Maybe this is just a problem I have … but I’m betting there are a few of you out there that encounter the same thing. It’s what I call Poor-Timed Ambition. That’s when you feel like crossing something off your “to do list” … but can’t do it at the time you are motivated.
Let me give you an example:
You wake up Wednesday and for whatever reason you feel like you can take on the world! You feel motivated to clean out the garage this weekend because shit has been stacking up everywhere and it’s been bugging you for a while now.
“Okay! This Saturday … I’m cleaning the garage!”
Thursday and Friday you wake up feeling pretty good. You’re still motivated to clean out the garage but you have to go to work. So … you at least start thinking about how you will tackle it on Saturday. You figure you’ll wake up, have coffee and then dig in! It’s going to feel so good to finally get that done!
Saturday rolls around and suddenly that “take on the world attitude” has subsided. You wake up a little out of sorts. You know what you’re supposed to do today because you’ve been planning it since Wednesday … but you just don’t feel like doing it today.
You make your coffee and figure the caffeine jolt will get you motivated! As you sit there drinking your coffee … you start to come up with every reason why you shouldn’t clean out the garage. Then by the time you finish your coffee … you have convinced yourself that it can wait. You just don’t feel like cleaning it out! The weekend passes and the garage looks exactly the same! You’ve justified not getting it done though … because you’ll do it next weekend! Six months pass … and that fucking garage still looks exactly the same.
Why can’t I ever get that Wednesday motivation on Saturday!?
“There’s so much I want to do … but work prevents me from accomplishing it!”
All week long I feel motivated to do stuff … but can’t because I have to work. Then when the weekend rolls around and I have time to do it … I lose all motivation. I’m beginning to realize that I’m either moody … or … I’m just lazy as fuck! When I actually have the time to accomplish something I find every excuse not to do it!
Here’s the thing though … I always feel motivated to do something during the week when I have to work! I rarely have that “ambition” on the weekend! Maybe it’s just my brain helping me out to not feel like such a loser!? It knows I’m a lazy piece of shit so it gives me that motivation during the week … knowing I can’t act on it … to make me feel like I’m a do’er and feel better about myself.
It must be a self-preservation tactic that my brain has created over time to convince me that I’m not lazy … even though I am. On occasion there are times where I’ve said “Fuck it!” … and called out at work to do something. I stay home and I actually do work on it … but I can’t do that all the time! My circadian clock needs adjusting! Why can’t I have that ambitious feeling on the weekends and keep the lazy feelings for when I’m at work!?
If you have young kids, then your weekends are probably filled taking them to ball games or something so you can justify not getting things done. (I know I did!) My kids are older now and doing their own thing … so I really don’t have any excuse anymore!
All my ambition occurs during the week and inconveniently fades by the weekend. Then mid week it comes back and I convince myself that this weekend I’ll get it done! Saturday rolls around and like clockwork … I’m not feeling it. Fuck!
Not this weekend though!! It’s Wednesday and I’m feeling motivated! Now that I’ve recognized this pattern that I have … I will persevere and overcome! Hopefully if you have the same problem, I’ve also inspired you to work on that “To Do List” this weekend! You go get ’em tiger … I’ll probably end up going to the movies.
TodaysPetPeeve 