Does anyone have any pointers for staying on task while underemployed?

[bhikkhu]

28. I try to arrange it where the small tasks add up or "stay done"

...so a little time every day on a variety of tasks eventually makes a big difference. Which is easy to say, of course, and plenty of my small tasks are like washing dishes and cooking - you do them over and over and they're still not done! But working on the house and yard toward a long-term low-maintenance situation, that eventually pays off in free time and peace of mind. At least you can see at the end of the day the work you've done, even if its just a little bit.

For a long time I was in the habit of laying down in bed to sleep and spending a little time going over the doings of the day. Remembering what you did during the day and feeling good about it is one way of planting a little motivation in your brain going forward, especially if you make it a regular habit.