Feeling Bored, Unmotivated, or Distracted? Read This

I've been a bit distracted lately. My project and Patreon are going great, growing one step at a time, but stability comes with too much order. One tends to lose motivation, hunger. It seems like a paradox: the pursuit is exciting, but once you get there, it becomes boring.

The chaos of fixing problems in a hurry has a positive side. It is stressful indeed, but you have no time to waste with procrastination or any other source of pleasure.

Part of my diagnosis comes from finding myself invested in long-term projects that require patience, which eventually throw me back to that unmotivated/bored mental state. It feels a bit toxic that the more trouble I have, the more compelled to move forward I feel. But more than a bug, this seems to be a feature, and in the past, looking at others experiencing "features" I had too made me feel more calm with who I am, like "hey... I'm not that crazy," so I guess part of this little confession is because I want you to feel understood.

The big question is, what to do about this?

First of all, this seems to be a loop. You get order, then bored, then pursue chaos, get into trouble, move forward, get out of trouble, and get order again. So breaking the pattern does not seem to be realistic. I think it would be smart to simply balance moments of order with a bit of chaos and vice versa, and the good news is that if your life is in order, it gets easier to get chaos than getting order if your life is in chaos.

To be clear, I'm not trying to encourage any stupid behavior in order to get into trouble; that's just too easy. I'm more thinking about getting into the world and exposing yourself to some experiences. What these experiences should be? Well, it depends on the person, but a good rule of thumb would be to try an activity, a sport, a class of something, even go into a cafe and talk to people. For example, the other day a psychology student approached me in the park and pitched me her idea of a project. She had a camera and took and printed black-and-white pictures of random people, asking for a little donation for her project. Perhaps thinking about a project in which you can talk to strangers can be a good way to get something fresh and exciting in your life, especially if you are an introvert.

This does not mean quitting whatever you find stable at the moment, job, relationships, routine, but to use your creativity to put yourself in places where you can get a bit of contrast, a bit of fear, and a bit of chaos.

For me, I started boxing a few weeks ago for the first time, and I've made some changes for this next year, mostly involving activities outside my apartment. For some of us that work from home, sometimes it is very easy to feel trapped in a routine. Being aware of it and taking those chaos pills by one's own choice, I think, can be more sustainable than seeking trouble without knowing why, and then becoming a victim of one's own needs.

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Daily Challenge Giveaway!

Guys I'll be giving away one of my books, "Life in Every Sketch," but on Discord only! The requirement is for you to participate in our daily challenge during this December, at least once. By the end of the month, I'll be announcing the winner among all participants.

To join the Discord server, follow these steps on the Patreon website on a laptop or computer: Go to settings -> more -> connected apps and connect your Discord account. An that’s it, you will be automatically connected to the server, you must be subscribed to one of the tiers to access the channels.

Good luck!