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cookMEaPOPtart t1_j63g7mh wrote

Set tiny goals, if you have projects you want to work on, just tell yourself you’ll only do X amount, you might find you do more than you thought.

For example, exercise, if you don’t want to 30 min, do 5, you may keep going once you get started but you dont have to. for me getting started is the hardest. But if you only do 5 minutes you hit your goal and you shouldn’t feel bad. Keep doing that everyday until you want to increase to 10+ or however long.

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Anthony_Delafino OP t1_j63hxtw wrote

The getting started it definitely the hardest part. Especially for the projects, since not only to I lack the motivation to start, but then I even doubt the quality or merit of the project in the first place and dishearten myself from starting.

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epipin t1_j650ueb wrote

I find it useful to include some project planning sessions before starting something. Like, plan to spend 10 minutes making a spreadsheet with steps you’ll need to do, things you might need to get together, that sort of thing. That’ll help you think through your project and help you with some of the design and implementation of it. And it’ll help you break it down into small steps, which always helps to make it seem less overwhelming. A couple of days spending 10-15 mins a day on planning and you already made a great start. So the next action is to start with the first “real” step you figured out. Maybe that’s ordering supplies. Great, do that and you’ve made some progress.

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TheWildcatGrad t1_j64o2xj wrote

I have had a very similar experience with constantly questioning the quality of my work. What I found helpful was if the project is something I really want to do, then I tell myself any mistakes are part of the learning process.

For example I'm writing my thesis. It can be really discouraging when after writing a paragraph on research results I notice that I made a mistake in analyzing my data. I've struggled with feeling like I've wasted my time since I have to redo the data analysis and rewrite the paragraph. However telling myself I was always going to make this mistake, and I must be learning since now I can see the mistake has helped me stay more motivated.

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DeadlyEssence01 t1_j64wq4p wrote

I like to remind myself that the stepping stones to good quality involve bad quality. You have to step on the stones of bad quality allowing them to take you further if you ever want to get to good quality.

And that anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.

So start by doing it poorly so you can get to the point where you do it well.

Best of luck!

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