Recently, I’ve noticed something about myself that’s quite alarming. No, it’s not my senioritis. Or my German 4 grade. If you know me, it’s something on the psychological side: I lose interest in things really fast.

Here’s what I mean. I still remember the first month of AP Chemistry—happy, enthusiastic, doing well, and interested. Three months later? I could hardly care less—I’m playing Zynga Poker during the lectures.

Okay. Maybe that’s not the best example (after all, senioritis, am I right?).

I’ll be real honest here. To all of my closer friends reading this right now, then you know I’ve always been an avid gamer. I’m talking about the stay-up-until-3am-on-a-weekday-with-2-tests-the-next-morning type. But now? I lie in bed on Reddit as I grudgingly watch the hours slowly roll by, too lethargic to put on my headset and jump into a game of League of Legends. To be honest, I would’ve never thought it’d turn out like this: one of my greatest pastimes turned to the ultimate boredom.

I’ll be even honest-er here. When I first got my Subaru WRX, I was ecstatic. Sure, it was used, but it was something I’d been saving up for years. I loved its sleek look, its swishing turbo, the black rims—everything. Nowadays, I occasionally opt for my mom’s Honda CRV when I’m too lazy to push in the clutch and manually shift gears.

Ouch. That one hurt. 

On the bright side, I’ve made my first strides in fixing the issue; that is, actually realizing the issue. And, I’m here to make sure you guys don’t experience the same thing.

Now, before I continue onto the facts and stuff, I want to clarify what we’re talking about here (you know, just in case you guys don’t relate with the video game and racecar talk). I’m talking about that horrible, mind-fogging feeling of having nothing to do and no motivation to try anything new. I just want to sleep. I don’t want to go outside. I don’t want to hang out. I don’t want to read a book. There’s literally nothing to do. That kind of stuff.

And if that doesn’t do the trick, then here’s the best example I can give: senior assassins. The first week? Amazing. Everyone is speeding in their cars, developing elaborate plans, forging alliances and breaking bonds. Two months later? The word assassins becomes a lost name in the wind. The hype is over, and nobody could care less about the game.

With that said, it’s time to get to the “fixing-the-problem” part of the blog. 

So, we have to consider—why do we lose interest so fast in the first place?

Well, according to focusingresources.com, it comes down to discipline and sustainability; that there is “something hard about the switchover from early enthusiasm to the kind of steadiness it takes to sustain intention.” An article from medium.com also compliments this point nicely, stating that a lack of motivation to continue the hobby/activity spirals into a deadly cycle until you eventually stop doing it.

And if we really think about these concepts, it makes sense. This brand new video game is pretty fun… until months later, the mental focus and time commitment is no longer worth the mediocre enjoyment. Or maybe you just got into journaling. But you soon find out you’d rather watch rom-coms on Netflix rather than doodle in a notebook. That’s right—you’ve lost interest.

 

Now take that concept and apply it to the hobbies in your life that you’ve ditched. What happens? Nothing is worth the effort anymore. 

Fortunately, I have compiled some of the best advice from professional psychologists to help you combat this issue (of course, if you want to read into it a little more, here and here are the articles).

Their advice is simple, sure, but pretty darn effective. From successconsciousness.com, it’s important to remain persistent, and to develop willpower and self-discipline. And from medium.com, a “self-empowering talk” is a simple, yet effective motivator.

Let me explain. I’m sure you’ve heard this first part a million times before—persistence, hard-work, yadda yadda yadda. It’s your everyday, generic pep-talk. But if you actually pick up that pencil, close your laptop, and continue journaling, even when you really don’t want to, you might actually find some new inspiration. As I mentioned in my previous blog, the greatest ideas can come from the most unexpected moments. And you definitely need to persist if you want to experience that. That’s right—slap yourself in the face, give yourself a good ol’ talk in the shower, and get back to it.

(This is a great video—not necessarily the most on topic, but great insight overall. Short and concise, a must-watch!)

Oh, and guess what? I’m about to play some video games and drive around with my friends. And it’s going to be a great time. 

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Sources

https://medium.com/@benkissam/4-reasons-you-lose-motivation-quickly-b75b43f3678b

https://www.successconsciousness.com/enthusiasm.html

Why do I lose interest in so many things?