Recently I've come to the conclusion that nobody else can directly motivate me. The only way I'll get into it is just trying things myself. So I thought something that would probably benefit some of us is reading what others do to motivate themselves. Or even what other people/things have done to motivate them.

I encourage all of you to post whatever strategies or insight you have relating to this. I only ask that you post any sort of large-scale suggestions elsewhere because we can go all sorts of unpromising places with that.

I hope what we can make of this is a decent list of things so that if an SL wants to help but can't get into it at the moment, he/she can come here for a little inspiration or a new idea.

When I have my eye on an ehelp but I don't know where to start, I read it a few times and list my immediate thoughts about the things they say. Then I just ramble. So I have a few basic paragraphs. Then I try to link them and I have a start to a reply and it's easy from there.

When I'm feeling like I don't have enough energy or concentration to answer any, and I really want to go on a spree, I tell myself that it doesn't hurt to try. I look for one that's not so bad and I read it through and think about it. If I come up with something, I keep going; If I'm still blank I do something else for a while but keep thinking about it. So eventually I get somewhere and often it's enough to make me want to do more.

Post edited at 9:10 pm on May 27, 2008 by Anonymous

I hope that made sense. =\

Other than that... I'm not sure, really. No one else can really motivate me, either. When I'm feeling supportive and at my best, I'll get out however many replies I have time for in a day, two days, a week - whatever - until I sort of lose that feeling. I'll always take a reply and start writing, but if I'm just not feeling it, I go back to it later. I never force a reply, because if I do they're always shite.

edit: Whilst I'm writing a reply helpful phrases often pop into my head, so I write them down separately elsewhere, and include them somewhere in my reply. My mind goes crazy when I'm trying to reply to something, so much seems to be going on in it.

Post edited at 3:01 am on May 29, 2008 by amiee

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i think you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see

1. Read the topic/Ehelp at least 3 times, analyze the main problem and then the other ones.

2. I copy the whole thing into my Microsoft word and I start to write notes. I divide the whole thing into points, like A, B, C, etc, like to focus on the different problems, so that I can advice properly and be sure I didn't missed something.

3. Now, that I already have notes, I remove the original topic and start to make the notes from each problem into paragraphs, until I finish this.. I move to #4.

4. I try to ensemble something based on what I wrote. I make the previous of the reply. This usually takes time because I edit lot's of things.

5. I leave it there for a while and do other things, just to clear my mind.

6. I read it again, I rewrite some things, edit, etc.  I just try to finish the reply here. Make it precise and clear.

7. Read if again, if I find it satisfactory I post it, if not I go back again and do it all over.

Post edited at 12:12 pm on May 30, 2008 by Stand Up

- Read them over once or twice and get the general gist of what the problem is etc.
- Address the problems there one by one, not nescessarily in the order they're posted - normally in an order that makes sense to me.
- Put together an answer that works, trying to get the points to lead on so it makes sense.
- Read it through, and if it sounds fine, I'll post.

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oh, she's a dreamer ♥
be the change you wish to see in the world
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currently studying in france