motivational techniques
 

For the last week or so I've been having a terrible time getting my butt in gear and accomplishing anything. What do you guys do when you just can't seem to get it going in the edit room? I just can't concentrate for more than 10 - 15 minutes at a time and begin wandering around the house or clicking around online. I've considered electro shock therapy. Any better ideas?

ethan, that is EXACTLY what i was doing...i finally did the best thing for me personally - i moved into rented office space.
i now get all the 'office' luxuries: air con, huuuge desks and storage cabinets, chance to network with other people, chance to hire cheap meeting rooms with projector screens, fridge, free-flowing coffee/tea/water facilities...etc etc

not only that, but i surprise myself by getting up early and working strict office hours (a lot less time internet browsing too!). i now work harder and faster in 8 hours than i ever did in like 15+ hours/day at home! my last full wedding edit i did in 5 days (inc. admin time, and lots of other mini-jobs too) - a record for me. plus i can genuinly relax in the evenings. a much better life all round. totally recommended to all those that get distracted at home too easily!

Ethan, that's burn out I guess. Rather than force it, I just shut down the computer and take a crack at it the following day. If that does not work, I call the client and promise a delivery date, "looks like I'll be able to finish the DVD earlier than promised". It forces me to concentrate on the edit and not go on facebook.

My 2 cents

Both of those are great suggestions.

I've considered getting an office but was being cheap and stubborn, holding out till I could afford something really cool, but last week I went and visited a photo buddy who I respect and his "office" was very very simple and made me think twice about what I was expecting out of a rented space. My wife's been telling me to get one for a while now. She's usually right (luckily she doesn't read these forums to see that I said that).

I am a bit burned out. We're taking a vacation next week, I'm really hoping that helps.

I've hit the wall a lot over the years and this year the wall seem to be higher than ever so what I do is take breaks about every hour for about 5 minutes. I walk away and walk around outside my house. Fun huh? If I really hit an impasse, I shut it down for the day and go back the next day. I generally start editing about 6:30 or 7 AM and work until about noon, have a bite, walk the dog and get back to it until about 5 or so. Of course it's all prone to change on a day by day basis.
BTW, vacations are great therapy, just got back from one myself about a month ago and man did it make a difference. Push thru until your trip then go, have fun and don't think about work for 1 minute. You'll come back feeling better and should be able to get back in the flow.
Have fun on vacation

Hi Ethan,

So many factors can contribute to a lack of productivity - lack of sleep, boredom, external stresses etc. If it continues being a problem make sure you don't have a degree of adult ADHD:

Symptoms

That short quiz made me think twice. It did seem very much like me. Now you've got me wondering.

Ethan, I'm in the same rut as you. I have 4 projects to edit and 3 of them are at various stages of completion and I just can't get motivated to finish. I'm especially stuck in finding a fresh way to edit my receptions. It's frustrating, but as soon as I hit a bit of creative progress then it all starts coming out.

One of my biggest problems right now is that I distract myself with making apartment improvements and home office improvements telling myself it'll make me more motivated once I get this or that done.

Hopefully after your vacation you will be able to get back on it with a new fresh passion.

I didn't bother with the quiz - I'm sure it would make me wonder, those sorts of things are designed to. Have you ever used time management tools? there are lots about and they really all assist you in prioritising your work and help to get you started.

how do you eat an elephant? - one bite at a time. by prioritising and scheduling your tasks you can make a huge improvement in your use of time. unless of course you waste it all scheduling yourself to the nth degree.

As a side note I knew a guy who worked from home and would get up every morning, get dressed, have breakfast and then get in his car and drive around the block before pulling uip in his driveway and 'going to work' it helped him seperate the two.

couldn't agree with Paul more! that quiz had me scoring highly in every single question, as it prob would most people here, who work completely on their own at home!

but anyway, it IS psychological to some degree, that i work WAY faster in my new office environment. it makes me think i am 'at work' and therefore i work productively, like those around me in their suits! At home I had distractions and comforts and TV and snacks and ...
Another good setup is where you work at home, but with someone else present (i.e. if you're a husband/wife company). Just having a working presence helps to motivate you.

But anyway, have a good mini-vacation - i'm sure it will help.