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Motivation and Focus difficulties

Chichi

Hello!

Not sure if this is an aspergers thing, but I thought I would ask.

I am trying to pursue a career as a freelance writer and journalist. Its a career that I really want, and it fits my skill set.

But I haven't been able to make much headway. Like, for more than a year I haven't published anything. I have good ideas, I have a mentor who has worked for years in the same area.

It's really a problem with motivation, trying to get my brain started. Sometimes it feels like my brain just isn't getting and kind of "traction" with the information, or the article that I'm trying to write. And I can't focus on things or get them finished on time.

Most of what people recommend is setting timetables. When I was struggling at University my mother wrote me out a timetable, so I could catch up with my assessments. Which I promptly lost. I struggle with setting up my own timetables.There's just too many variables, and it depends a lot on my mood, and whether my brain decides to play ball. And I've no idea how much time I might need for things.

It's frustrating, becuase I know that I have the intellignce to get stuff done. And I really do want to do it. It's just that it always seems to take so long. Or just doesn't happen at all.  

Has any one else had any kind of problems like this? How did you deal with it?

  • Have you tried the old write one good sentence a day, one good paragraph a week - and so on and so

    fourth  - so as to build up the psychological musculature for regular writing?

    Another thing - have you tried listening to Binaural Beat tones or tunes whilst writing? If not -

    mynoise.net is woth a visit; particularly if you have earphones.

  • I'm also not sure of the origin of the problem, which I share.  I am currently doing a course and have assignments.  An added difficulty for me is that it's a somewhat unfamiliar subject area, so there is even more unknown in terms of where to start and which themes to focus on.

    There have been situations where a timetable has helped me.  This has been when there's a relatively short timescale, such as when I was in the final 2 weeks of A level revision (last century!).  I have always been a last minute worker - struggling to get started, then staying up late into the night or even all night as the deadline approaches.

    I have done a few searches recently for apps that can help with organisation, breaking down a task, getting started and keeping going.  I haven't found anything that looked like it fits my needs.

    My difficulty is similar with regards to other tasks, such as housework.  If I have a real deadline that really matters to me then that helps me (not just some arbitrary deadline that I set myself, promising a reward at the end which I could have without doing the task).  I had visitors over the holiday period and was able to get my living space into a pretty presentable state for the first time in many many months.

    So, thinking about your situation, would it help to decide on meaningful deadlines for completing an article?  This could be determined, for example, by publication deadlines of a desired journal.

    Why do you want to do this career?  Is it important to you for the income, or another reason?  That could help you determine the desired timescale of the whole article.

    Thinking back over previous articles when you were actively writing. How long has it taken you to write?  Not necessarily the actual number of hours you worked on it, but what is the time period from start to finish? If you can work this out, then it may indicate a realistic timescale now.

    Can you think what stages you tend to go through from start to finish?  These could then be assigned their own mini-deadlines within the overall desired timescale.

    You said you have a mentor.  Is planning your work something you could discuss with your mentor?  This could help you by verbalising your thoughts, rather than your thoughts going round and round in your head without resolution.  Also, some people find it helpful to say to another person what they are intending to do.  This could help if you feel like you need to do your best to fulfil something you have said you will do.  You could also agree whether and how they would ask how you're getting on - some people like someone to be very strict with them, other people get on better with a gentler approach.

    Right, having suggested ways that may help you to get motivated, I need to get back to my assignment.  Aargh!