying to get over it. It feels quite analogous to the fat guys who's trying it all to lose weight and get in shape but nothing seems to be working for him. And just like the fat guy would, i've gotten quite desperate at this stage and am asking for help from you guys. If any of you ever got caught up in something and nothing seemed to be working out but then finally you managed to get out of it for once and for all... If you could share some of those key ingredients, maybe this could help us all who feel caught up in something or another!!

Ave Sodalis

Make a list of all the things you normally seem to get caught up doing and stick it up on the wall. Then avoid them. If you think the laptop stops you doing something you should be doing, put it down and out of sight, then concentrate on the task at hand.

I know thats not much advice but hopefully it helps a bit.

Yakult

Surely if you have the plans and what not done that can be a motive to actually get up and do it?

one example I can give is my project car. I spent hours researching things and plannign parts then saying "ok I'll do it tomoro" every day and never did. So one day I just went out and did it. Since then instead of just been lazy I have been going at it. You just gotta get off your ass and do it. I think my reason for been "lazy" was failure, as I have never done something like this I didnt wanna mess it up and was scared of that. Could be a factor.

As for the laptop, set limits as to how long you can go on it a day. Be the one in control. If you cant achieve that sell it.

Really i dont know what advice to give you.

cantdecide

As RHCP said, fear of failure would be my guess...

Being full of inspiration (I can sympathize on the music thing) and having that big glass wall that you see through but can't walk through and no matter what you try, you just can't be there...

af_thefragile

sup_dude wrote: »

Make a list of all the things you normally seem to get caught up doing and stick it up on the wall. Then avoid them. If you think the laptop stops you doing something you should be doing, put it down and out of sight, then concentrate on the task at hand.

I know thats not much advice but hopefully it helps a bit.

That is actually a pretty good idea. I'ld say i could like make a list of all the things that i end up getting caught up in like for example internet, tv, listening to music or watching videos on youtube etc. I could like write all those things down on a page and then decide how much time i'm gonna spend doing those things in a day. I could like then try to not spend any more time doing those things than i what i've decided to assign myself for the day.

Also i need to get one thing fixed in my laptop and i keep putting off giving it for repair to the IT department cuz well, i can function fine without it and i can't function without my laptop (which is a lie!). So i'll probably do that tomorrow or something and i can spend the weekend without my laptop. Then i can have more time to spend on doing things than just wasting time sitting in front of my laptop. I can still access the internet from other sources, but i won't end up spending hours on it cuz it won't be my laptop in my room...

R_H_C_P wrote: »

Surely if you have the plans and what not done that can be a motive to actually get up and do it?

one example I can give is my project car. I spent hours researching things and plannign parts then saying "ok I'll do it tomoro" every day and never did. So one day I just went out and did it. Since then instead of just been lazy I have been going at it. You just gotta get off your ass and do it. I think my reason for been "lazy" was failure, as I have never done something like this I didnt wanna mess it up and was scared of that. Could be a factor.

As for the laptop, set limits as to how long you can go on it a day. Be the one in control. If you cant achieve that sell it.

Really i dont know what advice to give you.

cantdecide wrote: »

As RHCP said, fear of failure would be my guess...

Being full of inspiration (I can sympathize on the music thing) and having that big glass wall that you see through but can't walk through and no matter what you try, you just can't be there...

I think the main reason i don't follow through on actions/doing things is cuz i've managed to set up these mind blocks, limitations and conditions in my mind about all the things i need to do.
Like I need to have this software to make this music or i need to get a better flash for my camera to take the pictures or i need to find free time for atleast 3 hours before i can practice and play my guitar or I can't play that particular song cuz i don't have that particular pedal and all such thing. I need this particular thing to get that particular thing done. Its all something to fool yourself with and mainly excuses for your laziness.

Why do i spend 80% of my time planning and studying about it is because that takes little effort as opposed to actually doing the damn thing! But then also that gives you zero results or if it gives you any results, they're lousy results and no one appreciates lousy results. You've gotta find a way to flip those numbers around to spend 80% of the time actually doing the damn thing cuz its practice that makes one perfect and truer words couldn't be spoken.

Sitting here right in front of this laptop i can speak about it all day to you. I can speak about many things all day. Many things from what makes a hit record to finding the perfect picture composition to building a hydrogen economy and many many things with no real significance to my life. Its easy to know and everyone knows. Its like the idea you get for a cool product that could be very successful in the market and then a couple of weeks later you find that very same thing in the market. Someone else has caught up and done it before you could manage to put your plans into reality. Whats the difference between you the person who has gotten there first? The only difference is that person spent his time building that product whereas you were caught up in thinking and planning about it. Thinking and planning gets you no results. If you've gotta get something, you've gotta do it...!!

Why don't people do it and how to get yourself to do it, thats what i'm trying to figure out here... Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron at the end!

I am planning on getting rid of my laptop temporarily till i learn to live outside of it and start working on things. Guess i need to stop planning and just do it!!

JC 2K3

Don't bring your laptop into college (don't fool yourself, there really is no need) and ban yourself from taking your laptop into your room.

Also, makea conscious decision to get away from the internet. Do something like reading or even watching TV to pass the time instead to break the habit.

And stop posting in PI so often! I don't mean to be insulting or condescending, but have a look at this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/search.php?searchid=5821488 - that's 20 threads in PI you've started (And who knows, you might have even started others while logged out). Posting on PI can be helpful, but won't make your problems go away.

af_thefragile

^No offence taken!
I have decided it, tomorrow i'm gonna go and give away my laptop to the IT department to get that thing fixed. Then i'll be without my laptop for atleast the next 4-5 days. That should give me a good start atleast!!

Ave Sodalis

And while its away get as many thing done as you can that the laptop held ya back from doing.

Motivation.!:DHa ha

Craft25

JC 2K3 wrote: »

Don't bring your laptop into college (don't fool yourself, there really is no need) and ban yourself from taking your laptop into your room.

Also, makea conscious decision to get away from the internet. .

That's a good plan!! new rule; From now on mine's not allowed leave my desk!!