Word of caution: The idea of "last minute hyperfocus" worked for me in high school, but it stopped working at some point when I got into college when things got harder, more complex and just generally more in volume. I realized I need to start WAY sooner and I can't just wait for the motivation to kick in. I ended up having half-assed projects and turning in unfinished papers because I told myself "I can do this later when I'm motivated" and it just made me have mental breakdowns right before the deadline, plus feeling guilty all the way during the process. So yeah it might work but it might also turn out differently
Yep. I just commented that making this a habit is unsustainable. But not only that, it also gives you a reputation that won't carry well into group/ team work.
The same thing happened to me! The problem it was that the result was similar even when I started sooner. That's why I'm trying to make these motivation tips, starting early the homework, so I can show up to do it motivated (because I wasn't motivated unless it was last minute). Edit: I mean, the skills vs. Results thing, the question, how does this task work for me, and the list of questions in the end. I choose a day, to start early the homework, but before getting to work, I've been answering this with pen and paper, and it has been giving me motivation and therefore, speed and focus, which was what I was actually struggling with (I don't really struggle with habits, but without motivation, I'm incredibly SLOW, even if I start 2 weeks early, I'm slow, and I realized I was faster with motivation)
As someone with ADHD, watching your videos makes me feel so seen and so smart. People with our chaotic sense of productivity and bubbly motivation get told off for being disorganised and indisciplined, but coming here to listen to you makes me feel not so alone. Thank you, Elizabeth. I love your content and you.
@@rosiebragg I couldn't agree more. Different brains have different strengths and needs. Tortoises do great on land and turtles do great in water. Forcing a tortoise to swim will not make it a turtle. It will make it drown. Forcing a turtle to live exclusively on land will not make it a tortoise. It will make it a racoon's lunch. /m Why would you punish people for using their strengths and force them to do work against their nature when we could all contribute different strengths to the group?
This channel is the only channel that has life and work advice that is actually useful for me and not just the stereotypical hustle culture stuff that everyone else does. Thanks!
I wish I could work a bit more like this, but it's complicated for me because I'm an engineering student, so I need to do lots and lots of practice problems. There aren't many shortcuts. I think the best trick in that case is to make sure that you have activities outside of school, otherwise your schedule is too empty, you have no time constraints, and you end up procrastinating in your bed thinking "I have the entire day to start studying so I'll start later". Basically without that, your life becomes passive and boring.
I agree. I've been struggling with this as well. I've noticed I tend to get things done only on my busy days. When I have plenty of time to do something I tend to do nothing at all. It's counterintuitive.
It's rough to be in a field of practice problems. I find also just making myself do a minimal amount a day works. Some days I'll just do a tiny amount, others I'll do tones. Being busy and just shoving this shit into a train ride from place to place or early mornings before starting stuff works too.
Yes, agreed. I work way more efficiently when I already have a time constraint (like going to work) because then my time off feels way more valuable and I waste it less
@@adoxographer I find that in these cases I absolutely need an external force, like regular classes or 1-on-1 lessons with a teacher. Otherwise it is really hard to keep it consistent.
Holy-wow. This is the first time I'm hearing a productivity video talk about emotional problems. My work has been so focused with helping students and people using their emotions as a strength instead of ignoring and making them a barrier, because we have all fooled ourselves into thinking that we are rational and if it is right in our mind, we'll do it, but actually we are just emotional and social beings and our motivation, effeciency everything is based on these. So thank you Elizabeth for thiss!
That's so right and I haven't thought of it that way. You've put my thoughts into words. People like to think we're rational & in control, but really we're just humans.
I think this is too binary and incorrect. You're doing the same thing that the "other side" is doing that you disagree with. It would be better to acknowledge both sides of humanity which includes both rationality + reason and emotions.
Your work perspective and tips are so ADHD-friendly! I was diagnosed last year and still struggle with trying to fit in the "typical" working method, and find myself discouraged and with low self-esteem. But your videos have definitely reignited the way I used to go through tasks when I was in school and uni, which worked so well for me until pressure and shaming from others made me try to change. Slowly, I'm trying to get back to what works for me, shame and guilt free. Great video, once again💖
I had the same thought about her last videos, normal routines and habits are just extremely hard to implement with ADHD (or at least for me). I got finally diagnosed in uni last year, so I'm still trying to figure out what works best, beside the "procrastinate-panic-get stuff done" route 😂 For me and my current exam-time with copious amounts of memorization, the only two things that are able to keep me at the desk studying is 1. enough cardio and 2. meds (focusing with meds is sooo much easier, I can't even put it into words, its such a relief not to constantly have to fight my brain to stay on task)
@@octopiinthesky44 Totally agree! The meds and outlets for the extra physical and mental restlessness are so, so important and a game changer. The thing I struggle with the most now that I’ve entered professional life is the “neurotypical working standard”, because although I take the meds and they help me focus and stay on task, they don’t exactly change the way my brain *is*, so having this other perspective that encompasses that mechanic and is just another route to also get things successfuly going is really helpful and honestly so validating. Always glad to see fellow brains on the quest of self-acceptance and growth 💖 all success to you!
@@raquelluz6585 Yeah as someone with ADD, this resonates with me so much, this is exactly the kind of thing I've been trying to work out in my head and explain to people. Idk, do you find that often (non-AD(H)D) people around you (with no bad intentions) will tend to react negative towards this kind of approach? That's been my experience often.
@@lotoreo yes, I can very much relate to that, and I feel that frustration often comes from authority figures, like parents and, in the past, teachers. No matter how good of a result I got, they always thought I could’ve achieved better if only I’d done things they way THEY saw fit. I guess that’s a struggle that we’ll always have to face. I just try to think that they don’t mean badly, but that also conforming to those standards would just make me (and people like me) way more miserable and also constrict the full potential of our capacities. It’s a bit of compromising on both parts, I’ve been finding, and open dialogue fixes (most) of those bumps
your approach to chaotic motivation actually changed my life in a way. starting from the fact that i now feel normal?? just because i see a person whos mind works like that and it works for her?? and ending with amazing useful tips. thank you so, so much, Elizabeth i almost stopped feeling like I'm forcing myself to do stuff, and the associated guilt is mostly gone
I feel so represented by this chaotic style of super focused and engaged when motivated and unproductive or dumb when not. Thank you for sharing this so we all chaothic people don't have to start from the ground to figure out how to be effective with our proyects and ambitions
This resonates HARD for my ADHD / neurodiverse self. Literally cannot do anything without motivation, but I can do ANYTHING with the proper motivation. Don't know if you purposely market to the neurodiverse crowd, but I know for sure that we can benefit from your wisdom. Thank you for creating 🙏
SAME. It feels like I am losing knowledge while I study with no motivation. I got around 50%~ on 2/3 exams because I started preparing each exam one week before each date, and I ended up with too much time to study for them; I was feeling so unmotivated and it was really hard to get anything into my brain lol but I did all I could.
in the big five personality I'm high on openness, neuroticism, and very low on conscientiousness. I was told that in order to be successful, I need to grow at least some conscientiousness (e.g. being more organised, consistent, have habits and so on), like it is entirely not possible to have good grades, career, and good life otherwise. But I am fine, as long as I don't try to force a structure on myself, I am doing well. I went through school, university, moving to a different county, getting another master's degree, building a career. And I am delighted to see these videos from somebody who is similar to me. I reflect on myself and my past, and realise that I was wasting sooo much energy and time trying to be "proper student" or "diligent worker", when in fact it is just not how I work.
I've reached a point in my life where I have a lot of arbitrary work and have been experimenting with ways to shift my motivation from being anxiety driven to positive sources - this feels like a shortcut to what I've been trying to work out myself! Thank you so much Elizabeth for going through what I'm sure were years of struggle, trial and error, and frustration to figure out these ways of looking at the world. By sharing you are helping all of us here live fuller lives than we ever would alone.
I had that "motivation anxiety" to do things years ago and it turned into an actual anxiety disorder that doesnt let me do any tasks I'm anxious abut rn. Still looking for what works for me to not get anxious, but for now it's just sitting to do sth when I'm most chill and have no fear. I'm genuinely thankful to your channel for showing me that I dont have to necessarily stick to a routine, and showing that chaotic work can work better for some people. I feel like this idea let my mind relax a bit more and let me not work when I get anxious but get to work when I'm chill which lets me go into the float state for hours which I missed for the past 1-2 years. I love those videos. I love to get things that might work for me out of them. Great job making them
This is exactly how my ADHD brain works! I was diagnosed late and struggled to stick to routines but would have bouts of motivation (what I now know were hyperfocus). Finding a reason to do the tasks that aligns with my interests is exactly what I need. Also the meds helped a little lol
That is exactly how I went through school with adhd until depression and other stuff. I forgot how I did what I did and you reminded me how I work best. THANK YOU
I relate to this so much. I'm someone who considers herself intelligent and able to get shit done, but I am absolutely not a type A person and I prefer disorganized bursts of doing work when I feel really passionate about something rather than doing things on a scheduled or consistent basis. I've always felt this was a bad thing or made me 'lazy' but finding your channel has completely turned around my thinking and I've never found someone who I could relate to so much in this aspect. Thank you for your content
This is an interesting take because it is the complete opposite on my view for getting things done, which is that motivation is a terrible motivator and that habits are the key to getting work done when you have no deadline. I've found in my life when I rely on my motivation to complete my personal projects, I never get anything done. I think your approach can only work for people who are naturally highly motivated. I'd love to see a video that dives more into these archetypes of person and how they best get things done.
This is me. One thing I’ve found is actually scheduling things like I am working a part time job or going to a class. I am obligated to go to class, so I go, do the work in that environment, and then I’m done. So for personal projects, I set a day and time and then cater the environment around that task. It means a lot more of my time and energy are gone into catering my space to the work (if I’m gonna write, maybe I have to actually go to the library with headphones vs just sitting at my desk and writing). But this also means that I set boundaries around my work and I can get things done faster.
Such a relief to hear someone saying this I have recently read "Atomic habits" and I tried so hard to apply the ideas and build habits to follow them no matter what but it just never worked for me so I felt kinda guilty but when I watched this video it just helped me to understand myself more and acknowledge that i don't have to do this and just work my way
That's why I need a whole morning of building up either motivation or anxiety to do stuff and don't get (harder) work done before noon... Yeah, I could sit down after waking up but I will be unfocused and uninterested. I tried. Many times. So I'm grateful I found your channel! Finally, I don't feel lazy for doing stuff only when I'm in the mood! Accepting that I just work that way and it doesn't make me a worse person than anyone else made me 100% more productive and I enjoy the time spent on those projects a lot more!
This was amazing. I work full time, I'm in undergraduate school, I have a big test for grad school coming up next month, and I am a mom to a 3 year old. And I have ADHD. I am always putting myself down and getting so frustrated that I can't just do the tasks, and I find it harder to recollect necessary information for exams because I did not sufficiently study. My brain never wants to do Organic Chemistry. I am in my second semester, and every time I go to do something with it, my brain just goes "nope". I love the sharpening the axe story, and I took a ton of notes to remind myself about what you said. I am very excited to start tomorrow fresh and see if I can motivate myself.
Same, except I am doing school f/t and not working and also have 3 kids (1 on the spectrum, 1 who also has adhd, and a teenage daughter who most likely also has adhd) and a husband with bpd! Life is chaotic to say the least so I am right here with you…I love how I am immediately motivated to now do some of the tasks I am more interested in but keep putting off as I have boring school work to do and instead end up doing neither (adhd paralysis)! Feels like I have just had a brilliant stoner like idea or theory, but I’m completely sober 😂🎉 cheers to getting stuff done!
These videos are a really nice antidote to the way I *tried* to work in the past, but never could stick to. I also really like how emotionally aware this advice is. I've just started over the last year to be able to allow and recognize emotions a lot more - after spending decades mastering the art of suppressing them. It already makes a huge difference in my quality of life. And with your help, I'm starting to realize how I can use these new emotional skills not only for mental health but also for work and fun projects. Thank you.
The entire time you were describing your working style , I was thinking wow there are other people like me . People often nag me for not being disciplined enough , accuse me of studying secretly and so on . It has got to a point where I am forcing rigid schedules on myself, just so they stop talking. Listening to you was the affirmation I needed badly. Thank you
As an individual that likes optimization, tasks and habits, I've still found some pretty useful advice in order to increase my motivation. Loved the "Skill vs Results" tool. Cheers!
This is what I learned in teaching math as a "weird-elizabeth-type" person. Everyone can learn math, not everyone can learn it the way their teacher teaches. In classrooms teachers don't have time to teach all the ways, hence the most "common/neurotypical" method is the only one taught, leading people to think they aren't a math person and something must be wrong with them bc they don't "get it" THAT way. So I give students 5+ different ways to solve a problem, until the "click" moment, and they go on to only use the one that "works for their brain" / is simplest TO THEM. It could even look the same on paper, just a different mental train to get there. :) Woowee, thx for paving/articulating this niche, lots of creative beauty on the horizon from those you've validated with speaking out
Thank you for bringing a new point of view to the discipline conversation. I now think of my brain in a more positive way than before. Over a year ago, I wrote my own take on discipline and I described it as: **Be like lightning.** - Prepare like a storm. - Strike once. - Strike hard. - Move on to the next thing.
Hi Elizabeth, coming from the "You're not lazy" and "Everything I regret about my 20s" video, i would like to suggest to you a book I've recently read "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" from David Epstein. It's been of extreme help with acknowledgeing and accepting the way I am and I think it can be of help to you aswell. Being someone who optimizes for passion instead of consistency puts me naturally in a bad spot in today's society as I can't see myself ever specializing in a single field, which at first glance may seem the only route to success. Athletes, musicians, etc they all started young. However, as the book showed me and hopefully will show you, the real picture is much different. Tons of people who changed the world did so thanks to their widest and broadest of interests which made them see the bigger picture while everyone else was deep in the tiny details. I do find myself passionate for extremely different and constantly changing things, and thanks to this book and its insights, I finally felt understood and learnt that there is a place for people like me.
Thank you so much for sharing. I've been really struggling with this issue lately. Your comment reminded of a Ted talk I'd watched before, and it turns out it was by David Epstein himself! Guess I know what I'm reading tonight!
Omg! I didn't realise I was already doing the "motivate myself" method! I love learning new things and watching videos about something and overtime it builds this immense creative energy that fuels me to go and do something new and different. Fantastic work on summarising all this!!
As a homeschooler this really hit home to me and made me feel better! I do everything in my pace. Studies. Projects. Everything that I need to do I do more or less 2 weeks before the deadline because for some reason that's the time I'm most motivated and I don't even panic that I'm doing a everything near the deadline 'cause I know my limits and I know I'll make it. Then I hear other homeschoolers saying that they studied this and that today, or that they were really panicking 'cause portfolio review is near. Which made me guilty 'cause I don't study that much daily or that I'm attending fun events even though the tests is near and I still get good to great scores. So I tried to schedule everything-like when to do my projects or how long per subject daily I should study. But they just lessened my motivation and the quality of my output. They just basically made me feel bad 'cause I couldn't follow even half of it and I just end up cramming. Which made me more lazy for the next quarter since I was seeing studying & doing projects as a negative thing 'cause I was suffering last quarter with it. So seeing your video really assured me that it's okay to do everything at my pace and there was nothing wrong all along😊. Thank you!
This is how I am, but I never had words to explain this eloquently. But you are deeply explaining the structure of my chaos. (The beginning was me all throughout college-- I'm 41 now). I am so excited I have found this channel.
Elizabeth this has to be one of your videos that has changed my mindset about doing work, and being productive. I was arguing in my mind before when you said if I don't feel like doing something now and then, I shouldn't do it until I feel motivated to do it. Me that knows myself, I would procrastinate the heck out of that task 😂😂, but thanks for the clarification on how I can build motivation to do that task, it really helped!.
It takes a long time to really become productive. I guess it also depends on how much disipline you have. The goal really is to create that system that works for you and you will have to try out many things to find out the ones that relly work for you.
Thank you my friend. As a person struggling with lack of motivation and apparent progress that feels crippling and completely foreign to everyone besides me, it feels like a hug to my brain to know that others feel this too, but especially that this way our intuition feels about getting tasks done isn’t wrong despite what society would dictate, but needs to be embraced and honed
I love how I can play this at 0.75 speed and it sounds normal xD Also, this is vital advice, especially for writers. I am so tired of hearing i need to write everyday to get somewhere. It just .akes the whole process a chore instead of being fun. And I want it to be fun, because creating is what makes me happy. So now, I only write when I feel like it, and I can enjoy it.
I 100% resonate with what you're describing. I ran into a huge wall when I became a parent. The times when I would be able to apply myself with focus, I was overwhelmed with exaustion. I had increased demands at work and at home. There unfortunately isn't always the luxury for 'waiting for motivation'. After years, i'm still trying to figure out how to manage productivity.
I think what you and James Clear have in common is that how much emphasis both of y'all put on gentle systems that work for every individual. I strongly believe that mood follows action, and habits are really important to save us from creating havoc in our life. Motivational mapping or doing deep work at a stretch can only work when you actually have developed the habit of sitting through long study hours or have developed focus stamina. I have tried studying or doing deep work at a stretch because I often have issues with concentration and focus, but I think what I have realised was I need to first get into the "habit" of studying. To make it less dreadful and scary before actually coming up with a system like yours where it's okay to study more on one day and less or not at all the next. I think the first step for most people should always be to get "used" to passively or actively to the habit of studying. More like Touching the equipment before using it. Or like you said in one of your videos, sharpening the axe before chopping. You cannot study for long hours on a single day or days, if you find studying very scary or it is something that makes you anxious, those fears generally lead to procrastination. Making the experience enjoyable even if it's for an hour a day, and slowly building up is what is most important. It's a sense of autonomy that we need to feel while doing that. It's a choice and reminding ourselves that makes the journey easier and healthy.
This video and another one of yours made me remember that I used to have a similar policy in high school (a time I was a lot more productive/efficient) that was "I only do what I want and if I have to do something I make sure I want to do it in order to do it". I don't know why or how I completely forgot about that. Wow...needless to say I will be applying it again. Thank you
I'm so damn happy i stumbled on this channel. I used to be like that and to be super efficient even though being a complete damn mess at the same time. I've spent so much energy trying to be less of a mess in the last years that i've ended up burning the energy that made me efficient as a mess. I'm definitely a lot less productive and efficient right now then i used to be, i was starting to wonder about just embrassing being this mess, but never actually started rewinding that path. Your videos are extremely important for people like us, thank you so much Elizabeth.
You really radiate motivation and share high quality scientific based techniques. Really appreciate your work. As a person with ADD I do really understand how undervalued emotions usually are, Could you do a video in which you talk more about techniques on managing emotions for effective studying? Thank you!
Sharpening the axe - motivating myself is something that I have to do, but I always whatched it like I am wasting my time😢. Dear Lord, was I wrong. I just have to embrace it and work that way, not to force myself to be someone else❤. Thank you for opening my eyes 😅
I just discovered your channel and your videos have already helped me so much. Could you maybe make a video about what to do if there are so many things you would like to do and learn? I have 1000 things that interest me and I can never decide, what to do or what to learn first, so I just end up in paralysis doing nothing. Thank you so much for all the work you do!
As someone who has felt so guilty in the past for being 'lazy' (often reinforced by the opinions of other people) because I know I don't need to spend as long on a project as it seems my peers do, saying you don't care whether it looks like you're procrastinating is EVERYTHING to me. Thank you for showing me that I'm not alone and that I can have confidence that I know what works for me.
When i was in uni ten years ago I relied on last minute stress and burned out. Bad strategies can be quite damaging. I love seeing how you focus on understanding yourself and working with your own strengths, I'm doing the same sort of work myself. I truly believe we all need our own methods and not get so caught up with "what people say" or whatever ideas we might have of how things should be.
I'm a bit more organized and am better at prioritizing, but nothing major. I've worked on my perfectionism, which is mostly why I procrastinated. I try to get things done whether it's good or not, and trust that I will improve over time and find new ways of doing things by actively trying out new ideas instead of worrying. So mostly mindset stuff.
I'm definitely more creative now. I used to be really worried about meeting expectations and such, and I'm still letting go of some of that. A bit more freedom and playfulness has been helpful, including in everyday life and in small things too. I hope you'll find a way soon enough
I think its still important to have the ability to endure a task that you cannot become motivated for, as those unfortunately will crop up for most people often Though I do like the techniques you gave here to increase your motivation, mostly the part where you spend some time thinking about the inherent value of a task to avoid that nasty feeling of it being pointless I suppose its possible to look at almost any task and find some benefit in doing it, within reason
I found your channel a few days ago and I'm absolutely in love with the way you function! It really makes me feel good seeing that its not just me not being able to fit into the productivity culture going on. Everything I've watched from you so far really helps me shape my surfacing thoughts lately
thank you I have an exam in 2 days and was struggling to study specially yesterday was so motivating watching your video right before starting studying
This type of content is GOLD! I feel like I’m in the middle of the way of how you describe your work and how the others UA-camrs / gurus / writers describe it. Like I go through some phases throughout the year that I just feel like following a fixed schedule and planning my week (and sticking to it) and phases where I just do the things I need to when I want to. So your videos are so great to understand that this is how life works and it doesn’t have to be all “planning” and being “that girl” if I simply don’t want to sometimes 😂
The table of contents for the video is helpful. I took a screenshot and saved it in my notes to quickly see what you talked about in the video without having to rewatch the entire video. I'll revisit the video later and actually take more detailed notes.
thank you for the tips, Elizabeth! i've been a procrastinator my whole life and i do really resonate with how you only do work when you feel like it. so far i've only been able to do work when the deadline is near but i will definitely try out the tips you've mentioned on how to increase my motivation for doing certain tasks :)
I love how motivated this video made me after I watched it! And I love how you give your personal examples in everything you are posting. I am a medical student as well in my last year, I adore your enthusiasm and this motivates me to be the best version of Gabriela.
Even as someone who's completely habit-driven (I genuinely need to organize every minute of my life beforehand), I found this video incredibly valuable. The 4 steps you described as tools for sharpening the axe will undoubtedly enhance my performance in tackling tasks. Thank you so much for sharing.
One of my classes gave us a bunch of links to read about course material instead of a textbook. What do you know, it was the first time I actually had fun reading for a course and I even went off and researched other related things whenever I thought of questions. It didn’t last forever, only an hour or two, but I hope that I can get better at doing this strategy for longer without getting tired since everything you read just sticks more and makes more sense when you’re motivated and you’re learning because you want to. Or, maybe I just need to take a break when I feel like my battery is running out and come back recharged. It’s not completely related to this video, but it closely mirrors some advice you gave in another video, so I’m here to say it really works! P.S. You should reach out to How To ADHD. It’s a quite large channel with some life tips for people with ADHD. I’ve seen a lot of comments on your channel about people with ADHD resonating with your videos (I have it too) and I think it could be a useful perspective to share. I’ve seen videos from How To ADHD about getting more organized, but I don’t remember if I’ve seen anything about living Chaotically Organized.
I love your posts! Somehow you share a lot of my characteristics in terms of motivation and work and the result is that you cover a lot of tips and conceptual models that exactly fit how I think about things. Your posts have been super relevant and helpful!!
The OLNY UA-camr who make really helpful and useful stuff about this motivation/study/doing things u have to do kind of subject Tnks , you helped me a LOT
thnks for adressing problems like mental barriers , cause really everyone is preaching discipline , fear of failure , hyper motivation , but sometimes while doing arbitary work you start lagging , thanks , i was having such a long plateau , hope i will break it
I pushed myself so much trying to follow Mel Robbins advice and 5 second rule.. and was so frustrated it didn’t really work or bring me the joy I was expecting. I’m soo happy I found you as an approval that you can move in your pace, listen to your feelings and still be successful and get things done ❤️
THANK YOU. I love this. I have adhd. I have been telling myself all week that I need to do my therapy notes because I got way behind in a depressive episode of my own. and yet I KNOW that on the weekend after a good rest I actually don't mind my notes. sometimes I even get really excited to do them because I get to review and reinforce my knowledge as far as the treatment I'm doing and pull out my textbooks and things and really get a chance to learn (which I do feel excited about and still have a passion for and care about and in turn that makes me a better therapist) but since somebody whose brain doesn't work the same way as mine told me I should never ever ever do my paperwork on the weekend because for THEM that's a bad work/life balance...I've been trying to force myself to do them at the end of the work day for over 3 years now. and hearing you talk about the efficiency when you're bored versus motivated just helped me realize that I'm actually probably making myself have a lot worse work life balance than if I stopped trying to force myself to do them when I'm bored, unmotivated, tired at the end of the work day and let myself do what I actually feel like doing at those times and do my notes for an hour or two on the weekends I'll probably actually save a bunch of time. cause right now I'm probably trying to take an hour or two each night and not getting many done at that time... which is part of how I got behind. I'm sure there will be times that I can't spare hours on the weekends that I'll have to force myself to do it in those boring times... but thank you for helping me realize it's ok to work with my brain on this 🥰
Hi Elizabeth, I hope you're doing great. I just wanted to tell you that every now and then I come back to this video, and there's one thing that amazes me every time: the level of self-respect you have for yourself. I really admire you for accepting how you function and respecting it to full potentiality! Lots of love ❤
I have watched countles videos about studying, time management and motivation, and this is the first time, when I feel understood, and finally I can imagine, that I can do my tasks. Thank you!
It's curious that from time to time I have these sessions of bing watching your old videos and every time I take something different out of them Huge fan of your work!
YOU, and im not exagerating, have changed the way i see myself and allow myself to do work. i think i've forgiven myself for not being disciplined and habit driven, which is something my therapist has been telling me!!! thank you for sharing your experience, seriously
This may be the most life changing video I've ever watched. 😮 Something that happens quite often with me is that I condition myself to get started when another goal is complete. I will start on that project when I have more money, I will move when I have established myself more in my career- even things as simple as making the bed I will only do when I've worked out. But then I never get around to doing those things and eventually end up stuck in a cycle of procrastination.
You really understand yourself. I just don't understand myself at all, there are things that i want to do, that will be good for me, and i just can't manage to do them and i don't know why. I can't rely on the last minute anxiety because, for me, it makes things worse (and a large part of things i want to do don't work like that). Guess i'll need to look and try your ways and different ways of sharpening my axe.
My own passion driven motivation almost led me to not click on this video but I'm glad my intuition led me to you! I feel incredibly understood and I'm so excited to watch the rest of your videos. I have always been excited to be organized and live that aesthetic habitual life, where everything is clean all the time and I'm doing all the right things. But I've never been able to accomplish it with habits because I'm not a consistency driven individual. I have beaten myself up over not being able to live like this and felt guilt and shame for feeling like I am lazy. I think this method with the passion driven calendar is going to work amazing for me for my arbitrary work! Thank you so much!!
The most realistic UA-camr I have ever seen (regarding these topic, and I’m sure she is very realistic and honest in general too.) But really, I LOVE HER!!! She is the first person ever to make me feel okay about my own “discipline” type and how I do things. I love her so much. Finally, for the first time of my life I fab work towards my goals and dreams without having that inner mental fight of neglecting my nature&how I work. I love her😭😭😭😭🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
0:37 I'm the friend that worked for six weeks 😂 but really, I watch your videos about motivation precisely because of that. Withouth motivation I work slow, which is why I need those 6 weeks, but without motivation I don't only work slowly I ALSO produce crappy work, so I wasted time, I might as well have done it 3 days before the due date. Even in the activities that I like doing with habits, I hate showing up with blunt ax: tasks that could take me 5 days take 2 weeks that way. The tips you give in this video, have helped me want to work even withouth a close deadline AND it isn't crappy work. I'm not there yet, but I hope one day I can produce work I'm actually proud of (because currently I'm online and it's hard for me to have motivation in general like this, therefore, my work is meh in general, but I'm looking forward to my thesis, which will be on something I'm actually interested in, and I'm going to go in real life to places, so looking forward to that!)
Omg, this is enlightening! I work this way but despite very good results I feel guilty most of the time for „wasting time”. Huh. Thanks for this video :)
I always think like this but when I see people that work like robots, on time with leaser focus I get disappointed and sorry for myself. Now I realize why I deleted the deadline on my personal projects, why I prefer multiple goals and projects over single goals and projects. And why I hate habits. You prove that we can do more and get more things done without been robots. Thank you.
Don't who are you... You're like one magic bullet for all of my problems... Literally providing solutions for all of my struggles..... So lucky to find your channel
I think you're my favorite UA-camr now 😅 This resonates so hard with my temperament and interests. Results aren't enough to motivate me many times, but building/improving skills ALWAYS peaks my interest. ❤ Thank you!
You are an angel sent here to teach us all things that are retrospectively so obvious but we would’ve otherwise never learned ourselves and suffered for many lifetimes
This is so wonderful. I am very similar. I like the idea of being Chaotically Organised and Chaotically Passionate. Life straight after university and the pressures of society needing me to "do more" and "be more productive" plus the rabbit hole of productivity-youtube I have been under for the last coupe of years, has led to life feeling boring and me not getting any arbitrary work done (as you put it). Recently though I have been allowing myself to just complete these tasks when I feel motivated and surprise, I am getting through the arbitrary work just fine. The thing I am finding difficult to balance now is to be compassionate and understanding with myself when I do not feel like doing arbitrary work and trusting that I will find a way when I have sharpened my axe.
I love your videos because I know all these things but you organized them very clearly and shared in a video. So it's like a glossary of my mind for when I'm overwhelmed and disoriented. I've been struggling with motivation ever since I came back from the best and most emotional vacations of my life, but now I watched this video and I'm like "Yes, right, that's how I do it. Let's go!". Thank you so much 🙏🏻 ❤️
Yeah, it was because of a video of yours that showed up on my recommended recently that I realized I'm a chaotic person, so to speak. It was during exam season and I had only 1 university Final exam left when I saw that video of yours. Instead of beating myself up for always leaving things until last minute, I just allowed things to happen. I studied for 2 or 3 hours per 4 or 5 days before the exam, and passed just fine. I didn't lose my sanity over having to study way ahead of time and bit by bit, which other youtubers keep telling you to do. Your videos truly helped, to be honest. Countless creators talk about schedules/routines, something I've always hated to do with a passion. I hate being forced into a box. So it was relieving to see someone who's just like me and who already learned how to work through this more chaotic way of being.
So awesome to find someone like me. Thanks for sharing. Super insightful especially shifting focus from results onto skills. For me, working smarter is about getting clarity so I’m only doing what brings results, using the 80/20 rule, being an essentialist. And the questions you mentioned are also part of the getting clarity work I do to understand also why I am procrastinating etc..
Here I am, almost midnight, and tomorrow I have a test for which I have not yet studied. When I got into college I tried to be consistent, and I actually was, but I really didn't learn anything in those study sessions, so I realized it was all a big waste of time for me. I started studying last minute again and, to my surprise, I got great results consistently. Sometimes I feel a little bit like a fraud or that it's all luck, or that one day this "immoral" way of studying will end up betraying me. But there's no way to fight it, it works and I only enjoy studying like that. Sometimes we just have to accept that we work differently and if we feel good doing it then it doesn't matter what others think about it.
Thank you for your amazing self, hardwork and determination. Please do more videos of how to unwind after school or work quickly in order to revise. Also, could you kindly do a video on how to deal with failures in academic/ professional settings? Thank you so much for everything.
Omg this is so accurate for me. Whenever I need to submit something for uni I start so early and tell myself I’ll stick to a strict schedule. Then I can’t focus and wats time trying to work but I still end up doing most of the work on the last days which is exhausting but usually It works and I’ll get a good grade. But I can’t help but feel like a failure because there’s this notion that working like that is unproductive and we’re supposed to plan everything neatly and stick to it.
This is amazing advice. I used to always try to fit in the 'normal' and structured way of work and it would work for a week. Then, i'd stop and feel lazy and bad about myself. This video really made me feel less quilty about doing work when i want to, instead of when it is expected. I have ADHD and have seen it as a problem or something keeping me from success. But with your methods i actually get my work done and get myself motivated. I've realised that i just have to find my passion for things and follow it more. Thank you!
I agree with this so much! As a uni student I have struggled with studying for exams for a long time. We get a long exam season and I never knew how to manage them. I finally decided regular studying is necessary, but I need to do it well. So I decide what tasks have to be completed for each course throughout the semester and which can be done during exam season. Then I have some arbitrary deadlines and I complete those tasks only when I am motivated to work. Since I started holding myself for the same standards as I would for exams even for my “small tasks” I study much better and more productively. For me the real productivity comes from a mix of habits and good management of my state of mind. I need some habits to start my work, because sometimes I am motivated, but I’m still lazy. So putting on forest or forcing myself to just sit at the desk and open the slides from a class is still essential to me. If I get a spark I start, if I really don’t feel like it, I don’t.
I have never been able to follow or adapt the study techniques and advice from friends family or websites.... and I always blamed myself that I wasn't trying hard enough ..... that everyone can do this so why can't i....... every week I would feel sad because I could not complete predetermined goals that I had set up. I would do things at the last minute and get good results but I never believed them.....I used to think that maybe I'm not really good ...it's just a one time thing........ But ever since finding your channel my whole perspective has changed......... I have started to accept that I don't function like most normal people do...... I have learnt to accept that my methods may be unorthodox but they work for me and that's important. You have no idea how much You have changed by life for the better........So thankyou for helping me accept myself the way I am!!! :)
Word of caution: The idea of "last minute hyperfocus" worked for me in high school, but it stopped working at some point when I got into college when things got harder, more complex and just generally more in volume. I realized I need to start WAY sooner and I can't just wait for the motivation to kick in. I ended up having half-assed projects and turning in unfinished papers because I told myself "I can do this later when I'm motivated" and it just made me have mental breakdowns right before the deadline, plus feeling guilty all the way during the process. So yeah it might work but it might also turn out differently
Yep. I just commented that making this a habit is unsustainable. But not only that, it also gives you a reputation that won't carry well into group/ team work.
It's really difficult to just wait for motivation when you have work to get done.
this is so resonate to me😫...pls give me some advice
Thank you for acknowledging this!
The same thing happened to me! The problem it was that the result was similar even when I started sooner. That's why I'm trying to make these motivation tips, starting early the homework, so I can show up to do it motivated (because I wasn't motivated unless it was last minute). Edit: I mean, the skills vs. Results thing, the question, how does this task work for me, and the list of questions in the end. I choose a day, to start early the homework, but before getting to work, I've been answering this with pen and paper, and it has been giving me motivation and therefore, speed and focus, which was what I was actually struggling with (I don't really struggle with habits, but without motivation, I'm incredibly SLOW, even if I start 2 weeks early, I'm slow, and I realized I was faster with motivation)
As someone with ADHD, watching your videos makes me feel so seen and so smart. People with our chaotic sense of productivity and bubbly motivation get told off for being disorganised and indisciplined, but coming here to listen to you makes me feel not so alone. Thank you, Elizabeth. I love your content and you.
Lol reading this comment is making me question if I have ADHD 🤯
As someone with adhd, same.
Adhder here as well! You summarized exactly how I feel 😭🙌🏻
Came here to say this. Adhd is a superpower
same, but I have add
Really appreciate how you acknowledged that this doesn't work for all people! Too often productivity advice tends to paint with a large paint brush.
Couldn’t have said it better. This mindset does f work for me but it’s so interesting to learn about people who can work like this
Very true, its always important to consider that we and our situations are all different!
@@rosiebragg I couldn't agree more. Different brains have different strengths and needs. Tortoises do great on land and turtles do great in water. Forcing a tortoise to swim will not make it a turtle. It will make it drown. Forcing a turtle to live exclusively on land will not make it a tortoise. It will make it a racoon's lunch. /m Why would you punish people for using their strengths and force them to do work against their nature when we could all contribute different strengths to the group?
i especially liked this comment to move it from 999 to 1k 😀
@@jehotatee8283 lp
This channel is the only channel that has life and work advice that is actually useful for me and not just the stereotypical hustle culture stuff that everyone else does. Thanks!
Facts!
So true.
Agree. Just discovered her & I’m finally home. This is a safe space without feeling like you have to conform to the norm.
So well said!
YES.
I wish I could work a bit more like this, but it's complicated for me because I'm an engineering student, so I need to do lots and lots of practice problems. There aren't many shortcuts. I think the best trick in that case is to make sure that you have activities outside of school, otherwise your schedule is too empty, you have no time constraints, and you end up procrastinating in your bed thinking "I have the entire day to start studying so I'll start later". Basically without that, your life becomes passive and boring.
I agree. I've been struggling with this as well. I've noticed I tend to get things done only on my busy days. When I have plenty of time to do something I tend to do nothing at all. It's counterintuitive.
It's rough to be in a field of practice problems. I find also just making myself do a minimal amount a day works. Some days I'll just do a tiny amount, others I'll do tones. Being busy and just shoving this shit into a train ride from place to place or early mornings before starting stuff works too.
Exactly. For math, languages, music etc, last minute doesn't work. you need to practice every day.
Yes, agreed. I work way more efficiently when I already have a time constraint (like going to work) because then my time off feels way more valuable and I waste it less
@@adoxographer I find that in these cases I absolutely need an external force, like regular classes or 1-on-1 lessons with a teacher. Otherwise it is really hard to keep it consistent.
Holy-wow. This is the first time I'm hearing a productivity video talk about emotional problems. My work has been so focused with helping students and people using their emotions as a strength instead of ignoring and making them a barrier, because we have all fooled ourselves into thinking that we are rational and if it is right in our mind, we'll do it, but actually we are just emotional and social beings and our motivation, effeciency everything is based on these. So thank you Elizabeth for thiss!
That's so right and I haven't thought of it that way. You've put my thoughts into words. People like to think we're rational & in control, but really we're just humans.
I love this comment!
I think this is too binary and incorrect. You're doing the same thing that the "other side" is doing that you disagree with. It would be better to acknowledge both sides of humanity which includes both rationality + reason and emotions.
Your work perspective and tips are so ADHD-friendly! I was diagnosed last year and still struggle with trying to fit in the "typical" working method, and find myself discouraged and with low self-esteem. But your videos have definitely reignited the way I used to go through tasks when I was in school and uni, which worked so well for me until pressure and shaming from others made me try to change. Slowly, I'm trying to get back to what works for me, shame and guilt free. Great video, once again💖
I had the same thought about her last videos, normal routines and habits are just extremely hard to implement with ADHD (or at least for me). I got finally diagnosed in uni last year, so I'm still trying to figure out what works best, beside the "procrastinate-panic-get stuff done" route 😂
For me and my current exam-time with copious amounts of memorization, the only two things that are able to keep me at the desk studying is 1. enough cardio and 2. meds (focusing with meds is sooo much easier, I can't even put it into words, its such a relief not to constantly have to fight my brain to stay on task)
@@octopiinthesky44 Totally agree! The meds and outlets for the extra physical and mental restlessness are so, so important and a game changer. The thing I struggle with the most now that I’ve entered professional life is the “neurotypical working standard”, because although I take the meds and they help me focus and stay on task, they don’t exactly change the way my brain *is*, so having this other perspective that encompasses that mechanic and is just another route to also get things successfuly going is really helpful and honestly so validating.
Always glad to see fellow brains on the quest of self-acceptance and growth 💖 all success to you!
@@raquelluz6585 Yeah as someone with ADD, this resonates with me so much, this is exactly the kind of thing I've been trying to work out in my head and explain to people. Idk, do you find that often (non-AD(H)D) people around you (with no bad intentions) will tend to react negative towards this kind of approach? That's been my experience often.
@@lotoreo yes, I can very much relate to that, and I feel that frustration often comes from authority figures, like parents and, in the past, teachers. No matter how good of a result I got, they always thought I could’ve achieved better if only I’d done things they way THEY saw fit. I guess that’s a struggle that we’ll always have to face. I just try to think that they don’t mean badly, but that also conforming to those standards would just make me (and people like me) way more miserable and also constrict the full potential of our capacities. It’s a bit of compromising on both parts, I’ve been finding, and open dialogue fixes (most) of those bumps
@@raquelluz6585 amen to that, I'm glad I'm not the only one who experienced this and that it's not just a problem particular to me
your approach to chaotic motivation actually changed my life in a way. starting from the fact that i now feel normal?? just because i see a person whos mind works like that and it works for her?? and ending with amazing useful tips. thank you so, so much, Elizabeth
i almost stopped feeling like I'm forcing myself to do stuff, and the associated guilt is mostly gone
❤😮thank.
I feel so represented by this chaotic style of super focused and engaged when motivated and unproductive or dumb when not. Thank you for sharing this so we all chaothic people don't have to start from the ground to figure out how to be effective with our proyects and ambitions
This resonates HARD for my ADHD / neurodiverse self. Literally cannot do anything without motivation, but I can do ANYTHING with the proper motivation.
Don't know if you purposely market to the neurodiverse crowd, but I know for sure that we can benefit from your wisdom. Thank you for creating 🙏
That second sentence HEAVILY resonated with ME oh my
@@koduaaaa 😊
SAME. It feels like I am losing knowledge while I study with no motivation.
I got around 50%~ on 2/3 exams because I started preparing each exam one week before each date, and I ended up with too much time to study for them; I was feeling so unmotivated and it was really hard to get anything into my brain lol but I did all I could.
in the big five personality I'm high on openness, neuroticism, and very low on conscientiousness. I was told that in order to be successful, I need to grow at least some conscientiousness (e.g. being more organised, consistent, have habits and so on), like it is entirely not possible to have good grades, career, and good life otherwise. But I am fine, as long as I don't try to force a structure on myself, I am doing well. I went through school, university, moving to a different county, getting another master's degree, building a career. And I am delighted to see these videos from somebody who is similar to me. I reflect on myself and my past, and realise that I was wasting sooo much energy and time trying to be "proper student" or "diligent worker", when in fact it is just not how I work.
I've reached a point in my life where I have a lot of arbitrary work and have been experimenting with ways to shift my motivation from being anxiety driven to positive sources - this feels like a shortcut to what I've been trying to work out myself! Thank you so much Elizabeth for going through what I'm sure were years of struggle, trial and error, and frustration to figure out these ways of looking at the world. By sharing you are helping all of us here live fuller lives than we ever would alone.
I had that "motivation anxiety" to do things years ago and it turned into an actual anxiety disorder that doesnt let me do any tasks I'm anxious abut rn. Still looking for what works for me to not get anxious, but for now it's just sitting to do sth when I'm most chill and have no fear.
I'm genuinely thankful to your channel for showing me that I dont have to necessarily stick to a routine, and showing that chaotic work can work better for some people.
I feel like this idea let my mind relax a bit more and let me not work when I get anxious but get to work when I'm chill which lets me go into the float state for hours which I missed for the past 1-2 years. I love those videos. I love to get things that might work for me out of them. Great job making them
This is exactly how my ADHD brain works! I was diagnosed late and struggled to stick to routines but would have bouts of motivation (what I now know were hyperfocus). Finding a reason to do the tasks that aligns with my interests is exactly what I need. Also the meds helped a little lol
That is exactly how I went through school with adhd until depression and other stuff. I forgot how I did what I did and you reminded me how I work best. THANK YOU
This is such a unique way of thinking of our work and how to get it done. I don’t think I could work like this but I love hearing your perspective 💜
Bless the algorithm for pushing your videos recently
I relate to this so much. I'm someone who considers herself intelligent and able to get shit done, but I am absolutely not a type A person and I prefer disorganized bursts of doing work when I feel really passionate about something rather than doing things on a scheduled or consistent basis. I've always felt this was a bad thing or made me 'lazy' but finding your channel has completely turned around my thinking and I've never found someone who I could relate to so much in this aspect. Thank you for your content
This is an interesting take because it is the complete opposite on my view for getting things done, which is that motivation is a terrible motivator and that habits are the key to getting work done when you have no deadline. I've found in my life when I rely on my motivation to complete my personal projects, I never get anything done. I think your approach can only work for people who are naturally highly motivated. I'd love to see a video that dives more into these archetypes of person and how they best get things done.
This is me. One thing I’ve found is actually scheduling things like I am working a part time job or going to a class. I am obligated to go to class, so I go, do the work in that environment, and then I’m done. So for personal projects, I set a day and time and then cater the environment around that task. It means a lot more of my time and energy are gone into catering my space to the work (if I’m gonna write, maybe I have to actually go to the library with headphones vs just sitting at my desk and writing). But this also means that I set boundaries around my work and I can get things done faster.
The first minute feels like a movie. amazing.
EEEK THANK YOUUU!
Such a relief to hear someone saying this
I have recently read "Atomic habits" and I tried so hard to apply the ideas and build habits to follow them no matter what but it just never worked for me so I felt kinda guilty but when I watched this video it just helped me to understand myself more and acknowledge that i don't have to do this and just work my way
That's why I need a whole morning of building up either motivation or anxiety to do stuff and don't get (harder) work done before noon... Yeah, I could sit down after waking up but I will be unfocused and uninterested. I tried. Many times. So I'm grateful I found your channel! Finally, I don't feel lazy for doing stuff only when I'm in the mood! Accepting that I just work that way and it doesn't make me a worse person than anyone else made me 100% more productive and I enjoy the time spent on those projects a lot more!
This was amazing. I work full time, I'm in undergraduate school, I have a big test for grad school coming up next month, and I am a mom to a 3 year old. And I have ADHD. I am always putting myself down and getting so frustrated that I can't just do the tasks, and I find it harder to recollect necessary information for exams because I did not sufficiently study. My brain never wants to do Organic Chemistry. I am in my second semester, and every time I go to do something with it, my brain just goes "nope". I love the sharpening the axe story, and I took a ton of notes to remind myself about what you said. I am very excited to start tomorrow fresh and see if I can motivate myself.
Same, except I am doing school f/t and not working and also have 3 kids (1 on the spectrum, 1 who also has adhd, and a teenage daughter who most likely also has adhd) and a husband with bpd! Life is chaotic to say the least so I am right here with you…I love how I am immediately motivated to now do some of the tasks I am more interested in but keep putting off as I have boring school work to do and instead end up doing neither (adhd paralysis)! Feels like I have just had a brilliant stoner like idea or theory, but I’m completely sober 😂🎉 cheers to getting stuff done!
These videos are a really nice antidote to the way I *tried* to work in the past, but never could stick to. I also really like how emotionally aware this advice is. I've just started over the last year to be able to allow and recognize emotions a lot more - after spending decades mastering the art of suppressing them. It already makes a huge difference in my quality of life. And with your help, I'm starting to realize how I can use these new emotional skills not only for mental health but also for work and fun projects. Thank you.
The entire time you were describing your working style , I was thinking wow there are other people like me . People often nag me for not being disciplined enough , accuse me of studying secretly and so on . It has got to a point where I am forcing rigid schedules on myself, just so they stop talking. Listening to you was the affirmation I needed badly. Thank you
As an individual that likes optimization, tasks and habits, I've still found some pretty useful advice in order to increase my motivation. Loved the "Skill vs Results" tool. Cheers!
This is what I learned in teaching math as a "weird-elizabeth-type" person. Everyone can learn math, not everyone can learn it the way their teacher teaches. In classrooms teachers don't have time to teach all the ways, hence the most "common/neurotypical" method is the only one taught, leading people to think they aren't a math person and something must be wrong with them bc they don't "get it" THAT way. So I give students 5+ different ways to solve a problem, until the "click" moment, and they go on to only use the one that "works for their brain" / is simplest TO THEM. It could even look the same on paper, just a different mental train to get there. :) Woowee, thx for paving/articulating this niche, lots of creative beauty on the horizon from those you've validated with speaking out
Thank you for bringing a new point of view to the discipline conversation. I now think of my brain in a more positive way than before. Over a year ago, I wrote my own take on discipline and I described it as:
**Be like lightning.**
- Prepare like a storm.
- Strike once.
- Strike hard.
- Move on to the next thing.
Hi Elizabeth, coming from the "You're not lazy" and "Everything I regret about my 20s" video, i would like to suggest to you a book I've recently read "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" from David Epstein. It's been of extreme help with acknowledgeing and accepting the way I am and I think it can be of help to you aswell. Being someone who optimizes for passion instead of consistency puts me naturally in a bad spot in today's society as I can't see myself ever specializing in a single field, which at first glance may seem the only route to success. Athletes, musicians, etc they all started young. However, as the book showed me and hopefully will show you, the real picture is much different. Tons of people who changed the world did so thanks to their widest and broadest of interests which made them see the bigger picture while everyone else was deep in the tiny details. I do find myself passionate for extremely different and constantly changing things, and thanks to this book and its insights, I finally felt understood and learnt that there is a place for people like me.
Thank you so much for sharing. I've been really struggling with this issue lately. Your comment reminded of a Ted talk I'd watched before, and it turns out it was by David Epstein himself! Guess I know what I'm reading tonight!
Omg! I didn't realise I was already doing the "motivate myself" method! I love learning new things and watching videos about something and overtime it builds this immense creative energy that fuels me to go and do something new and different. Fantastic work on summarising all this!!
As a homeschooler this really hit home to me and made me feel better!
I do everything in my pace. Studies. Projects. Everything that I need to do I do more or less 2 weeks before the deadline because for some reason that's the time I'm most motivated and I don't even panic that I'm doing a everything near the deadline 'cause I know my limits and I know I'll make it.
Then I hear other homeschoolers saying that they studied this and that today, or that they were really panicking 'cause portfolio review is near. Which made me guilty 'cause I don't study that much daily or that I'm attending fun events even though the tests is near and I still get good to great scores. So I tried to schedule everything-like when to do my projects or how long per subject daily I should study.
But they just lessened my motivation and the quality of my output. They just basically made me feel bad 'cause I couldn't follow even half of it and I just end up cramming. Which made me more lazy for the next quarter since I was seeing studying & doing projects as a negative thing 'cause I was suffering last quarter with it.
So seeing your video really assured me that it's okay to do everything at my pace and there was nothing wrong all along😊. Thank you!
I have never felt more seen and validated about my work ethic in school and creative processes.
This is how I am, but I never had words to explain this eloquently. But you are deeply explaining the structure of my chaos. (The beginning was me all throughout college-- I'm 41 now).
I am so excited I have found this channel.
Elizabeth this has to be one of your videos that has changed my mindset about doing work, and being productive. I was arguing in my mind before when you said if I don't feel like doing something now and then, I shouldn't do it until I feel motivated to do it. Me that knows myself, I would procrastinate the heck out of that task 😂😂, but thanks for the clarification on how I can build motivation to do that task, it really helped!.
It takes a long time to really become productive. I guess it also depends on how much disipline you have. The goal really is to create that system that works for you and you will have to try out many things to find out the ones that relly work for you.
Amen, it took me a long time to realaise that I need to implement exerices and nap in my day scheduel. I am two times more productive now!
Thank you my friend. As a person struggling with lack of motivation and apparent progress that feels crippling and completely foreign to everyone besides me, it feels like a hug to my brain to know that others feel this too, but especially that this way our intuition feels about getting tasks done isn’t wrong despite what society would dictate, but needs to be embraced and honed
I love how I can play this at 0.75 speed and it sounds normal xD
Also, this is vital advice, especially for writers. I am so tired of hearing i need to write everyday to get somewhere. It just .akes the whole process a chore instead of being fun. And I want it to be fun, because creating is what makes me happy.
So now, I only write when I feel like it, and I can enjoy it.
I always watch her videos at 0.75 speed.
I have the feeling there’s something wrong with the edit speed
I caught on to this too! I thought it was just me.
Is it normal that I'm watching this at ×2 speed
I 100% resonate with what you're describing. I ran into a huge wall when I became a parent. The times when I would be able to apply myself with focus, I was overwhelmed with exaustion. I had increased demands at work and at home. There unfortunately isn't always the luxury for 'waiting for motivation'. After years, i'm still trying to figure out how to manage productivity.
I think what you and James Clear have in common is that how much emphasis both of y'all put on gentle systems that work for every individual. I strongly believe that mood follows action, and habits are really important to save us from creating havoc in our life. Motivational mapping or doing deep work at a stretch can only work when you actually have developed the habit of sitting through long study hours or have developed focus stamina. I have tried studying or doing deep work at a stretch because I often have issues with concentration and focus, but I think what I have realised was I need to first get into the "habit" of studying. To make it less dreadful and scary before actually coming up with a system like yours where it's okay to study more on one day and less or not at all the next. I think the first step for most people should always be to get "used" to passively or actively to the habit of studying. More like Touching the equipment before using it. Or like you said in one of your videos, sharpening the axe before chopping. You cannot study for long hours on a single day or days, if you find studying very scary or it is something that makes you anxious, those fears generally lead to procrastination. Making the experience enjoyable even if it's for an hour a day, and slowly building up is what is most important. It's a sense of autonomy that we need to feel while doing that. It's a choice and reminding ourselves that makes the journey easier and healthy.
This video and another one of yours made me remember that I used to have a similar policy in high school (a time I was a lot more productive/efficient) that was "I only do what I want and if I have to do something I make sure I want to do it in order to do it". I don't know why or how I completely forgot about that. Wow...needless to say I will be applying it again. Thank you
I'm so damn happy i stumbled on this channel. I used to be like that and to be super efficient even though being a complete damn mess at the same time. I've spent so much energy trying to be less of a mess in the last years that i've ended up burning the energy that made me efficient as a mess. I'm definitely a lot less productive and efficient right now then i used to be, i was starting to wonder about just embrassing being this mess, but never actually started rewinding that path. Your videos are extremely important for people like us, thank you so much Elizabeth.
You really radiate motivation and share high quality scientific based techniques. Really appreciate your work. As a person with ADD I do really understand how undervalued emotions usually are, Could you do a video in which you talk more about techniques on managing emotions for effective studying? Thank you!
Sharpening the axe - motivating myself is something that I have to do, but I always whatched it like I am wasting my time😢. Dear Lord, was I wrong. I just have to embrace it and work that way, not to force myself to be someone else❤. Thank you for opening my eyes 😅
I just discovered your channel and your videos have already helped me so much. Could you maybe make a video about what to do if there are so many things you would like to do and learn? I have 1000 things that interest me and I can never decide, what to do or what to learn first, so I just end up in paralysis doing nothing. Thank you so much for all the work you do!
the into made me cry how deeply you touched my inner chaotic personality and give it compassion
Great video. It’s tough juggling multiple things but focus is key. Editing is 🔥
As someone who has felt so guilty in the past for being 'lazy' (often reinforced by the opinions of other people) because I know I don't need to spend as long on a project as it seems my peers do, saying you don't care whether it looks like you're procrastinating is EVERYTHING to me. Thank you for showing me that I'm not alone and that I can have confidence that I know what works for me.
When i was in uni ten years ago I relied on last minute stress and burned out. Bad strategies can be quite damaging. I love seeing how you focus on understanding yourself and working with your own strengths, I'm doing the same sort of work myself. I truly believe we all need our own methods and not get so caught up with "what people say" or whatever ideas we might have of how things should be.
I'm a bit more organized and am better at prioritizing, but nothing major. I've worked on my perfectionism, which is mostly why I procrastinated. I try to get things done whether it's good or not, and trust that I will improve over time and find new ways of doing things by actively trying out new ideas instead of worrying. So mostly mindset stuff.
I'm definitely more creative now. I used to be really worried about meeting expectations and such, and I'm still letting go of some of that. A bit more freedom and playfulness has been helpful, including in everyday life and in small things too.
I hope you'll find a way soon enough
@@Nox934 Thank you. I hope you stay safe from burn out
I think its still important to have the ability to endure a task that you cannot become motivated for, as those unfortunately will crop up for most people often
Though I do like the techniques you gave here to increase your motivation, mostly the part where you spend some time thinking about the inherent value of a task to avoid that nasty feeling of it being pointless
I suppose its possible to look at almost any task and find some benefit in doing it, within reason
I found your channel a few days ago and I'm absolutely in love with the way you function! It really makes me feel good seeing that its not just me not being able to fit into the productivity culture going on. Everything I've watched from you so far really helps me shape my surfacing thoughts lately
thank you I have an exam in 2 days and was struggling to study specially yesterday was so motivating watching your video right before starting studying
This type of content is GOLD! I feel like I’m in the middle of the way of how you describe your work and how the others UA-camrs / gurus / writers describe it. Like I go through some phases throughout the year that I just feel like following a fixed schedule and planning my week (and sticking to it) and phases where I just do the things I need to when I want to. So your videos are so great to understand that this is how life works and it doesn’t have to be all “planning” and being “that girl” if I simply don’t want to sometimes 😂
the way you speak with no hesistations and umms is so impressive and makes you seem so confident it's amazing
Thank you so much for this! Always such a treat to watch you and learn these useful tips.
The table of contents for the video is helpful. I took a screenshot and saved it in my notes to quickly see what you talked about in the video without having to rewatch the entire video.
I'll revisit the video later and actually take more detailed notes.
Your video is so ADHD friendly, I love it ^^
thank you for the tips, Elizabeth! i've been a procrastinator my whole life and i do really resonate with how you only do work when you feel like it. so far i've only been able to do work when the deadline is near but i will definitely try out the tips you've mentioned on how to increase my motivation for doing certain tasks :)
I love how motivated this video made me after I watched it! And I love how you give your personal examples in everything you are posting. I am a medical student as well in my last year, I adore your enthusiasm and this motivates me to be the best version of Gabriela.
Even as someone who's completely habit-driven (I genuinely need to organize every minute of my life beforehand), I found this video incredibly valuable. The 4 steps you described as tools for sharpening the axe will undoubtedly enhance my performance in tackling tasks. Thank you so much for sharing.
One of my classes gave us a bunch of links to read about course material instead of a textbook. What do you know, it was the first time I actually had fun reading for a course and I even went off and researched other related things whenever I thought of questions. It didn’t last forever, only an hour or two, but I hope that I can get better at doing this strategy for longer without getting tired since everything you read just sticks more and makes more sense when you’re motivated and you’re learning because you want to. Or, maybe I just need to take a break when I feel like my battery is running out and come back recharged. It’s not completely related to this video, but it closely mirrors some advice you gave in another video, so I’m here to say it really works!
P.S. You should reach out to How To ADHD. It’s a quite large channel with some life tips for people with ADHD. I’ve seen a lot of comments on your channel about people with ADHD resonating with your videos (I have it too) and I think it could be a useful perspective to share. I’ve seen videos from How To ADHD about getting more organized, but I don’t remember if I’ve seen anything about living Chaotically Organized.
I love your posts! Somehow you share a lot of my characteristics in terms of motivation and work and the result is that you cover a lot of tips and conceptual models that exactly fit how I think about things. Your posts have been super relevant and helpful!!
The OLNY UA-camr who make really helpful and useful stuff about this motivation/study/doing things u have to do kind of subject
Tnks , you helped me a LOT
I like your content, it's very practical and on point ! You should share a book list for students of medicine !!
thnks for adressing problems like mental barriers , cause really everyone is preaching discipline , fear of failure , hyper motivation , but sometimes while doing arbitary work you start lagging , thanks , i was having such a long plateau , hope i will break it
I pushed myself so much trying to follow Mel Robbins advice and 5 second rule.. and was so frustrated it didn’t really work or bring me the joy I was expecting. I’m soo happy I found you as an approval that you can move in your pace, listen to your feelings and still be successful and get things done ❤️
THANK YOU. I love this. I have adhd. I have been telling myself all week that I need to do my therapy notes because I got way behind in a depressive episode of my own. and yet I KNOW that on the weekend after a good rest I actually don't mind my notes. sometimes I even get really excited to do them because I get to review and reinforce my knowledge as far as the treatment I'm doing and pull out my textbooks and things and really get a chance to learn (which I do feel excited about and still have a passion for and care about and in turn that makes me a better therapist)
but since somebody whose brain doesn't work the same way as mine told me I should never ever ever do my paperwork on the weekend because for THEM that's a bad work/life balance...I've been trying to force myself to do them at the end of the work day for over 3 years now.
and hearing you talk about the efficiency when you're bored versus motivated just helped me realize that I'm actually probably making myself have a lot worse work life balance than if I stopped trying to force myself to do them when I'm bored, unmotivated, tired at the end of the work day and let myself do what I actually feel like doing at those times and do my notes for an hour or two on the weekends I'll probably actually save a bunch of time. cause right now I'm probably trying to take an hour or two each night and not getting many done at that time... which is part of how I got behind.
I'm sure there will be times that I can't spare hours on the weekends that I'll have to force myself to do it in those boring times... but thank you for helping me realize it's ok to work with my brain on this 🥰
Hi Elizabeth, I hope you're doing great. I just wanted to tell you that every now and then I come back to this video, and there's one thing that amazes me every time: the level of self-respect you have for yourself. I really admire you for accepting how you function and respecting it to full potentiality!
Lots of love ❤
I have watched countles videos about studying, time management and motivation, and this is the first time, when I feel understood, and finally I can imagine, that I can do my tasks.
Thank you!
It's curious that from time to time I have these sessions of bing watching your old videos and every time I take something different out of them
Huge fan of your work!
Love the way Elizabeth gets straight to the point and delivers great advice that is really helpful. Thank you for the great content.
YOU, and im not exagerating, have changed the way i see myself and allow myself to do work. i think i've forgiven myself for not being disciplined and habit driven, which is something my therapist has been telling me!!! thank you for sharing your experience, seriously
This may be the most life changing video I've ever watched. 😮 Something that happens quite often with me is that I condition myself to get started when another goal is complete. I will start on that project when I have more money, I will move when I have established myself more in my career- even things as simple as making the bed I will only do when I've worked out. But then I never get around to doing those things and eventually end up stuck in a cycle of procrastination.
You really understand yourself. I just don't understand myself at all, there are things that i want to do, that will be good for me, and i just can't manage to do them and i don't know why. I can't rely on the last minute anxiety because, for me, it makes things worse (and a large part of things i want to do don't work like that).
Guess i'll need to look and try your ways and different ways of sharpening my axe.
My own passion driven motivation almost led me to not click on this video but I'm glad my intuition led me to you! I feel incredibly understood and I'm so excited to watch the rest of your videos. I have always been excited to be organized and live that aesthetic habitual life, where everything is clean all the time and I'm doing all the right things. But I've never been able to accomplish it with habits because I'm not a consistency driven individual. I have beaten myself up over not being able to live like this and felt guilt and shame for feeling like I am lazy. I think this method with the passion driven calendar is going to work amazing for me for my arbitrary work! Thank you so much!!
This is the first time I've heard someone put into words what has been fuzzy in my head for a while!!! Changing the world, tysm ✨
The most realistic UA-camr I have ever seen (regarding these topic, and I’m sure she is very realistic and honest in general too.) But really, I LOVE HER!!! She is the first person ever to make me feel okay about my own “discipline” type and how I do things. I love her so much. Finally, for the first time of my life I fab work towards my goals and dreams without having that inner mental fight of neglecting my nature&how I work. I love her😭😭😭😭🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
THANK YOU! This is the only video that has actually worked for me. I have schedules and its nice to actually accept this and work with how I function
0:37 I'm the friend that worked for six weeks 😂 but really, I watch your videos about motivation precisely because of that. Withouth motivation I work slow, which is why I need those 6 weeks, but without motivation I don't only work slowly I ALSO produce crappy work, so I wasted time, I might as well have done it 3 days before the due date. Even in the activities that I like doing with habits, I hate showing up with blunt ax: tasks that could take me 5 days take 2 weeks that way.
The tips you give in this video, have helped me want to work even withouth a close deadline AND it isn't crappy work. I'm not there yet, but I hope one day I can produce work I'm actually proud of (because currently I'm online and it's hard for me to have motivation in general like this, therefore, my work is meh in general, but I'm looking forward to my thesis, which will be on something I'm actually interested in, and I'm going to go in real life to places, so looking forward to that!)
Exactly what i am feeling right now, working while motivated makes more sense than just trying to stick to schedule, habit etc
The part about mental barriers really helps me a lot. I struggle with that more than anything else.
Omg, this is enlightening! I work this way but despite very good results I feel guilty most of the time for „wasting time”. Huh. Thanks for this video :)
One of those rare videos on productivity that actually works!!
I always think like this but when I see people that work like robots, on time with leaser focus I get disappointed and sorry for myself. Now I realize why I deleted the deadline on my personal projects, why I prefer multiple goals and projects over single goals and projects. And why I hate habits.
You prove that we can do more and get more things done without been robots.
Thank you.
Don't who are you... You're like one magic bullet for all of my problems... Literally providing solutions for all of my struggles..... So lucky to find your channel
I think you're my favorite UA-camr now 😅 This resonates so hard with my temperament and interests. Results aren't enough to motivate me many times, but building/improving skills ALWAYS peaks my interest. ❤ Thank you!
I like the balance that you make between your conversation and your hands language. I like your accent too.
You are an angel sent here to teach us all things that are retrospectively so obvious but we would’ve otherwise never learned ourselves and suffered for many lifetimes
This is so wonderful. I am very similar. I like the idea of being Chaotically Organised and Chaotically Passionate. Life straight after university and the pressures of society needing me to "do more" and "be more productive" plus the rabbit hole of productivity-youtube I have been under for the last coupe of years, has led to life feeling boring and me not getting any arbitrary work done (as you put it). Recently though I have been allowing myself to just complete these tasks when I feel motivated and surprise, I am getting through the arbitrary work just fine. The thing I am finding difficult to balance now is to be compassionate and understanding with myself when I do not feel like doing arbitrary work and trusting that I will find a way when I have sharpened my axe.
I love your videos because I know all these things but you organized them very clearly and shared in a video. So it's like a glossary of my mind for when I'm overwhelmed and disoriented.
I've been struggling with motivation ever since I came back from the best and most emotional vacations of my life, but now I watched this video and I'm like "Yes, right, that's how I do it. Let's go!".
Thank you so much 🙏🏻 ❤️
Some people make progress by using time management, you've shown how to make progress through emotional management. Thank you
Your videos are LITERALLY so helpful, someone's finally speaking my language.
Yeah, it was because of a video of yours that showed up on my recommended recently that I realized I'm a chaotic person, so to speak. It was during exam season and I had only 1 university Final exam left when I saw that video of yours. Instead of beating myself up for always leaving things until last minute, I just allowed things to happen. I studied for 2 or 3 hours per 4 or 5 days before the exam, and passed just fine. I didn't lose my sanity over having to study way ahead of time and bit by bit, which other youtubers keep telling you to do. Your videos truly helped, to be honest. Countless creators talk about schedules/routines, something I've always hated to do with a passion. I hate being forced into a box. So it was relieving to see someone who's just like me and who already learned how to work through this more chaotic way of being.
So awesome to find someone like me. Thanks for sharing. Super insightful especially shifting focus from results onto skills. For me, working smarter is about getting clarity so I’m only doing what brings results, using the 80/20 rule, being an essentialist. And the questions you mentioned are also part of the getting clarity work I do to understand also why I am procrastinating etc..
Here I am, almost midnight, and tomorrow I have a test for which I have not yet studied. When I got into college I tried to be consistent, and I actually was, but I really didn't learn anything in those study sessions, so I realized it was all a big waste of time for me. I started studying last minute again and, to my surprise, I got great results consistently. Sometimes I feel a little bit like a fraud or that it's all luck, or that one day this "immoral" way of studying will end up betraying me. But there's no way to fight it, it works and I only enjoy studying like that. Sometimes we just have to accept that we work differently and if we feel good doing it then it doesn't matter what others think about it.
Thank you for your amazing self, hardwork and determination. Please do more videos of how to unwind after school or work quickly in order to revise. Also, could you kindly do a video on how to deal with failures in academic/ professional settings? Thank you so much for everything.
Omg this is so accurate for me. Whenever I need to submit something for uni I start so early and tell myself I’ll stick to a strict schedule. Then I can’t focus and wats time trying to work but I still end up doing most of the work on the last days which is exhausting but usually It works and I’ll get a good grade. But I can’t help but feel like a failure because there’s this notion that working like that is unproductive and we’re supposed to plan everything neatly and stick to it.
This is amazing advice. I used to always try to fit in the 'normal' and structured way of work and it would work for a week. Then, i'd stop and feel lazy and bad about myself. This video really made me feel less quilty about doing work when i want to, instead of when it is expected. I have ADHD and have seen it as a problem or something keeping me from success. But with your methods i actually get my work done and get myself motivated. I've realised that i just have to find my passion for things and follow it more. Thank you!
your channel is helping me understand myself sooooo much better and not feeling so insecure about not learning in the same way as others
I agree with this so much! As a uni student I have struggled with studying for exams for a long time. We get a long exam season and I never knew how to manage them. I finally decided regular studying is necessary, but I need to do it well. So I decide what tasks have to be completed for each course throughout the semester and which can be done during exam season. Then I have some arbitrary deadlines and I complete those tasks only when I am motivated to work. Since I started holding myself for the same standards as I would for exams even for my “small tasks” I study much better and more productively. For me the real productivity comes from a mix of habits and good management of my state of mind. I need some habits to start my work, because sometimes I am motivated, but I’m still lazy. So putting on forest or forcing myself to just sit at the desk and open the slides from a class is still essential to me. If I get a spark I start, if I really don’t feel like it, I don’t.
I have never been able to follow or adapt the study techniques and advice from friends family or websites.... and I always blamed myself that I wasn't trying hard enough ..... that everyone can do this so why can't i....... every week I would feel sad because I could not complete predetermined goals that I had set up.
I would do things at the last minute and get good results but I never believed them.....I used to think that maybe I'm not really good ...it's just a one time thing........
But ever since finding your channel my whole perspective has changed......... I have started to accept that I don't function like most normal people do...... I have learnt to accept that my methods may be unorthodox but they work for me and that's important. You have no idea how much You have changed by life for the better........So thankyou for helping me accept myself the way I am!!! :)