Getting (de)motivated

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely loathe any kind of motivational posters or quotes.

The 10-Minute Novelists Facebook group, while excellent as a helpful community, just about makes me scream in frustration whenever someone posts an “inspiring” quote about writing, or achieving your dreams, or whatever.

Sabaton songs are motivating. Reading about great victorious battles of the past is motivating. The photo of a smiling Simo Häyhä with a new rifle is motivating (OK, I’m weird, I know).

Inspirational quotes are like that piece of chocolate someone offers to you when you’ve just eaten a sandwich and don’t really want anything sweet. You eat it anyway, because it’s chocolate and because you don’t want to offend the other person, but you end up feeling a bit ill and perhaps angry (at yourself, not at them). 

(I’m very good at saying “no, thanks” when someone offers me edible stuff I don’t want, but it was the best example I could come up with.)

I’m the hassled type who always tries to do too many things at once. My to-do lists are too long. I have trouble focusing on one or two important goals; I’ll try to achieve five and fail. I’m painfully aware of this. If it’s possible to be over-motivated, I probably am, and that’s why shallow motivational memes get on my nerves. I’m beginning to suspect I need regular doses of Anti-Perfectionism Serum (not the same thing as Laziness Serum!) to relax and actually become productive.

There. Had to get that out of my system before I get back to work.