Published on 12, July, 2020
Recently I’ve become increasingly aware of what could be described as a lack of motivation. Only I don’t think it is that simple. I like to plan things to the nth degree (no surprise there) and usually start this process days or weeks in advance. If then on the day everything goes to plan, i.e deliveries turn up on time, people turn up on time and do what they are supposed to, etc, etc. All good! However, if something doesn’t go right, that’s it, I’m stumped. It’s like someone has turned me off.
I can sit on the sofa all day, or knowing what to do, until I can get into a reorganisation phase and try again. A prime example is the garden building/home office project I’ve got at home at the moment. There are obviously 1000’s of things to do, if if I’ve planned steps 8,9,10, and the materials I need for 9 don’t turn up. That’s it, none starter. Although I could do bits of 11, 15 and 197.
I can’t decide if this is “normal”, I have low motivation or what’s going on.
Procrastinating is one of my gifts - if something upsets my carefully organised plan/idea or if I'm working with people and they're going round in one of those wonderfully circular discussions than I'll just disengage with the whole thing until I've re-orientated myself (could take a few hours, few days, weeks? who knows?).
I can be organised when I'm in the right frame of mind, so anything short-term with a to-be-done by date on it I tend to pull things together quite quickly and adapt if something wobbly happens as long as I know the stuff I'm working with and the parameters I'm working in. If I have to figure it out (this is a usually who/which team/person/company does something type question) I'll go into meltdown.
I’m definitely better with a fixed short term goal. It’s one of the few things I was comfortable with when I was on the corporate mill stone. Now I’m self employed I have to set my own goals, Although I try to reflect the customer expectations to help.