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Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by idle_zealot on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @01:00PM (#45278428)
> The off-ramp is learning how to derive dopamine (aka "motivation") from the actual activity itself

So, just start liking the things you don't like? Sure, ideally that's the solution you want, but it's not exactly actionable advice.

Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by macNchz on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @03:04PM (#45280010)
People are adaptable. Likes and dislikes and comfort zones are all malleable. I never liked working out in the slightest. Never stuck to any sort of "gym routine" more than a few days. Did most of the Couch to 5k program in college but never kept running. Just...never liked it. I had lots of friends in high school and college who ran Cross Country, and was always a bit baffled about the appeal. It seemed terrible, honestly.

When my friend randomly suggested that we try a very ambitious hiking route, I knew it would absolutely suck if I didn't train for it. I got a gym membership and told myself I'd at the very least set foot in the gym 7 days a week for the first few weeks, just to build the habit of going. I was motivated to make sure I didn't slack off and ruin the hike for the group by being undertrained. A few months of that and the hike went great.

When we got back, though, I found it felt weird to not go to the gym in the mornings before work (as a decidedly NON-morning person my friends and family looked at me like I'd grown a second head when they heard me say I was working out before work). I started running outside on days the gym was crowded, and it felt good! In the nearly eight years since then, there have been only a handful of weeks where I didn't go for a run—I genuinely really enjoy it, no motivational tricks required.

Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by swat535 on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @05:28PM (#45281601)
I feel like the gym example isn’t really applicable because your body releases dopamines after working out. So while the exercise can be painful there is joy to be gained from it. This doesnt happen for all tasks.

Another thing is that we must distinguish between listening to music and eating a donut as reward. One helps people foucus while the other makes you gain weight..

Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by nradov on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @03:37PM (#45280455)
If you want actionable advice, forget about motivation and stick to discipline instead.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by mordnis on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @04:18PM (#45280891)
I feel that way as well. When I'm thinking about what I like and dislike, it just makes me procrastinate and feel miserable. Life is much more enjoyable when I think about duties I have and how to fulfill them.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by alfons_foobar on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @04:39PM (#45281129)
This 100%
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by balfirevic on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @05:18PM (#45281508)
Can you expand? What's actionable about it?
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by danielbln on Thursday September 18, 2025 @01:29AM (#45285795)
It isn't, and it especially isn't for people with ADHD. "Just do it" is like "Don't be sad"
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by MattGrommes on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @06:28PM (#45282175)
Absolutely. But you can combine motivation and discipline. Over time I've made my morning exercise into "just what I do" in the morning by having discipline as best as I can. But it sure does help to have a good show or the next part of a movie to look forward to while I do it.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by watwut on Thursday September 18, 2025 @05:02AM (#45287318)
That is almost guaranteed way to fail and burn out.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by nradov on Thursday September 18, 2025 @01:40PM (#45292619)
Nope. Burn out is an orthogonal issue and has nothing to do with discipline versus motivational techniques.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by somethingsome on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @02:15PM (#45279365)
My 2 cents : I make it a game or I find beauty in it.

As a more concrete example, as soon as you learn to enjoy learning as an activity, it becomes fun, whatever you are studying. So you only need to learn to have fun while learning. Start with simple things, make it a game, find beauty in what you are learning.

Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by fapjacks on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @01:59PM (#45279161)
Yeah, the ancient stoics made a whole philosophy about it.
Re:How to Motivate Yourself to Do a Thing You Don't Want to Do by omnicognate on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @08:09PM (#45283122)
Do you want to do it or not? If you actually want to do it you should be able to obtain some satisfaction from getting it done, however distasteful the task itself. Sometimes it's as simple as that: either realising you really do want to do it or realising you really don't and reconsidering why you're trying to make yourself do it in the first place.

But sometimes the problem isn't motivation. Sometimes it's energy. Sometimes you really do want to do it, to the core of your being, but you're just too fucking tired. That's a very different problem.