Have you ever felt like you are in a rut? Like you are working hard but seemingly not getting anything accomplished?
I know I have days in which I am more creative and productive than others. However, there are days when I just feel like what I am doing is not enough. That no one cares about what I do or how much work I put into everything. I feel stagnant and not motivated to do anything.
If you have these days, don’t feel alone. We all have them. But we must overcome them if we want to succeed. Although, it is tempting to give up or think of just putting the project away until inspiration comes again, we must push forward.
So here are my tips to help you deal with low, or just uninspired days to help you keep on track and get back into the grove.
1. Learn something new. Our minds are amazing creations. We don’t know the full scope of what our mind can do. But one thing that we do know is that our minds crave stimulation. Whenever I feel like I am not progressing as I should, I find something that I really like to study and take a few free courses online, or learn though books. With this new information, my mental energy is refreshed and I have the energy needed to back to my projects. As I have said in the past, there is nothing better for me than to get into a good novel and re-read it three times in the space of a day to get my mental juices flowing again.
2. Shake up your routine. Sometimes getting into a rut is caused by boredom or lack of mental stimulation. Everything is the same every single day. If this is the case for you, then switch out some of your to- do’s. If you normally write in the morning, switch that task out for something you do in the afternoon. You will find that you have renewed energy, as the routine isn’t as boring. Whenever, I find myself getting bored from my strict routine, I switch it up a bit. What I do normally in the afternoon, I would do first thing in the morning. That way I can feel excitement for doing something I usually do later in the day first thing in the morning.
3. Break down the project into small steps. Let’s say that usually you write at least three or four chapters a day, and lately you have been struggling to write that amount. Even a paragraph seems overwhelming. This happens to me a lot, and what helps me to get back on track is to just stop writing and focus on making all my scenes flow. I go to my outline and just log anything that I would think would work with my story. That is all I do. And if one of the scenes I write down seems really fun to write, I will write it. If not, I will allow myself to work on something else. Sometimes your mind needs a break. But that doesn’t mean that you should stop doing something completely. We all would like to have a day when non-stop ideas flow seemingly without a lot of effort. But the truth is that those days are extremely rare. Most of the time we have to work hard. But what is the reward if the work isn’t hard or mentally challenging?
4.. Remember the why. When we are in the midst of a project, it is often hard to remember the why. Whenever I feel like I am not getting anywhere and have no motivation, I write down at least three things about why I am doing a certain project. And once I have done that, I am more energized and ready to tackle that project. I don’t do things for the sake of doing things, there is always many intentions behind them. And I am sure that you don’t do things just to do them either. We do projects and things because we have a goal in mind. So if you have forgotten your goal, then spend some time reflecting on why you want to do this project. I promise you will find your motivation again once you remember why you started.
5. Imagine the end result. Imagine holding your completed work or writing the last few sentences of your essay, book, or poem. We cannot get to the end unless we put in the work. What helps me to get my motivation back is to work on editing photos or drawing something for my book cover. That really gets me motivated to finish, as I cannot see this book cover on the book until I finish the book. If you still are having trouble getting into your work again, imagine what the completed project would look like. Get some inspiration from others who have completed a project similar to yours. See how they are ecstatic and that you will be too once you completed your work.
I hope that these tips were helpful. Remember we all have days when we are not as motivated as we usually are. But we must press through them. I know that the first feeling is to give up altogether, but that would be the easiest thing to do. Remember we are creative for a purpose, and that doing anything requires a lot of hard work, much more than we care to admit. Sometimes we forget after we completed a difficult assignment or task the mental challenge, anxiety, and fear of failure. But remembering all of this during your current works in progress will help you get back into the routine, even if it is just one small step. Remember a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Have a great week,
Alyssa
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