Trying to Find Motivation?
Maybe these ideas will help you (and me!)
In my last post I mentioned I was struggling with motivation this summer (and all year!) I’ve decided it’s time to stop feeling sorry for myself, spending hours scrolling online, doing anything but writing, and do something about it. Here’s my action plan for getting motivated this summer and through the rest of the year.
Root causes
First of all, what are the causes are of this malaise? Well it could be, you know, everything going on in the world. It could be that I’m so distracted that I can’t focus. Right now it’s definitely that the kids are home All. The. Time. And I would definitely lay some of the blame at the paws of my puppy. But also I feel like I’ve lost some of the enthusiasm and excitement around writing now that it’s my job.
Vicky and I were reminiscing with our critique partner, Faith, recently about how we were so motivated when we first met back in 2017. I’d often wake up to new manuscripts from them both and we’d be constantly finding ways to squeeze in writing around day jobs, kids, and life. It was exciting, being pre-published, and learning new things constantly about the industry.
How can I get back that motivation and enthusiasm?
Action plan
Reduce distractions
I need to cut down on the social media distractions. As of right now, I’ve blocked Reddit on my phone (via the screen time settings on my iPhone) which has become my biggest distraction lately and I still have all the social media apps deleted.
My action plan: keep social media off my phone and block distracting websites.
Increase focus
I already know what works for me here: website blocker on, Forest app on my phone, noise-canceling headphones, and a timer for 25 minute sprints. The trick right now is finding a time slot where I can do that. But surely I can find 25 minutes a day? Right now I’m writing this post at the ice rink while my youngest skates with friends (regretting not bringing my headphones as the guy next to me clears his throat for the 27th time). It reminds me of the stolen moments at dance classes, swimming, and gymnastics when my girls were younger.
Another technique I’m going to investigate for finding time and increasing focus is
’s Time Blob method. (You can get the details free by subscribing to his new newsletter below):
The idea of this system is to know how much you have to do, the time you have to do it, and how long each thing on your list takes to accomplish. Then splitting your day into “blobs”. Bob does a way better job of explaining it so go take a look. I can see this being particularly helpful for me once school restarts in August and I can have a more consistent routine.
My action plan: use time blobbing and timers to keep on track.
Be a beginner again
One way I get excited about creative work is by trying new things and being a beginner again. I love experimenting with different categories and stretching myself with different genres too. One of the things I did as a beginner was take lots of classes so I want to find some to take this summer and beyond.
My action plan: find a class to take.
Get excited about my current project
It’s tempting for me to always chase the new thing but I have an ongoing project that I still love but I’m struggling to get back into it. Part of it is discipline and I just need to sit down and work on it (see all the points above!) but I wondered if there were some other ways to get my spark back for the project. I’m not sure which of these I’ll do (they could steer me into procrastination territory!) but here are some ideas I’ve heard from other people/the internet:
talk to others about my project and meet up to write together
make a Pinterest board for the book
make a playlist for the book
do some side writing
go on an artist date
remember the why and what made me love this project
revisit the premise and write the pitch.
My action plan: choose a couple of items on the list to try.
I hope this works for me and for you if you need help getting back into writing. What do you do to get motivated to write?
I get the whole crazy-chaotic-catastrophe of a world thing. I haven’t removed social media from my phone, but I have stopped reading so much news. I’ve been working on a NF PB project that is simply too dark. I know the project is due to the crazy-chaotic-news spewed at us. This afternoon I abandoned the dark project, and I’m heading for the light. Nature motivates me. News not so much.