[netmute]

Staying motivated is simple: don't work on boring shit.

That may sound like a shallow phrase, but I've been there. You've convinced yourself that you're working on the most awesome thing in the world. You keep thinking that you're supposed to be motivated, because what you're doing is great. But deep down, you know that you'd rather do something else.

At that point it usually boils down to rewards. Is the reward worth continuing?

If the answer is yes, go on. Shouldn't be a problem. If the answer is no, you know why you aren't motivated. Drop it, look for something else.

[jotm]

But it's not that simple. Not that simple to drop something when it's 70% complete, not easy to find something new that won't also become boring at 70%, and not easy to start from scratch.

Plus, with every failure, you lose a little bit of trust in yourself and belief that you can get things done.

There's always a point where the motivation is just gone and you have to push through somehow, and if you can't get this thing done, chances are that you won't be able to do it the second or third time, either ...

[evacuationdrill]

Thinking of the reward is important, since the further out it seems, the less it seems to impact people.

http://lesswrong.com/lw/9wr/my_algorithm_for_beating_procras...