Lost my interest in playing online games? Any tricks?

Lately I've lost my interest for playing online games. Maybe this is caused by the plateau that I've hit (can't break 1150) but I've played a few OTB games and I consider them more interesting.

Starting this week I'll join a local chess club (they have 3 training sessions/week) but I was thinking at a trick: set a chess board near the laptop and copy the moves from the online game there. Did you try this? 

Any other suggestions are welcome

If the "feeling" is gone, the last thing you want to do is try and force it!  If you are playing a lot of OTB and enjoying that, stick with it and enjoy yourself.  You'll probably get the "fever" to play online sooner or later, and if you don't it's really no biggie, a lot of people play strictly OTB. Take care pal, Vin.

OTB is much more interesting, I set up a board whenever I play standard time controls, because I focus much better on a 3D board.

@hired: I'm not playing a lot OTB, but it seems that this is the way to go for the moment. The only thing I enjoy online now is to do tactics on chesstempo. I've noticed that online I do some terrible blunders but OTB it doesn't happend yet

Fear_ItseIf, same problem, it seems that I can focus better with a board in front of me

OTB?

OTB = over the board. 

Losing interest is a very personal matter. I don't think any other people could be of much help in this case.

If that is due to excessive play, probably you need rest. Stay away from the game atleast few days. The game should bring you back. I mean normally people are addicted to chess. Some tried hard to give up after painful losses but still the game calls them back.

I believe this should happen to you too. Since your struggling to cross 1150, I am not sure whether the game will call you back 

Anyway, do some serious work cos if you have something to try on your opponent, then motivation will come. Breaking the barrier or breaking the plateau is what separates the intermediate from the expert.

Can't help but notice you're over 1150...

But anyway, I think the main thing you will need for the next step is concentration and consistency. If I play people at that level there always seems to be an outright hanging piece or simple tactic. I'm sure you would notice your mistakes on the other side of the board, it's just taking more care when moving pieces to check for threats.

Play less for a day or two...works for me!

Da-Novelty, I've tried to stay away for a few days but I couldn't, my mind goes back at chess all the time. I'm struggling with 1150 but I'm entering my 3rd month of playing/studying in 2 weeks :), my chesstempo rating is around 1350. I don't enjoy playing online but I love playing OTB, with real people in front of me. I love to arrange my pieces before a game, I love to feel them, touch them, move them, hear them on the board and capture them. 

Scottrf, I've break 1150 online but I'm interested in playing live standard, I have only a few games with friends online. Consistency I have, it seems that focus is lacking.

dchurchill, I do chesstempo daily, will look into chessmentor, I've did only a few.

Thanks for the answers

OTB is much better, so if you replace online practice with OTB practice, it's all good 

To be honest, ever since I played my first OTB tournament a couple of months back, online chess (which is where it all started for me really, online chess on this site) has not been the same! So maybe that's it. If you're bored with chess in general (OTB as well) then taking a week off is the right way to go.

Thanks for the input guys. Just to make it clear, I enjoy playing OTB a lot. I will give this a try since 30 min live standard is what I play. Will see what happens

   This is exactly what happens with a guy I play OTB at work with. We can play for weeks and he NEVER hangs a piece, but I've seen him hang his queen on his first online game.  He says the same thing, that he doesn't see the board in the same way!

There is something special about the board and the pieces. It gives the game more soul. I like the training and how easy it is to get a game on chess.com but somehow I see this as preparation for an OTB game.

I'm currently playing a game with someone without a computer. We both have our boards set up and text each other our moves then update our board. I guess this is correspondence chess but updated. It means that I get to move those little pieces of wood and see the board properly (I agree with those who've said they play better on a board)

@KeyserSzoze: I agree with hiredgun7, Fear_Itself, hicetnunc and crazypigg on the OTB games. Recently, I also had been "backsliding" from playing online because of one very interesting observation: I find it more difficult to win against 1300+ (and even some 1200+) players than 1400+ players. I also seem to understand some of my 1500+ opponents' moves, as compared to the seemingly mysterious but suddenly winning moves (after 6 moves into the game) of their 1300+ counterparts. It could be me, it could be them, but at any rate I suspect something fishy going on.

Anyway, I'd share some of the reasons why I enjoy OTB games more than online games:

1. The effort the players put in preparing the board itself may subconsciously push them to play with more effort, especially for beginners like us;

2. Having to hold the pieces (and pawns) themselves gives us a "feel" for the game, from the actual spatial location of the pieces (and pawns (again)) to the shape of the material itself (holding the queen, or seeing the opponent move his or her queen, always grabs my attention for example);

3. The situation of actually facing your opponent personally adds a psychological flavor to how the game is played since the way the opponent moves, how he scratches his head, how he sits tall, or even how he forcefully takes your piece (or pawn (for the third and last time)) as if to almost break the material itself could affect the one's mind; and, of course

4 . It's practically impossible to play against a "cheater" on OTB (unless he goes off somewhere and accesses a computer for that purpose and returns to the board, like the accusation Topalov made against Kramnik in 2006).

I've heard the technique you applied. Similarly, from the first two reasons, at least maybe setting up a board while playing an online game with the objective of synchronizing the computer monitor with the physical chess board would make the game more personal and make us more able to "connect" with the game. Connecting with the game is an essential step before really being able to understand the chess game as it unfolds.

Hope these all help in reviving your online chess progress.

@gpobernado Recently I did some analysis on my success against similar rating ranges and found exactly the same as you. My performances against 1400-1500 was better than 1300-1400. I'd put it down to my own lack of focus and respect for my oppoenent when playing people of a lesser ratings. Not something I'm particularly proud of, but will be trying to address. 

find a new way of playing chess online. if you never played a gambit try one. do something else than you are usually doing.
maybe you got tired of online chess because it is nearly routine to make the same moves and everything seem familiar.
you might even learn something opening a new door to unknown positions because you played one move you wouldn't do otherwise.
limit the number of games you play else you find yourself at work sitting and FORCED to move a lot.

Find the prettiest and most energetic girl you can.  Keep up with her for three weeks.

Your taste for a quiet night in and a really sedate session of on-line chess (chess.com of course) will magically revive.