I have used many methods in my life, couldn’t get enough of finding and trying more and more. And some worked, even pre-diagnosis.

But here is a new one that I just found recently after watching Dr. K. here, and reading about Rubicon model in more detail.

When to use

• Already got a todo-list
• hard time getting started

General idea

Create internal motivation, rather than the pain of being driven by external motivation, such as deadlines or hunger.

How to do it

• Take the todo-list
• Look at each of the items for 30 seconds and run a “simulation” in your mind: What would it be like to start that now, what would be the effort/pain, and the short-term gain. Short-term gain is not when it is all done, but a few steps in. E. g. what it feels like when I just put the first piece of laundry into the machine. I even write notes about the “simulation”.
• Then pick one, IF you really feel like it. Otherwise, back to your shows & Lemmy - have fun!

Example

Initial list:

• shopping
• laundry
• cleaning
• online form

List after “simulation” phase:

• shopping
  • get up from comfy chair
  • away from tea & cookies
  • shoes, bag
  • outside in the rain
  • at least would be on the way
  • probably a no
• laundry
  • get up
  • some spread around, collect
  • might just not do that one
  • pretty low effort,
  • feeling ok about it
• cleaning
  • do I even have the cleaner
  • probably better after shopping
  • nah, let’s not
• online form
  • at least not getting up
  • one hell of an annoyance though
  • show could keep playing
  • might take 10 minutes
  • could do

Based on that, I’d pick the online form task and go.

It’s weird, it makes no sense, but it works! This weekend, I got 6 out of the 10 things done I was supposed to do (better than 0, right?), but getting started required no discipline or pain. I just wanted to after doing the “simulations”. Other semi-successful weekends, I had to force myself to do at least the ones that create the most pain when not done, and it hurt.