[topkai22]

Motivation is a funny thing. I have often felt motivated and excited to do something only to find that when I sit down to do it I just stare at my hands for a bit and then walk away. I've been getting better at finishing things lately, it is tough. Here is what's helped me 1.) Deadlines. This is one of the great things about having a job- you have to produce something by date X or there will be consequences for you and your team, which brings me to 2.) Teamwork. Not wanting to disappoint others is a huge motivator. I work far harder when I think someone is counting on me to finish something then I do on my own. Join a hackathon team (preferably in person) and agree to produce a component. You won't sleep till its done. 3.) Permission to fail. From yourself. Especially about the small stuff. 4/5 side projects I start ( and mean the ones where I get past staring at my hands) end up being terrible ideas or far to hard to implement. But 1/5 have been great, and totally worth everything else. It took me a long time to stop being embarrassed about the failures of my side projects, but once I realized that starting was a heck of a lot further then most everyone else got, I felt a whole lot better about my mistakes and found it much easier to start new ones 4.) Success. Yes there is a chicken and the egg problem here, but once you have success at something you'll probably find yourself continuing to do it. Note- this is how WoW gets you, feeding you lots of little successes at a variety fairly rapid rate. 5.) Cutting out the crap- I had to unplug my Xbox in college and put it in storage. It sounds like you need to do something similar- take steps to cut the electronic media down to zero. Uninstall the games, disconnect the cable, etc. It's really not that severe ( you can always hook them back up) but you do have to think about it before committing the time. Also, exercise if you aren't, because exercise is surprisingly good at mood and effective function improvement.

I'd recommend taking a job, even a mediocre corporate one, if you can. The need to forces you to learn things, even if it's not what you expected or would have picked on your own. Failing that, other users have suggested great volunteer ideas. I recommend going to your local hackerspace or coworking space if you have one. Being around other people doing stuff is hugely motivating.