Not sure if that's GTD issue but when at home (@Home) I don't feel like doing anything. On weekdays it could be low energy after hard work day. And on weekends just don't want to look at my lists to make sure I have some good rest for the upcoming week. I don't feel inspired to do anything untill it's really needed to be done. Any tricks or ideas on how to make myself doing @Home?
Don't feel inspired to do @Home actions
- Thread starter kul
- Start date
I'm trying to work my way through this as well. I'm partly trying to deal with it holistically (I've always been an insomniac, so I'm trying to regulate my sleep patterns for better energy levels and so that I get to work earlier and leave earlier, ultimately creating a cycle where I go to sleep earlier) but that may not apply to you. My job's pretty mentally exhausting, so I'll probably always battle against being tired in the evenings.
I've created @homebraindead and @workbraindead contexts, and my home braindead context includes mostly things that I can do while watching television in the evenings: paper filing, electronic file maintenance (I'm an editor, so I have tens of thousands of files and I change hundreds of them daily; this is a work item that I can do at home thanks to Dropbox), mp3 tagging (I have about 150GB of music & audiobooks), etc. This helps me to slowly whittle down these large projects that don't take a lot of mental or physical energy.
This does leave a lot of household chores behind, though. This is the part that I'm still struggling with. Most advice on these kinds of things suggest doing just 15 to 30 minutes every day so that it never builds up. I find that difficult to stick to on nights when I get home at 8pm, so I don't know what to suggest to help. Maybe someone else will have some good advice!
I've created @homebraindead and @workbraindead contexts, and my home braindead context includes mostly things that I can do while watching television in the evenings: paper filing, electronic file maintenance (I'm an editor, so I have tens of thousands of files and I change hundreds of them daily; this is a work item that I can do at home thanks to Dropbox), mp3 tagging (I have about 150GB of music & audiobooks), etc. This helps me to slowly whittle down these large projects that don't take a lot of mental or physical energy.
This does leave a lot of household chores behind, though. This is the part that I'm still struggling with. Most advice on these kinds of things suggest doing just 15 to 30 minutes every day so that it never builds up. I find that difficult to stick to on nights when I get home at 8pm, so I don't know what to suggest to help. Maybe someone else will have some good advice!
You may want to look at the purpose of why you should be completing your @home activities. "Maintain property value" or "increase my property value" or "live in a more stress-free environment" or "keep a safe home for my child" are all really legitimate reasons for even just doing 15 minutes a day. Sometimes just the mundane aspect of a task can make us forget why we need to do them.
Barb
Registered
Daily idea
If 15 minutes a day doesn't work for you, make it 5 minutes. Focus on the same room of the house every day for a week. And try doing it in the morning before you're too tired and have too much time to think about it.
Even 5 minutes a day makes a big difference over time. Set a timer and just go (tick, tick, DING!) Tidy and clean when you can at other times during the week. I think most people, when faced with a dirty house and a big cleaning day, will build up plenty of resistance and then the guilt sets it.
Nothing is worth that much anguish. Maybe your house will still be dirty for awhile, but eventually you'll get there.
If 15 minutes a day doesn't work for you, make it 5 minutes. Focus on the same room of the house every day for a week. And try doing it in the morning before you're too tired and have too much time to think about it.
Even 5 minutes a day makes a big difference over time. Set a timer and just go (tick, tick, DING!) Tidy and clean when you can at other times during the week. I think most people, when faced with a dirty house and a big cleaning day, will build up plenty of resistance and then the guilt sets it.
Nothing is worth that much anguish. Maybe your house will still be dirty for awhile, but eventually you'll get there.
If the house is really a disaster, it might be worth the money to have a housekeeping service come in. They'll reset you to "clean house," and from there things will be much easier to maintain.
For that matter, if you can afford it, have them come in every week or two. Free up your time for the things only you can do, delegate the things that can be delegated.
Katherine
For that matter, if you can afford it, have them come in every week or two. Free up your time for the things only you can do, delegate the things that can be delegated.
Katherine
I have a lady looking after my house and the garden daily. I don't speak about taking care of the house. That're things like "Connect the camera to download Dubai trip" or "Open a new electronic deposit through the internet". Those that can't be done by anyone but me personally and have nothing with the house care.
What would happen if you put watch TV, read book, etc on your list? Would you not do them?
It sounds as if you either suffer from deep procrastination, or you are not really committed to the things on your list. If you are avoiding your vacation photos for no good reason, maybe you are not that bothered about them. Put it on someday/maybe or cancel it all together. If energy is an issue your next action might actually be doing something restorative to be able to do anything else. Put it on your list.
If everything on your list becomes something you avoid, you need to overcome that chore aversion. I'd write absolutely everything down, even as you do it, stick things on it and check them off. There is an awful lot of advice on procrastination out there, but that might be a good first aid.
It sounds as if you either suffer from deep procrastination, or you are not really committed to the things on your list. If you are avoiding your vacation photos for no good reason, maybe you are not that bothered about them. Put it on someday/maybe or cancel it all together. If energy is an issue your next action might actually be doing something restorative to be able to do anything else. Put it on your list.
If everything on your list becomes something you avoid, you need to overcome that chore aversion. I'd write absolutely everything down, even as you do it, stick things on it and check them off. There is an awful lot of advice on procrastination out there, but that might be a good first aid.
Excellent topic for discussion.
In my experience, I've run into this a lot. I've found it helpful to think about what's causing the friction -- why is the thing I need to do but don't want to so darn difficult?
I've actually run into this with camera downloading, as you have. For me it was that hidden first Next Action: Find dang camera cord. That was enough to put me off it. But once I recognized it was an issue, I started storing the cord in a known location, and that piece of friction went away.
Sometimes it's things after the Action -- once I've got those pictures downloaded, then I need to categorize them, crop them, upload them to Facebook, add relevant tags... blech. So learning how to be sufficiently short-sighted to only commit to the Next Action helped me, too.
In my experience, I've run into this a lot. I've found it helpful to think about what's causing the friction -- why is the thing I need to do but don't want to so darn difficult?
I've actually run into this with camera downloading, as you have. For me it was that hidden first Next Action: Find dang camera cord. That was enough to put me off it. But once I recognized it was an issue, I started storing the cord in a known location, and that piece of friction went away.
Sometimes it's things after the Action -- once I've got those pictures downloaded, then I need to categorize them, crop them, upload them to Facebook, add relevant tags... blech. So learning how to be sufficiently short-sighted to only commit to the Next Action helped me, too.
Probably it's lack of motivation. It doesn't look like lack of energy (at least I can move, watch TV and have snacks 
). Why should I download the video from the camera? No reasons I see except for "have to".
When @Work it's easier. I know that's work either I "want to" or "need to" do it. I just have to do both types. And when I get home I tend to have rest, not work. Probably that's why I try to put aside everything I "have to" do.
Do you think I should start doing "have tos"? Or just relax? I can spend the whole evening relaxing. I can though spend some time doing "have tos". What bothers me is the question: "If I spend my life in a very stupid way just relaxing and doing nothing when I get home. And that's 1/4th of my total day".
Any ideas?
). Why should I download the video from the camera? No reasons I see except for "have to".When @Work it's easier. I know that's work either I "want to" or "need to" do it. I just have to do both types. And when I get home I tend to have rest, not work. Probably that's why I try to put aside everything I "have to" do.
Do you think I should start doing "have tos"? Or just relax? I can spend the whole evening relaxing. I can though spend some time doing "have tos". What bothers me is the question: "If I spend my life in a very stupid way just relaxing and doing nothing when I get home. And that's 1/4th of my total day".
Any ideas?
It's hard to get inspired to do something that doesn't connect to anything you really want.
If you are ok with not having the your holiday video to show around, don't do it. If you are ok with your finances as they are, don't open that account.
You might have hidden motivations though. Saving up for retirement, saving up to buy something nice etc. If you are having a hard time connecting mundane actions to delayed rewards like that, try visualising them in some way. A picture of what you want to buy. A day in your life when you are retired.
If you honestly can't find any reason to do something other than 'have to' 'ought to' and the like, scrap it.
If you are ok with not having the your holiday video to show around, don't do it. If you are ok with your finances as they are, don't open that account.
You might have hidden motivations though. Saving up for retirement, saving up to buy something nice etc. If you are having a hard time connecting mundane actions to delayed rewards like that, try visualising them in some way. A picture of what you want to buy. A day in your life when you are retired.
If you honestly can't find any reason to do something other than 'have to' 'ought to' and the like, scrap it.
Barb
Registered
One more idea
Every now and then, I plan a day where the ONLY thing I will do is close my open loops. I take the longest action list, start at the oldest item, and just work down it. Then, I go on to the next list and do the same.
Usually, at the end of that day, I have either finished lots of things (not everything) OR I've renegotiated my committment to do it at all. In other words, I take it off the list.
I'm self-employed so taking a day every now and then to do this is no big deal. If I were still in the corporate world, however, I'd find this a great use of one day of PTO or vacation. It's a very freeing experience to get that much success behind you in one day. Old items left undone pull on your psyche after awhile and, for me anyway, start dragging me down. Your mileage may vary.
Every now and then, I plan a day where the ONLY thing I will do is close my open loops. I take the longest action list, start at the oldest item, and just work down it. Then, I go on to the next list and do the same.
Usually, at the end of that day, I have either finished lots of things (not everything) OR I've renegotiated my committment to do it at all. In other words, I take it off the list.
I'm self-employed so taking a day every now and then to do this is no big deal. If I were still in the corporate world, however, I'd find this a great use of one day of PTO or vacation. It's a very freeing experience to get that much success behind you in one day. Old items left undone pull on your psyche after awhile and, for me anyway, start dragging me down. Your mileage may vary.
ellobogrande
Registered
kul;67374 said:I decided to delete all actions from @home context and the context itself. let's check if that helps
It might in one way that you've given yourself the opportunity to rebuild that list absent of vague and undoable stuff, but it's all going to pile back into your head to create stress and pressure. Grab your capture tool and get ready to dump it out when that happens.
Better yet, be proactive and take a pad, start at one corner of your property and examine every cubic inch and make the COMPLETE LIST of anything that does not belong where it is or the way that it is permanently. Then process that list and put the majority of those projects on Someday/Maybe. Focus on the few to which you've committed and give yourself the wins you deserve when you finish them.
"You can only feel good about what you're not doing when you know what you're not doing." -DA
I confess that I my weakest area of execution is @Home. There's lots of work that just has to be done "whenever". There's also home improvement work that I'm not totally comfortable with so it's easy to put it off in favor of something I know I can handle immediately and successfully. That list also tends to grow larger than any other list.
I made a post about priority decisions and long lists that might offer you some additional advice in dealing with a big action list.
Good luck,
Luke
This is one of the most interesting threads on this forum in years, but I am short on time today and will come back with my insights tomorrow. In fact, I am bookmarking this page and creating a Next Action in my @computer list (Actually a task in Things (my GTD program of choice on both my computer and my iPhone) under Next with "computer" tag.