Introduction and in need of advice

Hi, I also suffer badly from autistic inertia, ie., getting stuck starting, finishing or switching between activities.  Lately I try to set a clock to ring every hour to force myself to do something each hour. I also start and end the day with an exercise to mark the work hours instead of my commute. My work is not physical. 

Some days it works and others it doesn't. I don't know if something like that could work for you, just an idea.

I have been feeling strange lately, that there are lots of things I could do but no point doing anything, because nothing feels real anymore. 

So, hang on in there and don't be too hard on yourself. 

Find anything random you’d forgotten about up there?

I used to do a bit of mountain bike racing in the days when 98% of us were on totally rigid bicycles as suspension front forks were new and cost more then out whole bicycle, and that was a fairly decent bike too. I couldn't afford them, so like many others, we raced using foam grips and learnt to "Read the road"

Hi all thanks for reading and replying, thanks for the suggestions (taking up a hobby/learn a new skill/reading more), Im already am avid reader but struggle with knowing when to stop to the point I can finish books in a day and neglect any form of housework etc which then affects me as I feel I haven't accomplished anything that day as I've been lost in a book so I try to limit the time I spend reading.

I was blessed with exactly 0 musical talent so I'm not sure that's for me, I  used to really enjoy drawing but wasn't overly talented at that which would then frustrate me as what I'd drawn didn't come out as I wanted so I put that to bed many moons ago. 

I used to play a lot of sport until a few years ago when injuries resulted in me having to give it up which annoyed me as I never finished on my terms, I spent a lot of my youth riding various styles of mountain biking which I started to get back into without exasperating old injuries but that's been stopped obviously due to the lock down and just riding for an hour doesn't really scratch that itch as its more a leisurely ride than going down proper trails or hitting jumps. 

I cant seem to get very much done. Yesterday I did dig out my old books from the loft however

I’ve basically had to rewrite my entire routine to encapsulate new things such as a daily walk in order not to fall into a pit of demotivation - it took about 3 - 4 weeks to adjust but it’s helped 

Hello there, 

I agree with what Mountain Goat says about finding a hobby. That’s what I have done recently. I too have been furloughed, so my routine has changed, and I found I was getting into my old ways before I was working. Shutting myself off from people more and more, I’m not a sociable person anyway, but the lockdown has made me even less so. If I’m honest I actually prefer not having to be as talkative as I would if I was at work. But saying that, it’s probably a good thing that I’m forced to be more talkative when I’m at work, otherwise I’d happily not say more than 50 words all day. But getting back to your current issue, I think a hobby would solve your problem. I’ve recently bought a digital piano, and I’m starting to learn the basics. It’s difficult, but it’s definitely something to keep me occupied. Maybe something like a musical instrument would do the trick for you too? 

I do not know what to say except that this lockdown has thrown a lot of us off kilter and that is because of the change. At  home for me there is not a lot of change, but my ability to go for a long crive for a few hours so that I can de-stress has been denied me. I don't have to call in anywhere. Just drive to somewhere where I can sit and look at the view and eat sandwiches and come back.

It is an odd experience that you say that you have done everything as I am more of the opposite. I am ok at starting things but not that good at finishing, so I have umpteen projects and jobs half dome. My Dad was like that as well. So having done everything is an experience which I dont think I ever quite get to. 

I am not able to work at the moment as each time I tried, I hit burnout, and from the pattern of the burnouts, if I tried again then I fear ending up dissabled.. So I know I need to back off and keep the stresses low. 

Don't worry about rambling. I am an expert! Haha. 

Getting motivated. Brings back a memory of being in my mid 20's where at the time I had been unemployed for 6 months, so I was put on a course to help look for work. There was an older lady taking the course who was probably in her mid 50's. She was a nice lady. Her job was to get us motivated. (Looking back it was not really motivation I lacked but it was other things that ended up in my motivation being hit). Anyway. During a conversation she asked when I was going to do something (E.g. apply for a certain job) and I said "When I will get a round to it" as I had quite a few to look through and also a few possibles to apply for. She said "Hang on..." and dissapeared into another room. When she came back she gave me this little laminated card disk which had the words "Round to it" printed on them. It was green. She gave me it so I now had a "Round to it". 

It was funny! I was the only person I know who had a "Round to it.". 

I just thought I would share that amusing thing that happened.

I am into model railways and here is a hobby where there is always more things to do. Maybe a hobby like this will help, but be warned, it is not cheap. For a while I have been considering writing a book to share ways on how to enjoy the hobby without spending lots of money as I think it is sad the direction that the hobby is heading.