Just cannot got going for the life of me :(

[yellowbe]

I just can't get going at all. I have been sick with a bad cold for the past 2.5 weeks and am starting to feel a bit better but I just feel so lazy and am getting nothing done. I need to get the shopping away, eat some lunch, put up the fairy lights in the hall, tidy, dust and hoover, write and post Christmas cards, do my last online Christmas orders, put on a washing and put another washing away, reply to an email and probably other things I've forgot about. I just want to lie in bed and watch youtube, but I've been doing that for 2 weeks and am so behind on everything.

I am not the best at getting my finger out at the best of time and often feel overwhelmed by tasks i.e. I need to tidy, hoover and dust but also prep a meal I will feel so overwhelmed I just procrastinate all day and it feels even worse now.

There are nice things I want to do like read or work on my crafts but I never let myself do them as I need to do my actual chores first but then I can't get the chores done or I end up trying to do things in the evening when I should be spending time with the family.

Please give me your tips to break out of this paralysis!

Make a list and pick one thing. Just one to do today. Make it a really easy one if you want. But just one. Then tomorrow try for another thing. You don't have to do it all at once

Get up, get dressed, put some music on and get off Mumsnet. You will feel better once some stuff is done.

@Gentlydoesit2 Lol, your username really does checkout! I appreciate you replying. I am so far behind now due to illness that I need to make a dent in things. I will make a list and pick one thing to start with at least!

Turn wi-fi off,make a coffee, stick music on the radio and just get started

When I feel like this I always start with putting a wash on. It takes seconds and that’s something you can check off the list.

I am bad for this as well. I have two loads of laundry that need putting away but am currently on Mumsnet!

What I do find works for me is to do some version of a "power hour". It doesn't have to be an hour.... sometimes I just set a timer for 20 minutes and see how much I can get done in that time. Or I'll put my earbuds in and listen to a podcast that I really enjoy and do my tasks as I'm listening.

If it all feels too much. Get up off the sofa right now and set a timer for 10 minutes and see what you can get done in that time. I normally find that once I've started and my time is up I'm happy to finish off the task I'm doing. It's the getting started that's the hard bit.

As previous poster I suggest the pomodoro method, set a timer for 15 minutes to do something then promise yourself a break at the end. Often you don’t even stop after 15.

@GameOfJones Thanks that is useful and I appreciate the solidarity!

Another vote here for the pomodoro technique. Sometimes the getting started is harder than the doing. If you are still unwell then allow little breaks.

For what its worth, you're ill, give yourself a break. And for goodness sake don't "punish" yourself by not allowing yourself to do a fun thing because you "should" be doing chores. Obvs you don't want the house going to wrack and ruin, but no-one is really going to suffer if you did a nice craft kit for 30mins rather than putting up some fairy lights!

I think it's a shame when people almost use their hobbies and small pleasures to guilt themselves, life is simply too short for that!

don't try to look at the whole list. just pick one tiny task to break the paralysis. i find just doing the sofa with a handheld vac i use the idustmite, gives me a quick win without the effort of dragging the big machine out. seeing one clean spot usually helps get the momentum back