Ask HN: How do you overcome laziness and lethargy?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7995047

by renma • 12 years ago

10 15 12 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I have big ambitious goals but procrastinate a lot. I need to hustle but I am slacking off a lot. Will doing cardio 2 hours a day help?

dylanhassinger• 12 years ago

Being healthy will help. The exact mix of exercise/diet/supplements is for you to figure out.

Also, Adderall

axaxs• 12 years ago

Will 2 hours of cardio help? Possibly. If you aren't exercising already, you really should. Nothing helped me overcome lethargy like going to the gym every day. Two hours is good but by no means necessary...30-45 minutes is all I usually do. Not a health not mind you, just getting out there. It really does help almost every aspect of your life, but unfortunately, doesn't seem to help me much with procrastination. For that I just need to figure out why I'm procrastinating. Am I distracted(surfing)? Quit surfing. Am I underprepared? Learn. Am I bored by the project? Add features or move on to something else.

Partyfists• 12 years ago

For me the things I can do to stay motivated are like this:

1. Work with people you really enjoy being around. 2. Do something you love doing 3. Find a type of music which is not distracting. Preferably, no lyrics or loud noises. 4. Find what is making you procrastinate (video games for me) and moderate it. 5. Be goal oriented. Be more agile and celebrate the small victories.

I hope that helps!

thirsday2• 12 years ago

Most of Partyfists' recommendations are good, especially 1 and 2. (to clarify, here is his list):

>> 1. Work with people you really enjoy being around. 2. Do something you love doing 3. Find a type of music which is not distracting. Preferably, no lyrics or loud noises. 4. Find what is making you procrastinate (video games for me) and moderate it. 5. Be goal oriented. Be more agile and celebrate the small victories. >>

For 3. I prefer brown noise, especially if you can find it in mono, not stereo (try simplynoise.com).

For me 4. is irrelevant, since there's not one single thing that enables procrastination for me except being on the internet itself, and with apologies to those who have made or used apps to regulate their internet usage, I haven't found anything that has made regulating my internet time practical or useful – especially since I need it to do my job (also, regulating usage is merely addressing the symptom, not the cause).

Advice from others' about exercise is good too – although I haven't been able to implement this yet.

Finally, yes, talk to a specialist about whether you might have ADD and consider Adderall. It will give you more energy and make you more work harder/longer at things, but it's by no mean a magic bullet.

Notice I didn't say it will make you more productive, if your productivity is being determined by others' goals/standards, for instance a boss at work.

You may still find it hard to put your increased efforts towards the things they're supposed to be going towards. You may find yourself organizing a metaphorical sock drawer when you're supposed to be knitting an (again metaphorical) scarf.

I don't know if perfectionism is often tied to ADD or not, but if you also tend to have perfectionistic tendencies this can be a very tricky combination to overcome to do fast, consistent work that meets expectations. If you figure it out, let me know (and let me know soon).

If you stop taking Adderall you will have a difficult period for several weeks where you'll be lethargic, eat a lot, etc. due to your brain having reduced its serotonin levels to accommodate the Adderall.

If you take Adderall during the week and don't take it on the weekends, you may find it hard to have the energy to do much of anything. I'm typing this from my bed right now and it's 10 minutes til noon.

There are several other options as far as medication now, including some that are non-stimulants, but I can't speak as to their effectiveness.

2. from Partyfists is what most people would recommend. For me, I've found that even that is not enough. I've had about as close a chance to 'do what I love' as most people have ever had, and I still lacked the daily follow-through to make that a reality rather than waste time on the internet.

If 2. is unrealistic or impractical for you, I have a feeling that 1. could be the next most important, and perhaps easier to attain. Currently working on fixing that one myself.

renma• 12 years ago

I have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. I have been prescribed Adderall. I am reluctant to take the medication without trying out a natural way or becoming dependent on it.

I have a deep inclination to go the entrepreneurial/freelance consultant route. Right now, I am working full time but I am a pain in the rear for the management and my boss. There is no way I can work for someone in the long term. No idea if working for myself will alleviate the symptoms of ADHD/ADD.

The only silver lining is the insane creativity that ADHD/ADD brings.

thirsday2• 12 years ago

Yeah I identify with much of this. My hunch is that starting your own company (if the product is something you care about that solves a need) is such an all-in endeavor that you would have no problem staying engaged. Let me know what you find out, if you try.

Also look into some of the non-stimulants that are available now as ADD medication – has anybody had experience with them?

ams6110• 12 years ago

While medication for behavior issues is sometimes justified, I suspect it is often the easy way out (for both you and your therapist/doctor). Sometimes it can be a short term help to push you into developing new habits, then you can stop or taper off. I am of your view though, I would be hesitant to turn to medication as a first attempt or with the view of it being a long-term solution. I don't think we understand well the long term consequences of very many of these medications (IANAMD).

rad_3• 12 years ago

As far as I know, Adderal forces dopamine out of the parts of your brain where it comes from. You get overloaded on it and become happy. You basically enjoy what you are doing no matter what it is. This could hypothetically get you focused on things that don't deserve your focus.

It is really not a good drug. It's heavy stuff. You can become addicted to it, and it could take you months to re learn how to work without it.

I don't recommend it at all. There's much more to it, but this is a glimpse from my perspective.

Staying focused can be hard for a lot of people. Maybe try a few holistic approaches.

falconfunction• 12 years ago

Antagonize faster animals

hackinthebochs• 12 years ago

Start small and build momentum off of small victories.

rad_3• 12 years ago

I think this is a great idea. Too ambitious can really tire you out if you're not completing a lot of what you want to get done.

Is what it is, we have to start small.

Mz• 12 years ago

Given that you are ADD/ADHD, it might do more good to read up on diet and brain chemistry. I am all for better health but good brain health is more complicated than just getting more cardio.

rad_3• 12 years ago

I agree read up. It's just funny, a lot of situations where people are told their brain chemistry is off, by there doctor, from a written test. A lot of people have trouble focusing. Maybe it's cause we don't like working 40+ hours at a job we hate, not because our brains are all outta whack, but definitly after the doctor gets a hold of it, it will be.

Sure, there are some real cases. But they are just going to learn in 5,10, or 15 years that all these drugs turned out to not be such a good idea, or at least, they weren't such a good idea for the majority of the people that they put on them.

I know people always say this, but, they did not have focusing medicine back in the day. Maybe daddy's belt growning up, but that's about it.

omarforgotpwd• 12 years ago

Eat food, drink water, exercise, sleep. Take breaks.

lily2014• 12 years ago

I think it is will issue. You need to remind yourself how important the goals is. Maybe you can try racing, every day 5K miles. And try to run more than that. Insisit it, exceed it!

Ask HN: How do you overcome laziness and lethargy?

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