How do you get motivated????

[lyrikz]

Man, let me tell you.. I love working on my truck. Love it. But there seems to be a problem. I cant seem to get motivated to actually WORK on the damn thing. I had 3 days off this week, ALONE. Wife was gone, kids gone. I worked on the truck for 2 hours... THats it...

What do you guys do to get motivated? How do you get UNLAZY. ahahah...

Anything you do to get psyched up to work on your rig? How do i UNGLUE from the tv?? And the nice warm couch?

ANY tips and ideas would be great....

[ChevLoRay]

Do you live east, or west, of the Cascades? If you are east, I understand it may be cool. If west, it may be rainy....right?

Geeze, I have had my truck since Halloween of '99. Right now, it's somewhat apart (bed/front cap) at the bodyshop. I gave up and after the folks passed away, they left me with a little jingle so I am putting it into the truck. I'd have done it years ago, but the kids needed some jingle for their "emergencies" and that didn't leave any for MY needs....let alone MY wants. Wife didn't do without.....I had to take care of her. Kids moved out (all but one) before I bought the '69.

If you can't muster the "want-to" at a younger age than mine, it's gonna be a loooooooong time before you are through.

It ain't just TV's that slow us down. Life is a balancing act.....Wife, job, kids, house, lots of other stuff, then the truck.

Good luck.

[68caliRat]

I get motivated every time my wallet seems to be empty..No $$$ for play = more time to work on the truck. But ofcourse it's self defeating...

[lyrikz]

Ya, im in the NW.

I really like working on it. Just damn.... I get a few hours each day after the kids go to bed, but id rather sit on the couch and watch cable. (just got cable for the first time ever)

[1971 K10 shortbox]

I think the best motivation is find a picture of one that is exactly how you want your to be. Then every time you look at the pic, you see just how cool these trucks look when finished. There is your motivation to finish your own project, because you can know how cool your gonna look drivin around in it.

[jrb71c20]

Encouragement from the board, lots of pics...on the board and 5 kids to hide from have helped motivate me to get some things done here and there.....lol

[bad6772]

i dont even think about it anymore....i do it all day so it just seems natural....i have a LARGE list ...and i try to check at least one thing everyday.....if not everyday for what ever reason comes up...i double time it the next time out in the shop........


tony

[Mondo]

Actually, being alone gives you a lot of time to do other things you haven't had the chance to do. When things get hectic is when it's nice to get out there

[Mondo]

Actually, being alone gives you a lot of time to do other things you haven't had the chance to do. When things get hectic is when it's nice to take a break and get out there and relax a little and not think of work, kids etc..

Maybe a couple evenings a week, for a couple hours, sort of a routine might help.

[Dingfodgy]

I hear ya' brotha'...the weather has been a complete bucket of suck lately here in the NW, which makes is hard to get motivated. For me....my wife likes to watch uber-lame television programming (Dancing with the Stars, Oprahs Big Ass..I mean Give, The Apprentice, etc...). Being as I'd rather have holes in my eyes than watch that crap (can you tell I don't have the Speed Channel?) and Top Gear is only on Monday's....I'm somewhat incentivised to spend time in the shop. Granted there are nights when not a whole lot gets done, but at least I'm not growing dumber by the minute- watching "reality" t.v.

[lyrikz]

Originally Posted by Dingfodgy

I hear ya' brotha'...the weather has been a complete bucket of suck lately here in the NW, which makes is hard to get motivated. For me....my wife likes to watch uber-lame television programming (Dancing with the Stars, Oprahs Big Ass..I mean Give, The Apprentice, etc...). Being as I'd rather have holes in my eyes than watch that crap (can you tell I don't have the Speed Channel?) and Top Gear is only on Monday's....I'm somewhat incentivised to spend time in the shop. Granted there are nights when not a whole lot gets done, but at least I'm not growing dumber by the minute- watching "reality" t.v.

Im just lazy i think. Its how i feel. At work, im SOOO motivated to work on my truck, i drive 30 mins to home, by the time i walk in the door, motivation to change into work clothes is gone... Just tv. Kids, dinner... bah.

[wibilly]

i have two i drive, at least one daily since i got the second driveable and started working fulltime rebuilding engines i have no motivation either. still have 3 protect trucks and a 68 chevelle ss ragtop to do. hoping spring will help, but i'll probably have to find a different daytime job to wanna work on my stuff in my spare time

[LockDoc]

-
I have actually got more done so far this spring than I did all last summer. I love being outside so I bundle up in my hooded sweatshirt, insulated coveralls, and insulated boots and just do it.... Big help to me is that I don't watch any TV, but I do enjoy being on the computer. If I hit a stumbling block I will say to heck with it for a couple of days. Sometimes you just have to make yourself do it....

LockDoc

[Riveted1]

I come to the board and look at pics (like was already mentioned.) ALWAYS gets me motivated!

[odog]

I know what you mean, all winter work was slower so I had time to work on my 72, but I also had more time to play with my little girls too. All year it was go go go, no extra time to do anything, then when we got slow I wanted to work on my truck, but my girls wanted time with their daddy too, so I balanced it a little. I still work a little after work, but my truck is in the shop at work so thats easy. I don't know what motivates me other than my boss keeps saying "are you gonna work on your truck tonight," or " get your truck done yet?"

[Willys47]

LockDoc
Rebuilding an old truck is like having bad sex.
You can't wait for it to start,
but your damn glad when it's over....... I think this is right on.Just think of it as having sex!!

[tcb-1]

I usually get on here and check the build threads, then I get jealous, then..... well you know I head to the garage!!!

it helps if you have you favorite music close OR run that new cable out to the garage and viola!!

[Sport/Truck]

First kill your TV sounds like you enjoy it too much. I have one in my garage and can watch while working. I don't put anything on that I haven't watched before so it's not a big distraction. The other day I watched Orange County. Funny stuff.

Probably get a plan and set some goals.

s/t
l

[AustinScott]

One of the best motivations I have found, is having someone to work with, & share the experience.

Also having a clean & orderly work space makes it a lot easier to get moving when you have lost motivation.

Another thing I have found is to create a plan, kinda like a check list of ALL the things that need to be done no matter how little, then break them down so you have a BUNCH of little project that you can do in a few hours, even if one big project turns into 15 small ones,this way you can start checking things off the list & feel like you are getting some where on you're project & before you know it you are full of motivation and ready to tackle the bigger things.

[PanelDeland]

I usually break stuff down into individual mods.Then I set a deadline.Once that's done I can drive it for awhile.While I'm driving I plan and accumulate the parts for the next mod.I actually have the parts for some stuff that is a ways out but I don't have to have it done all at once.This works for me because I tend to do it "old school".I will mod and build what I want over time then blow it apart to do the finish stuff like paint interior and detail.

[racerman85]

personally, when im having a "slow day" i'll drink a monster energy drink... yes, im a teen (17) but it just kinda puts me in the mood, i turn on some country or hard rock (yeah, i know big difference between the two haha) and I just work.

also like someone said earlier, I look at a truck i want mine to be similar to, and I just think of what it will be like to drive mine one day and how bad I wanna drive it more than just a trip out of the driveway and 100 ft down the road...

and lastly another thing ill do is pull her out of the garage and just sit and look at it for a little. It sounds goofy and im sure I look like an idiot just looking at my truck, but I dont care... It just gets me going.

hope this helps, and good luck!

[streetstar]

Whew -- motivation is a big prob. for me too.

I have a hard time with this one -- but if i set aside a couple of days to work - i try to make a list of everything i need to get done that day and just check them off as i go.

Having a realistic checklist puts me in the mood to bust ass. Also , i designate a point or time during my day when i can crack open my first beer. If i start too early -- the day just turns into a shambles (albeit a happy shambles)

I also leave my cellphone upstairs -- i guess you could just leave it in the top drawer of your toolbox on vibrate, but that can be distracting too, - if its that close, you'll check it occasionally.

I have an ancient 5 disc cd changer down in the lab (my garage) and the heavy metal, country (what is it with that combo?), occasional rap and even disco blare out of it all day.

2 days with that type of program and i can get more done than the previous 2 months of my usual routine.

Also, try to have everything you need before you start your "bust ass" day --- unless the parts store is next door, saddling up to run and fetch RTV, oil, gaskets, sandpaper or whatever can be a super big buzzkill -- and just leads to throwing the crap on top of your box and flicking the tv on too, --or any one of a number of other possible distractions

[jorgensensc]

Funny you should start this topic. I was just thinking about this today. I have a serious problem also. My lack of motivation comes from the point where I am at with the truck. i need to get the paint and body done. That is going to cost me some good money. I am pretty much at a standstill until i can get that done. The truck needs to be reassembled, but i won't really do anything until I can get the truck painted. I have a whole shelf of parts to get going on and I can't do anything!! Then I get on this board for some inspiration and only find myself 5 hours later reading like an addict. i truly believe I am addicted to knowledge that spews from here. it's almost as if I feel like if I miss 5 minutes of this board I may miss something important. Or miss the deal of the century. And to make you really sick of me I usually get 5 days off a week (I work 2 -24 hour shifts with 24 hours in between them) I know, I've got no excuse. Once I get started I can work all day, even forgetting to eat or drink anything. It's the whole getting started part that's hard for me. And I REALLY need to finish this truck soon. We got bad times coming our way.( wife may be getting laid off, thus loosing her company car, which means she takes her trailblazer back and I drive my truck again, finished or not.). I know, I know, I need to quit whining.
Shawn

[dan42]

Originally Posted by tcb-1

I usually get on here and check the build threads, then I get jealous, then..... well you know I head to the garage!!!

it helps if you have you favorite music close OR run that new cable out to the garage and viola!!

I agree. Sometimes I'll just go out and look at things. Keep the fun in it. Enjoy what you've already done, not just look to the next thing - that's what work is for. Turn on some good tunes, maybe do something really small, but do something, and enjoy the time. Don't make it a chore. Have a beer, relax, you're not on a schedule. That's what this thing's all about. That's why we do it. Life is short, and it's not necesarily about how much we do; when you go to the park with your kids, you don't think, well, I threw the football to little Johnny 20 times, then caught him as he went down the slide 15 times, then played catch for 10 minutes... no, you enjoy the fact that you spent time with your kids. Same thing with your truck. Does that make sense?

[jayharrell]

Just hit the board when you feel lazy. Then the next day order some parts for idea's that you come across. New parts always jump start my lazyness.