Motivation problems / lack of mental stimulation?

Post Reply New Topic

Do others here have problems with keeping motivation going with things? My entire life has been a struggle with motivation. If something doesn't really stimulate my mind I find it very hard to do. So for example this makes working with other people difficult for me. If a task isn't interesting my mind just refuses to do the job or it is a real struggle to work on something that isn't interesting.

Is this a common problem with other aspies?

If something does interest me then I give it 110% and live, breath and sleep the thing obsessively not letting it alone.

I certainly have struggled with that problem. I was a print journalist and the pressure of deadlines was enough to keep me on task. Or at least, I would finish what was required of me. But if it was a story that didn't interest me, I would avoid it until the last possible minute ... much to the consternation of my bosses.

And I can relate to being focused like a laser beam on things that DO interest me, to the detriment of everything else.

From what I've read, these are both pretty common traits of Aspies.

yeah all my teachers say that i have a lack of motivation, well if it wasnt so boring maybe I'd be more interested...lol

According to my diagnostic report, lack of motivation – something I have certainly suffered from – is very common among aspies.

I think that going undiagnosed until my mid-20s did not help in my case. I’d long had this feeling that I was different and that my life would turn out to be a mess anyway, but that was about the limit of my self-awareness. I found it pretty difficult to actually work out what interested me – I used to get pretty frustrated that the things I dabbled in gave me so little satisfaction – and now I do have a better idea about what things interest me, I feel a lot of frustration about not being able to devote more time to them, and I have a lot of regrets about the years I’ve wasted.

Work-wise, I’ve ended up doing a job that gives me almost no satisfaction at all, and lately I’ve been finding it pretty difficult to concentrate on even the simplest tasks. I kind of wish I could be like some of those people out there who can see the positives in everything and who give 100% in everything they do, but I don’t think I can.

I’m tempted to end here with some trite advice, but I’m not sure what to say. Maybe I’d say … to any young aspies … work out what interests you … and if you think you can make a living out of it, then that’s great … so go for it ... that way, even if you don't get to do what interests you the most, you've perhaps got a chance of falling into something that interests you a bit ... which is probably better than trying and failing at something that never interested you in the first place.

tiz the story of my life...alot for me has to do with executive dysfunction..I would have alot more "productive" motivation if I weren't so perpetually overwhealmed and if it did not take so stinking long for me to do anything.

Yes I have issues when it comes to lack of motivation. But in my case its not so much that I don't have dreams and goals that I want to attain.. because I do. I strongly believe that my lack of motivation is a result of fearing failure... because of failing so many times in the past. And well, yes it's also true that when I have to do something that I am not interested in doing...I am not overly motivated but not many people really are if they have to do the same boring job day after day. And the only thing that motivates me when it comes to that is knowing that these same boring jobs just have to get done.

Yes! This issue is the crux of everything in my life. When I get on to something that excites me for an extended time it becomes my emotional center for that period of time. Whatever obsession I’m currently into becomes the one thing that makes my life bearable. Nothing else will sufficiently motivate me.

As I grew older I had to temper my tendency to become too attached to a single pervasive interest. I’ve found that it’s impossible to function independently in this society without compartmentalizing my life. Yet this constant struggle to compartmentalize, to have a more balanced/functional life - it’s killing my spirit. I feel stifled. There isn’t enough time in the day to do the things I need to do and then have energy left to do what I really enjoy. It’s gotten to the point where nothing really appeals to me anymore. Now I even procrastinate on doing the fun things. I start a book and then I’m unable to finish it. Everything hangs over me and weighs me down, all the little things that constitute the daily grind seem to oppress me though they don’t seem to oppress anyone else. I feel so alone in this all the time. Even the people closest to me don’t really get it and it angers me and makes me feel completely useless. It’s at least good to know that I’m not alone.

same here, if something is not interesting to me i will avoid it like the plague (did i use that phrase properly?), if it is interesting you (meaning some on in general) will not be able to divert my attention for very long.