MOTIVATION

[IAMSatisfied]

...not just am i generally lacking energy...

Your body is used to having "crutches" in the form of artificial stimulants, so you have to retrain it to rely on what nature intended. Having an exercise routine, even a relatively simple one, will stimulate your body to produce endorphines, dopamines, seratonin, in short, all of the things that elevate your mood and give your energy a lift WITHOUT the negative side effects of artificial stimulants, such as nicotine and caffeine.

Side-note: I love coffee, but it doesn't love me back. When I drink it regularly (like more than once a week), I don't notice much, if any, lift in mood and I get really irritable and my threshold for handling stressors is severely reduced and I have to work at focusing on single-tasking. In short, there's no free lunch, artificial stimulants have a greater downside than upside.

So, a regular exercise routine will elevate your mood and energy, and thereby help with motivation.

[olderdan]

I seems that we are all pretty much singing off the same hymn sheet with this topic.
In the early days of marriage I did try and watch TV as a couple, but being a serial fidget I would get bored and irritable till one day my wife said why don't you go and do something else you would be happier doing (exit stage right) and that's how it has been since.
Mornings we walk the dogs and the rest of the day is mine, marital bliss at last.
My TV interest is limited to any form of motorcycling, news and documentaries and I will record all of that and watch when it suits.

[Ed Weldon]

There's a lot to be said for having a comfy spot in the workshop to just sit and wind down. In my crowded shop that may still be worth the effort to arrange something like that. During the day I stay on my feet almost constantly even though I'm retired. I think that's better for my physical condition than a lot of sitting. But it's hard to physically relax when you are standing and I tire sooner.

[Toolmaker51]

All kinds of good suggestions here. Use of time never seems an issue, until there isn't enough remaining. I apologize to any I may not have clicked 'Thanks', they all apply in one measure or another. I can procrastinate well as anyone, but it's usually keyed to priorities as underlying element. Don't smoke at all, drink very little, no vices that detract holding tools or manipulating machine controls.
Never the less; my motivation to work is simple, fun, and can be free or at very low cost.
1. Get an internet connection in your workspace,
2. locate a streaming music service,
3. create your own music lists of everything you'd like to hear. Not just what you are accustomed with.
4. install SPEAKERS, not earbuds....
5. and per lyrics of Bo Diddley "you've got it (your radio, 1962 era) turned down too low" then hollers "TURN IT UP!".
I won't set a link, not hard to find at all. But even if they are working [getting paid] it's patently evident they are also having fun playing great music. How is that different than welding, single-point threading, porting heads, tramming a Bridgeport, wiring a motor...You have to make your shop your environment.

[Jon]

A lot of this is in how we procrastinate. Some good advice is, when procrastinating, to do other things. Maybe something easier, or less demanding.

The extreme of this viewpoint is something called "structured procrastination", advanced most notably by philosopher and Stanford professor John Perry. Perry wrote a humorous article about procrastination, called How to Procrastinate and Still Get Things Done. Perry expands on the concept of doing other things while procrastinating, and tongue-in-cheek advocates this strategy. If you keep doing your low-priority tasks while procrastinating your high-priority tasks, eventually the low-priority tasks will be complete, and the high-priority tasks will be displaced by newer tasks. Thus, your previously high-priority tasks will become your new low-priority tasks, so you'll have no problem doing them.

[tonyfoale]

Maybe I am the odd one out here, but I really don't understand the concept of procrastination.
If you don't want to do anything then that's OK. If you want to do something that's OK too.
As for me I have two problems, deciding which of many things to do next and where to find the 48 hour day.
We all have to die sometime and then none of it will have mattered anyway but until then I have no time for procrastination and I have no problem getting motivated.

[rekkol]

I usually don't need inspiration, but lately I have become less effective. It’s hard for me to start a new project, it's hard for me to bring it to the end. I recently found a good article, there are tips on how to cope with procrastination. Some tips help me tune in to work. For example, putting things in order in a workshop, I usually start from the easiest and so enter the workflow. I plan for the day a few tasks and come up with a reward for completing each. It really helps.

[Warst19]

I usually don't need inspiration, but lately I have become less effective. It’s hard for me to start a new project, it's hard for me to bring it to the end. I recently found a good article, there are tips on how to cope with procrastination. Some tips help me tune in to work. For example, putting things in order in a workshop, I usually start from the easiest and so enter the workflow. I plan for the day a few tasks and come up with a reward for completing each. It really helps.

Thank you, rekkol, for sharing. Especially I liked tips #1 "Break Down Your Tasks" and #5 "Always Have a Schedule". As for me, those are the most useful things in finding motivation. What also works well - I reward myself for completing tasks and trying not to be hard on myself if in case of procrastination.

[MeJasonT]

Tidying up works for me. Just getting in to your workshop environment is the trigger. Reading through your day book/scrapbook of notes and drawings of previous endeavours, the endless list of To Do lists any general mind dumps usually gets me kick started ito either wanting to be constructive or gets me searching for tools to make. Good word of advice though don't open homemadetools.net or you will start procrastinating about all the tools you want, need and must make before your demise - its lethal.

[Toolmaker51]

Tidying up works for me. Just getting in to your workshop environment is the trigger. Reading through your day book/scrapbook of notes and drawings of previous endeavours, the endless list of To Do lists any general mind dumps usually gets me kick started ito either wanting to be constructive or gets me searching for tools to make. Good word of advice though don't open homemadetools.net or you will start procrastinating about all the tools you want, need and must make before your demise - its lethal.

Ooooooh NnNnNnoooooo! We're doomed!
I use notebooks and a clipboard which usually collect sketches. I have more projects than any could count; but I'm thrilled by the fact they are ongoing and dovetail together.
For example. Seems a good job to get related tooling unpacked and grouped. Then I'll do a simple live inventory, when I don't want to do 'work'. Procrastination to me, is a reaction; idea/ project/ acquisition get prioritized to short range time and available resources. But when this building gets voltage, watch out!
Hardest project I've ever conceived, using every worthwhile shop experience of 50 years [good & bad] to have a running facility.
And the lethality of demise is no concern. My goal in life is to live forever.
So far so good!