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Time Management + Motivation


nmt_oli

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Right, iv ebeen feeling rather down over the last few weeks/months. My time management is going increasingly downhill and my motivation is poor.

At school i used to be abel to get up in the mornings no problem, did my homework the night is was set ect. and was well motivated.

my first year of uni i screwed things up and dropped out, found it hard to get up in the mornings, dont get what i need to get done done, been generally depressed.

its been up and down recently, i just don't want it to go downhill again and i want to go to uni this year focussed and sorted, as i have big plans- and with my current time management there way too ambitius.

whoo- i needed to get that out! please help me!

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im the same, though I think its because im just a lazy wanker lol.

I can never get up in time for work, or get up late so almost miss my lift.

2nd year of college, didnt try atall, was a merit student, ended up that year with mostly passes.

Also depressed, really getting to me lately as im not wanting to do anything whatsoever, I hate it

Well aint life f**king great!

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jesus. if you're even considering 'time management' you're light years ahead of most uni students.

I go through phases where ill only sleep 3-4 hours a night for a month at a time and it leaves me completely f**ked - even though im not tired during the day i'm just shit at stuff and kind of lethargic. My usual solution to it these days is to drink at lunchtimes until i've gotten used to falling asleep on the sofa at around midnight (effective and fun). I've also experimented with going to bed earlier (effective but no guarantee), not drinking coffee after about 10 pm (effective) and not eating for at least an hour before bed (also effe

ctive).Cocaine's pretty effective but there's obviously a few negative side effects - addiction, empty wallets and comedowns are probably the most serious, it does work though.

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The best plan would be to be strict from the very beginning, once you let it slide, you can only get worse and worse.

Put your timetable on the wall and make sure you plan around that. Get to sleep 7 (atleast) hours before you have to get up.

Also, get one of those planners, where you can write in all your assignments and homework. Have a folder for each module/topic, so when you get down to work you're not sorting through piles of paper and can get straight down to completing the task instead.

Once you've got into a routine, it's just something that you have to get out of the way before you get on with the rest of the day, rather than something you have to make yourself do.

Ok, advice might sound obvious and waaay too extreme, especially for uni, but if you've got aspirations, you've got to put in the effort behind it.

(Plus, i'm being a real big hypocrit by posting this :- )

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Go to illegal raves! They take over the weekend and trust me once you have partied for about 20 hours continuously you really feel like you have achieved something, its great fun.

The thing is that it makes you realise what society is all about when you come back. None of this pussy clubber lifestyle going home at 2am! Christ that's when the parties are just starting. I find just these on there own give me the motiviation i need and something to always look forward to each and every weekend :D

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I would consider meditation.

Meditation will help slow down your thoughts and relax you. As a consequence you should become more motivated and energised. You should also sleep better.

Meditation helps you live in the moment, away from your ideas about the moment. If you have negative feelings about something, you stop considering the negative feelings about the "something" and just look at the "something" as it actually is instead. This can be applied to all the "somethings" in your life.

I can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of meditation. Having spent half my life depressed with no motivation and no "achievements", the difference it's made to my last year has been vast.

The west is slowly beginning to accept the activity of meditation as having positive effects on both the physical and mental elements of the human condition. Just recently I read an article in the paper that was espousing it's benefits. So if you are open minded, I would give it a go. I can say with a lot of confidence that it's not a subjective activity that might won't work for you and your individuality. I think it effects the processes that all humankind share. Similar to food and warmth, just relating to a different area, so to speak.

Good luck with things anyhow.

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Yeah, but meditation is really hard. :(

I tried it once, i couldn't stop thinking about stuff, and that whole "eyes between asleep, and awake" thing doesn't work, i either kept getting really tired, or was just sitting like you do in assembly at school.

:(

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I would consider meditation.

etc...

hippy :P

but seriously - good point.

If I notice I'm getting edgy or generally arsey i like to spend half an hour sat in a nice quiet room doing the breathing exercises from my yoga book. Basically you just fill your lungs all the way up and then completely empty them over and over again till you're either completely relaxed or blacked out from hyper-oxygenating yourself. I refuse to call it meditation (cos thats for hippies) but I guess its the same thing in principle. It lets your head settle down a bit which makes you more relaxed which makes the sleep happen easier which leads to generally feeling better.

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Make a list of all the different things that need to be done and deadlines that have to be met. Make sure its pinned up somewhere you cant ignore it or forget about it. If your on the computer then get a noticeboard right next to it for a constant reminder. If there is a lot on there then sort them into date order so that the you can prioritise what needs to be done. When something is done cross it off!

The suggestion about diet is also a good one. Crap in = crap out. A good healthy diet will give you a lot more energy and help to stop you feeling lethargic all the time. Although obviously i dont know what your diet is currently like so not sure if thats something that will make a difference to you or not?

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Meditation is difficult, at first. If you keep it up though it does become easier. An added incentive is that it even helps you enjoy/ride your bike more/better because you're more focused on the activity.

Really you need to practise each day for about 15 mins to find any benefit and improvement. Not a hugh amount of your time for what I have found to make a large difference to the rest of your day.

Just like the women trapped inside a man's body who every now and then dresses up in womens clothes but lives in denial of what that means, Poopipe, you are a "hippy" trapped inside a non-"hippies" body, practising meditation found in hippy desire but refusing to accept it as so. Lose the denial mate. It's ok. :P

Edited by rowly
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Meditation is difficult, at first. If you keep it up though it does become easier. An added incentive is that it even helps you enjoy/ride your bike more/better because you're more focused on the activity.

Really you need to practise each day for about 15 mins to find any benefit and improvement. Not a hugh amount of your time for what I have found to make a large difference to the rest of your day.

Just like the women trapped inside a man's body who every now and then dresses up in womens clothes but lives in denial of what that means, Poopipe, you are a "hippy" trapped inside a non-"hippies" body, practising meditation found in hippy desire but refusing to accept it as so. Lose the denial mate. It's ok. :P

how the hell did you know about the dressing up?

I'm going home to eat meat and hit stuff with a spanner before i start believing you :D

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Thanks guys, drink isnt a problem- niehter is going out, thats why i dont understand why i have no time! I just want to make the most of what im doing.

Ive started riding to work again (5 miles there and 5 back) as it does keep me fit, alert ect. (although ive been doing this cause im fixing my car!, not out of choice lol). still need to get up early enough for breakfast though- i know it will help.

i think big to do lists are the order of the day (Y)

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Usually for me it's the complete opposite, when I have nothing to do I get depressed. When I get up early and make myself do something, tidy my room, work on the bike or whatever, it just make's me feel better about the day, as a direct conesquence of keeping busy, I end up tired.....

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I would consider meditation.

Meditation will help slow down your thoughts and relax you. As a consequence you should become more motivated and energised. You should also sleep better.

Meditation helps you live in the moment, away from your ideas about the moment. If you have negative feelings about something, you stop considering the negative feelings about the "something" and just look at the "something" as it actually is instead. This can be applied to all the "somethings" in your life.

I can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of meditation. Having spent half my life depressed with no motivation and no "achievements", the difference it's made to my last year has been vast.

The west is slowly beginning to accept the activity of meditation as having positive effects on both the physical and mental elements of the human condition. Just recently I read an article in the paper that was espousing it's benefits. So if you are open minded, I would give it a go. I can say with a lot of confidence that it's not a subjective activity that might won't work for you and your individuality. I think it effects the processes that all humankind share. Similar to food and warmth, just relating to a different area, so to speak.

Good luck with things anyhow.

so how do i do this "meditation"?

is it the same as going running every day and trying to escape in fitness?(wich doesnt work)

or does it work?

your 3rd paragraph triggered me

:D

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Meditation can be any kind of focusing, but the basic type is that of focusing on the breath. It can be done, sat down, lead down, sat cross legged or if you're super flexy, in the lotus. The lotus is supposedly the better as it is the less restricting in regards to the effeciency of your body or "energy flow". Lying down is supposedly the least best as in can make you sleepy. The idea of meditation is not to get into a trance. Whatever is best for you though really. The important thing is to have a straight back. No slouching but try to be as relaxed as you can. And if you are sitting in whichever way, have your hands resting in your lap, one hand resting top side on the palm side of the other with your thumbs lightly touching, "as though you were holding a piece of paper between them".

I do two main types of meditation which I have learnt from practising buddhism. The first is a meditation of the body. You begin by focusing on your left hand. Get a feel for it, however it feels. Do this for 20-30 secs, then move onto your left forearm, again, get a feel for it for about 20-30 secs then feel both your fore arm and hand together for about 10-15 secs. Don't worry about being too precise with the timing though. Next move onto your left upper arm, feel it for 20-30 secs, then feel your upper arm, forearm and hand together for 10-15 secs. Continue this process of feeling a body part then feeling it together with the bits you have already felt. Do this next with the left shoulder, the right hand, the right forearm, the right upper arm, the right shoulder, upper back, chest. Now you should be aware of a "ring" that runs round your arms and upper torso. Spend some time feeling this.

What follows next is the feet. Feel them at the same time if you are able. It may be a bit difficult at first and if you can't do it, feel one after the other. Next feel the feet and the "ring". Follow this by feeling your lower legs in the same way as you did the feet, then feel the lower legs, feet and "ring" using the same timing as before. Using the pattern so far, add the upper legs, buttocks, stomach and then lower back then spend some additional time experiencing all the body parts which you have gone trough. By now you will probably find a noticable difference in how relaxed your muscles and mind are.

Finally, you feel through your head, using the same pattern, starting with your lower neck, then your scalp, forehead, eyes, cheeks, mouth and jaw. Once this is done, spend the rest of your meditation trying to hold onto the feeling of your entire body. By now you should have a increased depth of awareness regarding the way it feels.

Whilst doing this meditation, if your mind wanders as it inevitably will, just bring your attention back, in a relaxed manner, to the object of focus.

Don't expect to do very well in your first, second, third, etc. meditation. It takes time. But it's likely you will see some benefit from the act, after the act even from your first attempt. At least in how relaxed and positive you feel.

I shall add the other meditation tomorrow.

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understand mate,

life is a bitch most of the time,

what i do is think what makes me hapopy think about that more and do things you like too do,

i was in the same boat and still am sometimes, i live away mon-fri i hate it gets me reli down but when im home i try maximise what i like fi you get me?

just make sure what you do is ssomething you want to do i.e a job you like or course you like?

good luck lad!

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