My one tip for combating stagnancy is to start slowly and let the momentum build. This is especially useful when you are having trouble starting a project; start with something mundane. I have trouble with focusing when reading something very technical, so I start off by writing down what I read. The combined motor action helps me focus more and gets me started. The hardest part to combating stagnancy is getting started. So start off slow and steady.

You know that feeling. Where you’re that close to finishing a project, or achieving a goal, or crossing a task off your to-do list … but you just can’t muster the energy. You’ve lost interest. You’re exhausted. Drained. And you don’t know why. From zenhabits.

I have been burned out several times in my life while working on big projects. There are several trends I see during the times I’ve burned out: it’s a big project where I am the only person working on it, I spend the first couple of months working tirelessly and after a while my interest has dropped. And the article from zenhabits describes it beautifully:

It’s like driving toward a mountain in the distance. You can drive for hours, but the mountain doesn’t seem to get any closer. And spinning your wheels gets real tiring real fast.

And the rest of the article talks about how you should set goals, work less and just enjoy your free time. I find a balance between work and life are extremely important and the article stresses this point and I couldn’t agree more.

I’d just like to add a further point of “How to start working”. Sure we may have all the right requirements in the car to start the engine, inspiration, motivation and anticipation, but we first need to start the car. This is also a problem I usually face. But usually I overcome this by doing some extremely simple/mundane work to get started; writing down stuff/taking notes is usually the best way I get my engine started.

Then just like a snowball rolling down a mountain, it turns to an avalanche. And hopefully it keeps on rolling

Have you ever felt compelled to give someone advice or to advise them of their mistake when you know that they have erred but hesitated to do so? I know I have, on many occasions. For example, you may notice an apparent and undesirable bad habit that a friend has. Most if not all times, I would like to tell them about it and I have many times in the past. Sometimes they tell me “Yeah I know, it’s something I’ve been trying to adjust”. But after a while when you meet your friend again, they don’t seem to have changed at all. Other times people like to justify their bad habits or they tell me it’s really not much of a big deal. And at that particular moment, I don’t really have anything to say. For once I would like someone tell me “Oh sorry I hadn’t noticed, thanks for telling me” upon hearing my advice. But most people are aware of their problems, they just sweep it under the carpet and it resurfaces every now and then.

So over the years, I’ve lost enthusiasm towards giving people advice. If people want to change, they will do it themselves. More importantly people don’t like it when you’re not minding your own business. But as a friend to the many people who have problems, I still want to tell my friends how having such a habit is bad for them. Sure I have many bad and poor habits myself (who doesn’t?) and I’m not a qualified psychologist/counsellor of some sort. But I still would like to tell them.

On the contrary, I would love to have someone tell me of my problems. I would appreciate the effort of them telling me of my problems. But most people don’t like to talk about these things to avoid awkward conversations. And I have to admit I’m not the most inviting person when it comes to conversations, so I have yet met someone who has told me of my problems (or perhaps I’m just perfect). It would be nice to have someone come and tell me of a bad habit that I have; for example “Hey Dave, you know that yawning without covering your mouse is pretty rude in Australia?”. I have been told that once when I first came to Australia, and have since never yawned without covering my mouth.

I love reading articles that I can totally related to and understand. Today I read this one titled “Self Doubt: A Disease that Doesn’t Discriminate!”. The article starts off much in the style of “The Eighth Habit” by Stephen Covey, where the author writes about common problems everyday people faced. I could relate to many of the listed issues related to self doubt; “What if I’m not qualified enough?”, “What if I get all excited – like I always do – and then fail?”, “What if I disappoint people?” which ultimately leads to “Hmm, perhaps I need a little more time to plan and think about this”.

The only thing I wanted to add to the article is that fear is such a deeply embedded disease. And even when we have acknowledged our problem of fear and made a decision to face our fears, it is an extremely difficult problem to face. Rejection and humiliation are the worst feelings in the world, which is why fear is so powerful. So while the article was great, I felt it was a little tough on people whose lives are affected by fear. I whole heartedly agree that the solution is you, because only you can face your fears and manage your fears. And it’s one of those problems that takes so much effort to correct but the tiniest set back can undo all that was done. The solution I believe will involve a lot of support from friends and family, and taking very small steps on the stairway of fearlessness.

In the movie, the main actress’s husband had recently died. He was at his own funeral and a man who knew him described him as someone who wasn’t the most generous and most giving person but however without doubt had a heart of gold. I always imagine myself as a ghost sitting at my own funeral, which sounds pretty terrible, but I would like to hear about the legacy I left behind or there lack of. I would like to leave behind a legacy that brings the best out of people, one that reunites people and one that gives people the energy to be generous and helpful. I know if I died today, that wouldn’t be the eulogy I would receive. So sometimes it is good to think about my death, because it helps me refocus and think about my life.