We have all had days where you can't seem to get anything done. Whether it's a matter of "A.D.D." or you just "don't feel like working", its something we all face. Author Jerry Oltion has published a list of 50 strategies he uses for "making himself work". While the list is geared toward authors (it was written for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) you can easily apply all of these tips to almost any task. Here are some of my favorites:

• Write to music. Put two or three CDs in the player and stay at the keyboard until they're done. Crank it up. Boogie a little. That's not just background noise; that's the sound of you working.
• Set a timer for a short period of time (15 minutes or so) and stay at the keyboard--no matter what--until it dings. Then do it again. Only allow yourself to get up after the timer dings, and always set the timer again if you stay at the keyboard. This will hold you in place long enough for the first impulse toward work-avoidance to pass, and you'll often discover yourself eager to keep going when your time's up.
• Paper your study walls with Playboy foldouts (or whatever else is likely to keep you in the room).
• Turn off the talk radio... ...Even if you think you need it for background noise, substitute some other noise that doesn't engage the language center of your brain. That's for writing, not for listening, when you're at the keyboard.

There are lots of great tips here that will help keep you on task - one way or another.

50 Strategies For Making Yourself Work [via Lifehacker]
productivity, strategies