Complete lack of motivation and focus

[Tim.P]

As of late, I am finding it to be incredibly difficult to become motivated or focused on anything. Last year, it would be easy for me to get home, and work for hours on end, and I was extremely productive. However, this year, most notably this semester, I am the exact opposite. I procrastinate to the extremes... I am no longer starting my work when I get home, but at horrible hours (even around midnight). This has thrown off my sleep pattern, and I'm always tired. I even have trouble motivating myself to make phone calls that must be made, or send e-mails that must be sent. Everything just seems to be too tedious. I feel lazy, and I don't know how I got to be this way. I'm definitely not depressed. I'm at the top of the world (except for this problem of course). I'm not overworked, as I have an unusually easy semester. I have no idea what is going on. I want to go back to my old self!!! I don't want my grades to suffer because of this, and more importantly, I don't want my health or relationships to suffer.
I'm going to book an appoinment with my doctor to talk about this. I was just wondering if any of you have any ideas about what is wrong with me? Any similar experiences? If any of you have trouble focusing or becoming motivated, what do you do? Is there some sort of prescription medicine you take? Non-prescription? Any disorders you know about? I will discuss all this with my doc, but I don't want to be totally in the dark when I do so. I want to be able to make suggestions, and help find the best possible solution to the problem. Thanks in advance, and good luck to all of you who are waiting for acceptances, and to those of you who will be writing the MCAT soon. Congrats to all of you who already have acceptances!!!
(Also, do any of you know why I can't indent? Is there a trick to it?)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[kc123]

Have you been accepted to medical school? If so, I think a lot of your symptoms can be attributed to the let-down that comes from achieving something that you have worked so hard and so long to achieve. I definitely recognize myself in you a bit.....sometimes I find it hard to accomplish the simplest of tasks, and then I think back to a time when I would come home from work, grab something very quickly to eat, and rush off to the library for a solid few hours of studying for the MCAT, rush back home, fall into bed, wake up the next morning and do it all over again. It's hard for me to imagine being that motivated now, and I think...."How will I ever keep up with the challenges of medical school?" But, I have figured out that I am just someone that thrives on challenges....and get bored very quickly if I don't have a big goal to work toward. Maybe the same is true for you. Maybe you are un-motivated because you don't have to be super-motivated right now.....surely, your motivated self will kick in when it has to. For me, I've found that starting a good exercise regimen has helped me tremendously. I'm trying to lose some weight and get into really good shape before medical school starts, so that I can just maintain while in school and super busy. This has given me something to focus on, and has also given me more energy, so that I don't feel like I am dragging myself through the day!! Maybe this would help. That said, it is a good idea to go to see your doctor to make sure that something more serious isn't going on (depression, under-active thyroid, etc.). I hope you feel better!

 

[stormpr]

I totally feel you're pain. I posted a similar problem a while back when I messed up my sleep cycle (going to bed at 4am waking up at 2pm) and couldn't find the energy to do anything.

I had (and still have) little motivation to go work in the lab or for that matter go to lab at all. i spent 90% of my time online reading SDN and other forums. I haven't completely solved the motivation issue, but I did manage to stop feeling guilty about being a lazy piece of excrement.

This alone took a huge weight off my shoulders and made me feel better. I still managed to get good grades and accomplish everything i was supposed to , just on slacker-time. You'd be surprised how many people are accepting of under-performance so long as you're honest about it and stop feeling guilty and bad about how you've diminished your work/study output. honestly, you're probably an over-achiever anyways and your views are skewed (i know mine were)

My temporary solution for motivation or momentum problems has been going to the gym like a psycho. at least after being in the gym for 2 hours i feel like ive done something with my day even if thats all i do. that and read the newspaper. its another relaxing thing that still makes your brain work if you force yourself to read the whole "A" section of the NY Times.

hope this helps, and stop fretting, it will only add to your stress, and push you further downward into worry and anxiety. accept your inner slackerdom and live in mediocrity for a while. you'd be surprised at how well you do anyways.

 

[ElKapitan]

Have you been accepted to medical school? If so, I think a lot of your symptoms can be attributed to the let-down that comes from achieving something that you have worked so hard and so long to achieve. I definitely recognize myself in you a bit.....sometimes I find it hard to accomplish the simplest of tasks, and then I think back to a time when I would come home from work, grab something very quickly to eat, and rush off to the library for a solid few hours of studying for the MCAT, rush back home, fall into bed, wake up the next morning and do it all over again. It's hard for me to imagine being that motivated now, and I think...."How will I ever keep up with the challenges of medical school?" But, I have figured out that I am just someone that thrives on challenges....and get bored very quickly if I don't have a big goal to work toward. Maybe the same is true for you. Maybe you are un-motivated because you don't have to be super-motivated right now.....surely, your motivated self will kick in when it has to. For me, I've found that starting a good exercise regimen has helped me tremendously. I'm trying to lose some weight and get into really good shape before medical school starts, so that I can just maintain while in school and super busy. This has given me something to focus on, and has also given me more energy, so that I don't feel like I am dragging myself through the day!! Maybe this would help. That said, it is a good idea to go to see your doctor to make sure that something more serious isn't going on (depression, under-active thyroid, etc.). I hope you feel better!

Wow, I totally agree about being motivated by challenges. I am most happy when I am busy and my schedule is entirely full. When I have time to sit on my ass, that is what I do, then I start thinking about things I shouldn't be thinking about and then I get depressed.

 

[Dave IPFW]

I know what you mean, man. I'm currently in a similar situation where it's hard for me to begin school related tasks in a prompt manner. I think what drives me to finally get my work done though is the incentive of knowing that it will all be over for a while in slightly over a month. Vacation will be here shortly and then I can finally kick back and relax without having to worry about studying math texts, reading assigned books, etc.

I was actually discussing my lack of motivation issue with my cousin a couple weeks back, and he told me that he generally feels the same way during the spring semesters. Although this is my first year of college, I predict that that trend might perpetuate for me throughout the rest of my college years as well, so maybe it's the fact that the fall semester seemed enough for me, but to my dissatisfaction, I still have to trudge through another one this year no matter what.

Plus, another reason that I'm having trouble with getting schoolwork tasks done in a more timely fashion is that I'm not too interested in my courses compared to the earlier fall semester.

I don’t know of any particular medications that might help for this ailment, but I just wanted to offer my empathy.

 

[medic170]

Wow, I totally agree about being motivated by challenges. I am most happy when I am busy and my schedule is entirely full. When I have time to sit on my ass, that is what I do, then I start thinking about things I shouldn't be thinking about and then I get depressed.

Same here. i thrive on having more to do than I have time to do. Give me extra time, and I waste it. I am going crazy now with this gap between undergrad and med school this August. Working 60 hours a week to pay off credit cards, and I am still nuts with no exam deadlines, reading to do ect.

 

[virilep]

hey guys, I had this problem during school. the main thing was the people that I was hanging out with at night. I mean, there were my hallmates and stuff. but problems aside, i figured out the solution. I know it's hard at first, but if you work out in the morning time, the chances that it will help you get focused are pretty high. it just gave me a booster in the morning and i got done and was ready to get working. it's tiring and that night before i fell asleep sound at 12. wake up at 7 or 8 and work out before class. If you're feelin tired and unfocused, this helped me out. and i had to get an mp3 player to wake me up while running in the morning. but it helped, my GPA increased that semester by .5 . holla.

 

[stormpr]

so it seems like the general consensus for increased stamina, motivation and focus is exercise.... and yet i work out regularly and still no motivation to get down with my erlenmeyers and soxhlets

i hate labwork

 

[bmcgilligan]

I have 2 months till med school starts. I graduated undergrad last August. Up until last week, I have filled my time with work. But since I have received my acceptance, I can't concentrate hard enough to work. I just want these next two months to fly by so I can start school. It is the only thing I can think about.

 

[Blue Scrub]

For me I feel that if my schedule is packed, you have a sense of urgency and fear that motivates you to try really hard and do well, because you know you have to....once my schedule lightened up, even by 1 or 2 classes, my motivation and urgency went down bigtime, and although I still did OK, I just didnt feel the same again....my concentration was off, and I felt as if I wasn't getting as much quality study time as I was before....I really dont know why, I can only attribute it to the lighter workload.....Im not sure, but setting a goal or finding somehow to keep that same urgency may help....you gotta find that hunger again

 

[MedicineBird]

I have 2 months till med school starts. I graduated undergrad last August. Up until last week, I have filled my time with work. But since I have received my acceptance, I can't concentrate hard enough to work. I just want these next two months to fly by so I can start school. It is the only thing I can think about.

couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[masterMood]

if you keep on saying you hate something and you keep on being negative about it, you're going to put it off at the last minute. it's basic human nature. if you know innatley that you don't like the subject what i recommend is to try to tell yourself that its not that bad and that if you want to become a doctor you need to learn this in order to be a good doctor.

think stuff like if i don't understand organic chemistry now or do well now, how will i be a good doctor when i'm prescribing medicine to patients, when i don't even know what those doses or names mean!

Much like right now, i'm taking ap physics as a senior, and i have severe senioritis right now, but my motivation in this class (and english, and calculus, and spanish), is that it won't matter now, but it'll make me a smarter person when i hopefully become a doctor.

for SDN forums, i recommendy ou block the website by making up a password, and then forget it

 

[DoctaJay]

As of late, I am finding it to be incredibly difficult to become motivated or focused on anything. Last year, it would be easy for me to get home, and work for hours on end, and I was extremely productive. However, this year, most notably this semester, I am the exact opposite. I procrastinate to the extremes... I am no longer starting my work when I get home, but at horrible hours (even around midnight). This has thrown off my sleep pattern, and I'm always tired. I even have trouble motivating myself to make phone calls that must be made, or send e-mails that must be sent. Everything just seems to be too tedious. I feel lazy, and I don't know how I got to be this way. I'm definitely not depressed. I'm at the top of the world (except for this problem of course). I'm not overworked, as I have an unusually easy semester. I have no idea what is going on. I want to go back to my old self!!! I don't want my grades to suffer because of this, and more importantly, I don't want my health or relationships to suffer.
I'm going to book an appoinment with my doctor to talk about this. I was just wondering if any of you have any ideas about what is wrong with me? Any similar experiences? If any of you have trouble focusing or becoming motivated, what do you do? Is there some sort of prescription medicine you take? Non-prescription? Any disorders you know about? I will discuss all this with my doc, but I don't want to be totally in the dark when I do so. I want to be able to make suggestions, and help find the best possible solution to the problem. Thanks in advance, and good luck to all of you who are waiting for acceptances, and to those of you who will be writing the MCAT soon. Congrats to all of you who already have acceptances!!!
(Also, do any of you know why I can't indent? Is there a trick to it?)

It sounds like cancer, I'm afraid we'll have to amputate.

Lol, I'm just playing man. Is it only in your science classses that you feel this way. I find that when I feel this way, I need to take a break, and do something not related to school at all. LIke play basketball or go to the movies. But you have to be careful, because once you come back, you MUST start whatever you were procrastinating on.

 

[Tim.P]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am definitely going to start going to the gym in the mornings, because now that I think of it, I rarely exercise anymore... so that could be a major part of it. And to the person who asked, I haven't been accepted to med school yet, its probably like someone suggested... I simply don't have enough work to keep me motivated. Summer starts soon, so I'll be able to relax, and hopefully get back into the swing of things soon.

 

[vikaskoth]

I have 2 months till med school starts. I graduated undergrad last August. Up until last week, I have filled my time with work. But since I have received my acceptance, I can't concentrate hard enough to work. I just want these next two months to fly by so I can start school. It is the only thing I can think about.

what med school starts in june, thats really early?

i'm in the same boat with everyone here, i had to pull an all-nighter, probably 3hrs actual studytime, for a 100 level history class that i have to take.

 

[bmcgilligan]

what med school starts in june, thats really early?

i'm in the same boat with everyone here, i had to pull an all-nighter, probably 3hrs actual studytime, for a 100 level history class that i have to take.

Florida State University College of Medicine starts May 31st

 

[calcrew14]

You are stalled at the top of the world. Other than depression, I can't think of anything else but flame out or pulverization. Go to the gym. It should definitely help in case it is your mind. But if you happen to collapse, then it is your body. See a doctor then. Good luck

 

[LauraMac]

i'm glad to hear so many of you are in the same boat. i am so restless i can't take it. i just want med school to start, so i can have goals again and feel like i'm doing something worthwhile with my life.

if you're not into med school yet, don't let yourself be too much of a slacker. like someone said, maybe you need to be more challenged. that has certainly been my main problem this semester and last.

i also think about how much i used to accomplish in one day, and now i'm like, i can't even handle doing more than like 3 hours of school per day... if that. i guess that's normal, though, so thanks everyone for making me feel better about it.

oh yeah, and i also am on such a bizarre sleep schedule. my goal every night is to go to bed before the sun comes up... no joke. i hope i actually go to the med school lectures next year so that i have to go to bed at a reasonable time and get up at a reasonable time.

 

[jennben4]

Thank you for starting this thread - not that I'm happy for your lack of motivation. I feel the same as most of you, lilke a pile of poo. I have been so crazily driven since high school and I can barely drag myself through the day lately. Even a matter of months ago, I was working full time, commuting for 2-3 hours a day, studying for the MCAT, maintaining a relationship and an apartment by myself, etc.... AND I felt better. Since I started really getting massively stressed about getting into school, I noticed that my eating habits slipped. Not so much being unhealthy, but just more. I'm a stress eater.... grrr... Anyhoo, I was still going to the gym at least three times a week, and sleeping better than ever. I've done nothing but improve my sleep, eating, excercise, etc. and I still feel like excrement. Really, I can feel my body pulling itself through space as I walk and all I feel like doing is sleeping. I've also been accepted for a while now, so maybe it does have a little to do with the let-down phase. My body is used to a much higher level of functioning as well as stress. Without it I guess my physio just got out of whack. I have no idea. I know that I hate my job and I feel like a cog in the wheel of science. I wake up at 5:30 so that I can commute for an hour and a half each way to do nothing or something rote and menial at best. There's the second round of commuting, a trip to the gym, eat something, make a lunch for the next day, shower, sleep, do it all over again. When I don't got the gym, I teach for Kaplan - the second job so that I can afford life and the aftermath of application. Ugh. So, I need to feel useful, productive, and successful again because this is killing me! Sorry if that just turned into a bitch-fest, but hang in there everybody. It's good to know that we're not alone. It seems that we may be correct in just looking forward to August because this obviously has to change. I never thought I would look forward to the "hell" of med school and think of it as relief. Amazing what a little perspective can do.