Struggling with motivation? Is this just my depression?

[Sir Bedlam]

Hello all,

I struggle a lot with motivation. I know my depression ties into this as well, but I feel so disconnected and demotivated, almost all the time. Especially the past few years. It's a lot harder for me to be creative these days.

Does anyone else here have the same problem? Is lack of motivation a common thing on the spectrum? Or maybe it's just depression.

 

[Judge]

Of course. Clinical depression can stifle just about anything.

Especially motivation and creativity.

Where more often than not all you can do is to wait it out. Knowing that it always comes back.

 

[Nervous Rex]

I have days like that. I've had much fewer of them since I've made getting enough sleep a priority in my life. I have a small bag of tricks to help me move forward when I'm not motivated:

• Just Get Started - I pick one small part of the task and force myself to get started on it. Once I get going, I usually get involved/invested in the task and then I want to finish it.
• Lists - I make lists of what I need to do, so I can refer to it when I'm unfocused or can't figure out what to do next.
• Break the Task Down - If I can't figure out where to start on the task, that's usually a sign that it's too much for me to think about all at once. I break the task down into smaller tasks that are easier for me to get my head around.

Surprisingly, the most common advice I get from others around me are the worst and least effective. Those are usually carrot-and-stick approaches - think about the consequences of not getting it done, or think about the reward of getting it done. Neither of those work for me. Maybe future consequences/rewards are too abstract for me.

 

[Wolfnox]

Music and exercise helps. Game designer and writer? Same skill?

 

[GadAbout]

OP, are you getting treatment for your depression? It can make a huge difference in navigating life with autism. Depression is an extremely serious illness, yet many people never go for treatment.

Yes, motivation can be off - if you are depressed - and depression is very common among people with autism. I don't think anyone knows why, for sure. Could it be due to unfortunate circumstances in childhood or current adult experience? Could it be due to limited social network? Could it even be due to the same brain wiring that makes us autistic? Nobody knows for sure.

Nervous Rex's tips were really good. Another thing I have sometimes used is a reward system, where I get a small reward for accomplishing something. This is not the future-thinking "in the end, I'll be happier if I do this." No it's more on the level of training a pigeon to peck at a button for a pellet of food. Your tiny reward could be a bowl of ice cream, or 15 minutes doing mindless stuff you like to do, such as catching up on forums or Facebook - whatever you enjoy a bit.

So here's an example: You have 3 important phone calls to make. You hate making phone calls (just an example, remember). You put it off all morning. Realizing you lack motivation, you set up a reward contingency: If I make one phone call, I will allow myself 15 minutes of slack but fun computer time. If two, 30 minutes. If all three, 45 minutes plus a bonus 15 minutes for getting all three completed.

 

[BrokenBoy]

Yeah it sucks cause I'd like to be a writer but the lack of motivation sucks. I also space off and walk out in the middle just to pace around.

 

[GadAbout]

Yeah it sucks cause I'd like to be a writer but the lack of motivation sucks. I also space off and walk out in the middle just to pace around.

Some writers force themselves to write a certain number of words or pages a day.

Hemingway - if I have the story right - made a point of finishing each day's work with a passage that made it obvious what he had to do the next writing session - thus being easier to get started next time.

 

[Major Tom]

I also struggle with motivation and task initiation. The only things that help me really are to try to remain as positive as possible and to keep on moving. I've tried about every SSRI and other drug out there, and nothing has helped with my motivational issues. In my case it's probably more depression than autism related, but I'm not sure. A lot of my depression is situational and of course a pill can't fix that.
I hope you can get on the road again and start feeling better.

 

[tducey]

Been there, depression is not easy at all. Focus on the positive in your life as well as find a hobby would be my advice for you.

 

[Aspychata]

I look back and see l am in a much better place then l was 3 years ago. A beautiful day motivates me. Find out your likes, weather, music, food, driving and tailor your must do around those things. So if you go someplace remote and enjoy the stillness that may motivate your software developer mode. Think back when you were most creative, what else were you doing at that time? Maybe there is a connection you hadn't thought of.

 

[Nervous Rex]

“Creative” and “Productive” are two separate things for me. Since a lot of people are taking about creativity, I’ve found that I am creative when I am:
1) Relaxed, like when I have spare time and no obligations.
2) Awake, not tired.
3) In a good mood.
When those 3 come together, I find myself naturally creating - writing poems, solving math problems, writing programs - all my favorite creative activities.

John Cleese gave a great lecture on how to be creative. It’s long (36 minutes!) but well worth the listen. There are also a few 1-2 minute videos that come up when I search for “John Cleese How to Be Creative” - but I don’t know what portion of the full lecture they have.

 

[Gracey]

Dopamine plays a big part in motivation.

Depression can dampen much pleasure,
keeping those pleasure pathways restricted resulting in fewer dopamine hits.

Humour works for me.
Watch or listen to someone being funny.
Amuse myself with ridiculous, nonsensical thoughts.

If I limber up my brain with 'funny' or music I enjoy, first,
I'll then go on to task.
( 'Run to the Hills' by Iron Maiden or 'Pump it' by Black Eyed Peas can see me get my game on)

I don't HAVE to complete the whole task,
just make a start or complete a section.

The lower I am, the less I want to do.
It all needs doing and nobody is going to do it for me.

Find a way to make it happen.

 

[Thinx]

Some of what people are talking about here sounds like issues relating to executive function, and our problems in this area could seem like lack of motivation, but I think it's another of these Bermuda triangle areas in our brains, like the one relating to unstructured social communication.

So I theorise that where a lot of the stuff that aids motivation is in an NT brain, we have a lack of connectivity, that affects our organisational skills and makes it hard to get on with things or even keep in mind what things need getting on with; strategies like list making, reminders, prioritising tasks, allotting time to each task, awarding rewards for starting and finishing tasks, all seem to aim to shore up this ghost town in our executive functioning.

Depression would add a different and additional layer to this, but also it could be that your executive function is less functional, I d say mines gone off a tad with age, and have heard others say so too. However, both leaving full time work and increasing my organising strategies has helped. If I build a framework, or get one from somewhere else like helpful blogs that structure creative endeavours, I find I can function quite well.