Trouble finding motivation

[BryanRoberts]

I've manage to meditate daily lately, so that is good. On off days when I have no plans, I usually wake up with the intention to treat the day as if it were a meditation retreat, and it rarely works out that way. I might meditate for half an hour a few times during the day, and then somehow get distracted, find myself on the computer and often feel trapped on the thing. I will browse the web looking at facebook and other pointless websites, one hour turns into two turns into five. I will be browsing the web and will tell myself, alright, in 20 minutes I will tear myself off the computer and go meditate, and then 20 minutes pass I am still on it. I feel glued to it at times, like a moth flying around a light bulb. I am at a loss to find the motivation to go and sit, it seems such a simple thing yet I am often unable to muster. I feel pressured when I am on the web to meditate, it is a nagging feeling, and as far as I can tell this nagging feeling is not helping motivate me, I wouldn't be surprised if it is serving the opposite purpose. Today I think a better strategy would be to simply turn off the computer as a goal rather than going straight to meditation, which somehow feels daunting (although I enjoy meditating), as when I am not on the computer and doing nothing meditation sort of happens naturally and I find it easier to meditate when there is nothing else happening. Perhaps this strategy of turning off the computer without the pressure to immediately meditate afterwards will help. Any suggestions on how to avoid mindlessly surfing the web for hours? Suggestions on how to relieve this pressure which seems to hold me down? Also, what do you think are the most healthy ways to find motivation to meditate? I really really do not want to live my life stuck in habit, never doing the things that I know I should be doing on a daily basis. Metta. Please take a second and enjoy the red fish.

[DAWN]

Putt all what flood your mind very far. Without acces. It's the only way when addiction is to strong.
And be desciplinate. Make a daily practice graphic, hour by hour, and let it lead you.

Discipline is the most important.

Be your own exemple, your own ideal.

[BryanRoberts]

Putt all what flood your mind very far. Without acces.

Can you explain what you mean by this. Thank you for your response, I hope you enjoyed the red fish.

[DAWN]

Putt all what flood your mind very far. Without acces.

Can you explain what you mean by this. Thank you for your response, I hope you enjoyed the red fish.

For exemple, as me concern.

- i block my fb
- i have no phone
- i watch TV once a week (to watch one buddhist tv program)
- i limited acces on the web (only dhammawheel not more that 2 hours a day)
- i have only one spoon, one bowl, one tea cup etc to dont have dishes, and dont eat at the wrong time
etc

It can seems radical, but my phylosophy concerning objects which can flood my mind, which disturb me : "when the arm brings pain - cutt off this arm". So actualy in your place, with big addiction to the web, i would putt my computer some where, for exemple to my parents house, or another place where he would not be visble, and will not disturb me, get the mind out of tantation.

I'am sorry for my english, i hope you see what i mean.

[rowyourboat]

Could you be having too much free time? Maybe some structure in your day would be helpful to discipline the mind a bit.

[BryanRoberts]

Dawn, thanks for the reply, I think there is merit to this philosophy and am glad you reminded me of it. However, I depends on internet access because of my work.

I am interested to know what I can do to avoid feeling tarped when on the computer for extended times, what is a good means of breaking the chain when I find myself in the thick of it, so to speak?

Rowyourboat, yes I do have a lot of free time, I have built my life around creating as much free time as possible. What I am interested in is how to make the most of this free time. I do not want a busy life full of stimulation, it is a quiet mind and meditative life that I seek. Perhaps there is merit to creating more structure though, but only as a stop gap.

Today has gone rather well, I have meditated for about 4 hours, yay! Lowering my goal to simply stepping away from the computer (instead of going straight to meditation) seems to be helping. Still, I want to sit for longer and longer periods, to have the discipline to have meditation retreats without needing group support.

[Digity]

I use to surf the web like crazy....eventually I just got bored of it. Maybe you'll reach a point when you'll just see that most of the stuff you're spending time on looking at on the web is useless...I mean, stuff like facebook is usually a waste of time.

Now when I'm on the web it's usually dharma related. I'm seeking out info to study or listen to talks. However, even that I feel like I need to cut back on.

[BryanRoberts]

I use to surf the web like crazy....eventually I just got bored of it. Maybe you'll reach a point when you'll just see that most of the stuff you're spending time on looking at on the web is useless...I mean, stuff like facebook is usually a waste of time.

Now when I'm on the web it's usually dharma related. I'm seeking out info to study or listen to talks. However, even that I feel like I need to cut back on.

I am actually finding the same to be true of Facebook and noticing the grip lesson as I become increasingly mindful, so maybe, hopefully, it is just a matter of time.

I feel compelled to say that in my opinion, looking at things as a waste of time, something about that doesn't seem right to me, I can't put my finger on why. I get very stressed when I start looking at what I am doing when I am doing it as a waste of time, it creates conflict in me. Anyways, that's just a thought. Take care and thank you for the response.

[DAWN]

Dawn, thanks for the reply, I think there is merit to this philosophy and am glad you reminded me of it. However, I depends on internet access because of my work.

I am interested to know what I can do to avoid feeling tarped when on the computer for extended times, what is a good means of breaking the chain when I find myself in the thick of it, so to speak?

Rowyourboat, yes I do have a lot of free time, I have built my life around creating as much free time as possible. What I am interested in is how to make the most of this free time. I do not want a busy life full of stimulation, it is a quiet mind and meditative life that I seek. Perhaps there is merit to creating more structure though, but only as a stop gap.

Today has gone rather well, I have meditated for about 4 hours, yay! Lowering my goal to simply stepping away from the computer (instead of going straight to meditation) seems to be helping. Still, I want to sit for longer and longer periods, to have the discipline to have meditation retreats without needing group support.

You have to find your own medicament for your mind, every door have a different key.

Actualy, reading your post, i find that we are in the same situation.
A lot of free time. I dont know if you dwell alone, but if you do, i think you have to create some daily graphic axed on practice, calm and mind-release.

Perharps my daily graphic will help someone. I hope so.

3 pm - wake up
3.00 -3.15 - shower
3.15 - 4.00 - sit maditation
4.00 - 5.00 - reading sutta (Samyutta Nikaya)
5.00 - 6.00 - eating + cheking internet (dhammawheel + russian dhamma forum)
6.00 pm- 1.00 am - job time (with 2 hours in road, so i try to do it mindfully )
1.00 - 2.00 - sit meditation
2.00 - 3.00 - internet cheking
3.00 - 4.00 - sit or lay meditation
4.00 - 5.00 - reading sutta (Digha Nikaya)
5.00 - 6.00 - cheking internet
6.00 - 7.00 - listening audio books
8.00 - 9.00 - sit meditation
9.00 - 10.00 - lay meditation.

3.00 pm - wake up...

Of corse he is not so straight, minute to minute, but is the sceleton. for exemple now i respond you, and it's 8.10 AM oclock

Friendly

[David2]

wow, that timetable seems to be pretty crazy if I didn't misunderstand it.
Your work is finished at 1 am, 1 hour after midnight, and you go to sleep 9 hours later in the late morning?
Aren't you tired after your work?

I'm not critisizing, I'm just surprised.

[James the Giant]

I've manage to meditate daily lately, so that is good

Yes, that IS good. Consistency is more important than how much, for establishing a life-long habit.

....and it rarely works out that way. I might meditate for half an hour a few times during the day

That sounds fine. There's no need to jump in the deep end.
A monk once told me it was more important for me to relax and chill about the whole thing, and I shouldn't feel pressure to meet some ideal I had in my head.

[Kamran]

I find the 10 min dhamma talks that Thanissaro Bikhu gives to the monks at Metta Forrest monastery before they meditate to be motivational. The talks seem to be intended to motivate the monks to meditate, and deal with issues that come up during meditation. They are available at dhammatalks.org

[DAWN]

wow, that timetable seems to be pretty crazy if I didn't misunderstand it.
Your work is finished at 1 am, 1 hour after midnight, and you go to sleep 9 hours later in the late morning?
Aren't you tired after your work?

I'm not critisizing, I'm just surprised.

Yes, it can seems crazy, but i feel better like that. I think, that it is the only way to practice well, when you dwell alone. With good discipline. Like a train, you putt yourself on the rails - and you dwell like that. But of corse some conditions must be here: like have no family, have no to much resposabilities, habe no a lot of work etc
Actualy, this tametable was established naturaly, without particular effort. So if some one want to do it this way, he have to know himself. Knowing himself he will be able to make his own rails, naturaly, wich will improve practice, and not make it painfull.
It's like in Japan. When they build any building, they keep ground without any path, without asphalt. After sometimes, peoples, by walking naturaly, create paths, and so after that, they have just to put on some asphalt.
It's the same systhem with timetable.

Friendly

I have a chance to get not-physical-manual work, with not big needs on energy, thats why there is enoght energy with one vegan meal a day.

[Yana]

Oh god.

I'm going through the same thing.I want to spend the day doing useful things like meditate,read dhamma books,or just get something sorted out around the house and be productive and i end up on FB or browsing the internet for 7 hours straight.Forgetting to eat or drink or go outside or anything like a hermitt.Every time i tell myself i'm just going to do this one thing i see something interesting on the browser follow it and before i know it 1 hours gone by.grr.feel like shooting myself now.

I don't know how to deal with it..
maybe destroy the computer?
i'm kidding.

Well I'm going to try just meditate and not turn the computer on.
Like Nike ad..Just Do it.

hope it works!

[Polar Bear]

I find the 10 min dhamma talks that Thanissaro Bikhu gives to the monks at Metta Forrest monastery before they meditate to be motivational. The talks seem to be intended to motivate the monks to meditate, and deal with issues that come up during meditation. They are available at dhammatalks.org

Just so you know, those are talks actually given to the lay people during group meditation in the sala. They often are based on questions asked by lay people to Thanissaro during the Q and A period of the day at the Wat.


As far as finding motivation goes, if you aren't doing walking meditation practice you may want to try that when you feel glued to your computer because it'll get you away from the computer, burn off some energy, and allow the mind to settle down before doing sitting meditation.