I HATE THAT TOO

I agree for some reason I always need some emergency or stress to keep myself from the pit of despair that I' will be trying desperately to get out of...

cant help other than saying that i have felt pretty much exactly how you are feeling within the last three months or so.
For me, it has gotten better, but it takes time, patience and effort. There is always hope, and you will get better!

If you are like me I got so used to chaos, that I felt uncomfortable in peace. No head racing no lack of sleep, no fighting, why live? LOL

so true. i am having such trouble doing anything menial at moment yet when NTL were coming to do something last week I was like little miss housework & spring clean 2007!
Cant be bothered now.

you just need to find something to distract yourself. for me, it's writing and video games. just remember, feelings change all the time. so just cuz you're feeling hopeless, doesn't mean that it is. just give it time and focus on good. take care. hugs.

so true, so true. this is when i curl up in bed and take a nap.

yeah but isn't day sleep crap, you wake up feeling all over the place & worse than when you went to bed.

DEAR BEEPERS: One solution to inactivity is the decision that you want to get things done. I subscribe to Zen Habits.org, and this is today's post. P.S. Thank you for inspiring me to wash the dishes and put them away. Now, I shall tackle the next items on my list: Get a Life!

zen habits
Now Do This, and The Single- Tasking Philosophy

Posted: 24 Jul 2008 07:54 PM CDT

Theres a new online to-do app thats come out called Now Do This: I know, there are already a million of them, but I love this one for its simplicity and philosophy thats so similar to mine.

Its an incredibly simple program: The site has a white page with a single task written on it (you can change it to your own tasks). Below the task is a button that says Done. Finish the task, click the Done button, and the next task on your list appears. When youre done with your list, a refreshing all done! message appears.

Simple and beautiful. And productive.

I thought Id take just a minute to look at the single-tasking philosophy behind Now Do This: that is also, coincidentally, behind Zen Habits, because I think its a useful discussion around the idea of simple productivity

The guy behind Now Do This came up with idea while eating breakfast, and his story reminds me of myself when I had a similar single-tasking revelation a few years ago. From the Now Do This blog:

This morning, I was eating breakfast at Egg and planning out my day. I made a list of what I had to do. Neither to-do lists nor calendars work for me, so usually my day is a disorganized mess, and I dont get important stuff done.

The idea instantly popped in my head: one task at a time. I dont know why I didnt think of it sooner, because this problem has been bugging me for months, if not years!

Some of the things I love about this deceptively simple tool:

1. One task at a time. Ive talked about this concept many times before, especially in my Zen To Done ebook. Multi-tasking leads to a lot of switching and distractions and stress. Keep things simple, focused and effective by single-tasking. Focus on one task until its done, then move to the next.

2. Just a few tasks. While you could theoretically load the program with a huge list of tasks, it lends itself best to just a few tasks. Its not a complete task-management and project-management system. I actually keep my longer list of tasks in another program, but each day I pick just three tasks to do that day, and right now Im entering those three tasks in Now Do This. Just pick a few important tasks, and focus on those.

3. Uncluttered, with no distractions. I love Now Do This for its white space and simplicity. There arent a lot of bells and whistles to play with. Theres a link to edit the list, a done button, and thats it. You cant fool around with the program as a distraction from the task youre supposed to be doing. Less distractions equals more focus and productivity.

4. Do the list until youre done. The whole goal of Now Do This is to get to the end of the list, when you get the very satisfying all done! message. Thats the reward the satisfaction of knowing youve finished. And if you keep the list short, its very possible. Thats a nice goal that you can actually achieve each day.

5. Dont carry around the paper all the time. At the end of his introductory post on Now Do This, the creator of the program (I dont know his name) talked about a guy hed heard about who carried his tasks on a little piece of paper in his left hand, and didnt put it away until the list was finished. As the Now Do This creator said, its a great way to get things done, because nobody wants to hold a piece of paper all day. Amen to that.

Of course, you dont need to have a website to accomplish this single-tasking simple productivity. You could carry around a little sheet of paper, or an index card, or a Moleskine notebook (always my favorite). The tool you use isnt as important as how you use it.

However, the lesson to take away from this is simple:

Keep a very short to-do list, do one thing at a time, until the list is finished. Thats all the productivity advice you need!

wish I knew.

PLEASE WHEN YA GET THE ANSWERS, PLEASE TELL ME. CAUSE I'M IN THE SAME BOAT.

Are you just enjoying that things are going smoothly or is it a lack of motivation?

I really have a motivation problem. I have a house full of clutter I can't seem to get started on. Not sure if it's a bit of a depression stopping me or the fact that it seems to be such an overwhelming job.

I'd pay money at this time for someone to help me get started and keep me on track but I don't think that type of person exhists.

EVALOON, IF I COULD RELAX; I WOULDN'T HAVE HALF THE PROBLEMS I DO. RELAXING IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR ME TO DO. THE BRAIN IS ALWAYS ON AND SPINNING.