What to do When You Don’t Want To

We all have responsibilities.  Some are urgent, some are important, and some aren’t either of those.  A lot of what I do are commitments I make to myself and my family. Those beautiful obligations I’ve written about.  I’m an archetypal “rules follower” and if I’ve made a promise, I have a really hard time not doing what I said.  It boils down to integrity.  Do what you say you’ll do. But what to do when you don’t want to?

This morning I woke up a little later than usual.  I’ve also been feeling a lot more tired than usual, these past several days.  So tired that I’ve been tempted to nap.  I’m not a napper, though.  Naps cut into my day and I wake up super groggy.  I worry about what I’ll miss out on while sleeping.  So I simply don’t nap unless I’m sick.  Still, today is my writing day, and I’m staring at the computer not at all inspired to write.  Which got me thinking about what to do when I’m not feeling like doing whatever it was that I said I would do.

…Do you Call in Sick?

George Carlin was one of my favorite comedians.  He was so funny and observant in his comedic writing, and hilarious with his delivery.  George certainly wasn’t for everyone because he had rather anti-establishment views, and had no problem discussing politics, religion, and other socially taboo subjects with his acerbic wry wit.  He’s been gone for over a decade, but his material still resonates with me.  He performed his stand-up until the week before he died of a heart attack, at the age of 71.  George Carlin had a one-liner that has stayed with me since high school.  He said, “So you work at the suicide hotline, and one day you wake up a little depressed.  Do you call in sick?”   Good question, right?  I don’t know why this is so funny to me, but it is.  So, what do you do? Maybe you should call in sick.

We all procrastinate and put things off.  Although I’m really good at keeping promises to myself and others, I still haven’t motivated myself enough to exercise regularly.  I keep telling myself I will get back walking once the weather cools off.  Maybe I will.  But the truth is, I just don’t feel like it. The best solution is to turn off my feelings and just get it done. My feelings are getting in the way of the bigger picture, like staying healthy, and keeping my body in great shape as I age.

Feelings Don’t Matter

People tell me that I’m someone who gets things done, so I can’t let them down, right? Not feeling like doing anything is a rare occurrence.  For that reason alone, I should just go with it and let myself and have nothing day.  But a nothing day isn’t on today’s schedule.  I could take a nothing day tomorrow.  Just not today.  So today I have to do stuff.  But I don’t want to do anything on my list.  Not. One. Thing.

As you all know by now, I’m a positive thinker.  I simply don’t allow myself to wallow in the negative.  I’m a firm believer of the “fake it ‘til you make it” concept of acting “as if” until I become.  Our brains don’t know the difference between mental rehearsal and actual rehearsal, and visualization is a powerful tool.  I wrote more about this in Affirmations – We Are What We Believe. 

Inspiration is for Amateurs

One of Burkeman’s points is we don’t have to feel like it.  Success will typically come to those who create a work routine and stick with it.  That’s basically what I did this morning.  Even though this is my own blog, and I’m my own boss.  I’ve made a commitment to post 3 specific days per week.  So in order to meet this obligation, I need to write.  Even though I didn’t feel like it, and wasn’t inspired to write about anything specific, just the practice of going to my office and writing, got me going.  I just started writing what was in my head, and the topic became clear.  That’s the way it is with creative people.  Sit down to create, and your art takes shape. Renowned artist Chuck Close is quoted as saying, “Inspiration is for amateurs.  The rest of us just show up and get to work.”

I guess, for me, the solution is to follow Nike’s lead and “just do it”.  Every single time I don’t feel like doing something, but I do it anyway, I am glad I did. There are so many times when I had worked a long Monday, and didn’t feel like going to my chorus rehearsal that night. But because I’m a front row dancer, and to miss even one rehearsal makes me feel like I’m behind, I’d make myself go. Every single time, I felt great afterwards.  Maybe it’s the deep breaths required for singing, or the physical exertion in the dance. Or maybe it is that singing gets me out of my head. It’s really hard to think about the troubles of the day when you’re mentally engaged in something creative. Maybe it’s all of these things.

Keep Promises to Yourself

Keeping your word to yourself builds integrity and self-reliance.  But more than that, you might find that the best ideas come when you don’t put restrictions on your creations.  I simply started writing because I promised myself I’d write. Getting started and simply typing in “stream of consciousness” led to this post. When I sat down to write this article, I had no idea this is where it would end up.   But I kinda like it, and I hope you do too.

What do you do to get yourself going when you just don’t want to? Share with us in the comments below.