I'm lazy and bored...let's talk about how to get motivated!

Good post, I don't know why but I always experience a slow down at this point in the year. It may be the shorter days, Christmas around the corner, or a bit of burn out from all the work I did get done in Summer. The half an hour rule seems like a good idea!

 

Do like me .. ive not only got a gin and tonic going ive got a mega shot of Hot Dam too.. Its cold out side and I do have heat in the garage but fuck it ill work on the car tomorrow.. Thats as motivated as i get..
Dave

 

Hell I've been home from work all day. All I did is order a set of Supremes for the Nomad. I did go out to eat breakfast at the truck stop. Put some money into the bank to pay for a Mr. Gasser and Weirdos Surfink LP I bought. Sat in front of computer, did download some music(Van Morrison). Shit no wonder I am tired. I need a drink.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227391

 

Hey get your old lady pissed at ya that will send you out to the shop every time no matter the weather ,Motivation depends on how pissed she is!. Just joking .Dont piss her off she will keep you in to vac the carpet wash the walls clean the toilet do the laundry, You will get motivated Soon

 

Since you asked

Either go work on it , or sell it .. because it won't finish itself

 

Motivated to work on my truck?
That's easy!
I just think of the other stuff I SHOULD be doing (fixing house, errands.. you know). Then it's VERY easy to get motivated to work on the truck.
It's amazing how the apparent dead can spring to life when they have something they want to do!
Cold? COLD? Sheesh!
My A truck (or A truck to be) is in my brothers uninsulated garage that only has a wood stove and LOTS of "fresh-air inlets" around the door.
If I stay there for more than 2 hours I start a fire. Otherwise I put on an old winter jacket and mechanics gloves.
There's 4 inches of ice on the pond and 1 foot of snow on the ground. And it's warm out tonight. It's 36F / 2C.

 

Get shop or project ready to go work-wise, nothing kills motivation more than having to move stuff to get ready to work.

 

No computer.
No books.
No magazines.
Do not talk about your car to anyone.
Basically, just blank out modern life and you,ll be amazed at just how much time you suddenly have on your hands and how focused you can stay.
Says he, on a computer whilst watching T.V. and drinking beer.........

Sorry Lord, I am a sinner. When I can do the above, I,m productive.

 

Yeah...it did seem like I got a lot more done back before I found this message board...LOL

How about working alone versus working with somebody? My brother and I work really well together and many of our projects are "shared" both in labor and in cost. Luckily we both have very similar taste in style and in performance....so we usually see eye-to-eye when it comes to making design decisions. We're both cheapskates too (learned it from the old man!) so we don't mind putting forth a little extra effort to make a seemingly worthless item work for us.

Before we were married, we could really push out some work. Okay, we basically had no social lives outside the garage and the race tracks/car shows....but we were happy. These days between my wife and his, we get to work together a lot less frequently. I miss it. It's hard to get much done by yourself when you are so used to always having a helping hand there.

 

In my work(what I do to pay the bills) and my projects
I make simple ..

1)short term
2) mid term

and ..long term goals
make sure the 1# is realistic and attainable..
Like by 1-21-08 I'm going to have "****" sand blasted, and painted
etc. etc.
Number 2 might go like ..I'll have this axle bought and paid for by
2-1-08
so you have something to look forward to and money destined for that part


#3 can be a wild idea ..and be ready to reset goals
and yes ..a list of small micro projects within the big build helps allot


(2 cents)

 

I know I froze my ass off last winter to get the T done for spring, I certainly wasn't as productive as I thought because the car didn't hit the road until August. Now if I hadn't gone out there in the cold it wouldn't have made it out at all this year.
It's different now too, there are things I'd like to change a bit or another project to work on, but now that I got a fresh one on the road it's easy to not work out there. I guess the short two months I got to drive the car is still fresh and exciting in my mind. I know it would be cool to drive one of the others but why freeze to death when you got one up and running....lol
I also know when I measured the frame on that old dirt car and measured that big block and it would fit between the rails, it's all I could think about. I lasted about a day and a half after measuring before I went out there and slid the engine in for a look see and yes I was excited to see it in there.

 

I usually get to feeling like you are when I reach a point where I don't know how to do something or don't like the direction what I am doing is going. My advice, and what seems to work for me, is to get out there and work on something else. Wheather it be a whole different project or a different unrelated part of the car, just get out there and do something. Make it a routine and do it every day even if it's only for a few minutes. The answers and motivation will come to you.

 

Just think of all the guys who get up there in years or lose their health earlier than expected and how they look back and say ,man, I wish I'd done this or that. You don't want to be one of those guys do you? Get as much done now while you can.

 

I think punch lists work really well, they can keep you moving forward. This is a good thing, plus you get a feeling of getting something done as you cross stuff off and add new to do stuff to the list.

I also firmly believe in trying to work a little bit every week or day and shoot for that, if it is a hour a day or a week somthing is getting done on your project. I have a couple of motivational sayings that I picked up along the way,

1. If you work on it at least 5 minites a day it will get finished

2. Dont over think everything sometimes it is better to just do it

3. How do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time .

4. Turn off the porn !


Just my 2 cents,

CBB

 

Do not worry about it ...

If you want to be slack ... be slack
A break from the program helps a lot of the time.

I wanted to drive my 32 3W to at least one of the 75th Anniversary events this year ... I worked on it a lot ( for me ... ) ... after I drove it in to the GoodGuys event @ Charlotte ... I have slowed down a bunch. Burnt out is NOT the correct term ... but recharging and regrouping would be. Also getting my checkbook off LIFE SUPPORT too. Looking forward to getting serious again after the Holidays ...

If it is not FUN ... then wait until it is enjoyable ...

 

OK john, how is this:
You need to get in the garage and work on your 34 chev.
please post more build pics as well!
THANKS!

Right now I have a 1 year old, and a 3 year old. I got a ton of stuff done before the 3 year old, some after he was born, and now with the 1 year old........well lets just say its been about a year!
I need a baby sitter, and some motivation as well.

 

I actually am motivated for the Chevy coupe project....problem is that it is in a shop that I share with my brother and my dad. It is 30 miles from where I currently live and I get limited time to spend there. It's the projects I COULD work on right in my home garage that I can't get motivated to start on. Too easy to plop down after dinner and never get back up, I guess.

 

Here's my deal. I work every day for 8 hrs. ... I have lots of projects underway and it doesnt matter to me which one I work on as long as I work on SOMETHING for at least 8 -10 hours per day. After many years of taking everything that came my way, I'm now very selective. The work itself has to be odd and stimulating and the customer has to be someone I like and have a rapport with. The more I've become selective the more fun and interesting work seems to come my way.
Even though many of my projects are my own, I still approach them as a job.
There is some deadline work at the Strange Days garage, and I just seem to have a sense of pride that wont let me miss a deadline. It helps to have a ton of talented buddies that help me out when I overcommit

 

im horrible at the whole, self motivation thing...

the only thing i've found to help, is if you have a friend that really wants to work on your car lol. then once i get my hands dirty, i can't put a wrench down. Once my project cars were no longer my daily drivers, i found them sitting for loooonnnnng periods of time because i am unable to motivate myself, i'd make up excuses i.e. "all of my parts aren't here, it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too dark"
but once a friend lights a fire under my bum to get my car running or i spend a Friday night at the drag strip, things start rollin again.

 

stick and move!

 

I agree with you Moral support from a bud always helps along with a 6 pack. I f it dont get done you can talk about how it should

 

well i was in your position its cold and snowy here and a daunting task of repairing a rusty car didnt sound like too much fun....UNTIL! I saw pics of your white F-85 and then I saw what my car could become and remembered the reason I started working on it in the first place. SO I say visualize what you want and maybe draw or find a similar picture of your idea.