3 Ways to Stay Motivated While Working on Creative Projects
We’ve touched on how I find motivation to write before, but today I want to talk about how to stay motivated while working on creative projects. These methods can be used for anything, it doesn’t just have to be creative projects. Sometimes we need help staying on track for office assignments or tasks around the house. These tips can be used for a multitude of things & I suggest you use them for all of it!
But first, a quick update.
Life has been lifin’. I said I would provide more life update posts & please believe those are coming! I finally got my first digital writing tools created and available for you all! You can get Your Novel-Writing Guide & Your Novel-Writing Checklist now. I cannot wait to create more tools to help writers of all levels improve on their craft in different ways. I have been doing so much introspection and reflecting on ways I can give back to the world with my gifts and outside of my stories, it is definitely helping other people tell stories of their own. I also gave one of my books a makeover! A post will come later revealing which of my babies got a new cover and how much that upgrade means to me. There's more but I'll spare you the details, just know your girl is busy putting in that work per usual. Now, let's get into what you came here for, shall we? How to stay motivated while working on creative projects.
3 Ways to Stay Motivated While Working on Creative Projects
Before jumping into these tips, I need you to take the time to consider the following:
Verify your intentions for the project you're working on. Note its purpose. How will it benefit others/the world as well as yourself?
Note the environment you need in order to create your best work. How does this type of environment make you feel? Try to visualize specifics such as indoor/outdoor, smells, lighting, sounds, etc.
When you are in the heart of your project and you need help staying focused and motivated, you will want to reflect on the greater purpose of the project, always going beyond surface-level reasoning. You don’t want the motivation for finishing something to only stem from the reason of it being due, or because you told someone you would, or because you just have to. You need to look into & reflect on what your talent is giving to the world as well as what it is doing for yourself. It might make you some money, but will it also give a sense of fulfillment? Will you bask in accomplishment from successfully keeping a promise to yourself? First-handedly watching your creative growth? Tap into the greater purpose. And to keep your focus sharp, you confirm what you need/how you need to feel in order to create your best work. Consider the perfect environment for you to work in, then dig deeper into what that environment provides. It may be ideal to work at the beach, but say you can’t: reflect on the feelings you receive when working at the beach and do what you can to bring those feelings to you. It’s all about going beyond what’s on the surface, so you never have to rely on external forces to create your best work. When you can tap into these ideal feelings and vibes on your own, you can always keep yourself motivated! The methods to follow will help you to do just that.
Related Post: Why You Should Have a Creative Space (& How to Make One When Low on Space)
3 Ways to Stay Motivated While Working on Creative Projects:
Meditate
Listen to & repeat positive affirmations
Give Yourself Grace
Meditate
There are many, many ways to meditate. Here, we are going to focus on simply focusing your mind. You can do this in silence, using guided meditations, listening to frequencies in alignment with your intention, playing other sounds deemed helpful by you, etc. The important thing is you set this up the way you need it to be set up in order to get everything out of it that you need. But, be sure to set an intention prior to starting, for example, “I would like to be more focused today.” You can call on this intention for your practice, and go into the meditation with the goal to strengthen your focus. Meditation is super helpful for that because you are forced to clear your mind and practice letting thoughts come and go. If your focus is focus, meditating will absolutely start you off on the right track.
You can also use meditation to further tap into the first 2 notes from the start of this article: your project’s intention & what you need to create your best work. Prior to meditating, consider the greater purpose of the project, then confirm the energy you need to create your best work in this area. If you need to feel inspired, call upon inspiration during your practice. If you need to feel relaxed, your intention will be calmness. This is all about getting your mind right and setting the right tone in your headspace to keep the greater purpose & your needs fresh in your mind.
You can head over to Youtube and search "meditation for creativity and focus" and a plethora of guided meditations, binaural beats, etc. will populate for you to choose from!
Listen to & Repeat Positive Affirmations
Girllll, or boyyyy when I tell you this method has changed my life so much lately in more ways than one. Just like you may hop over to Youtube to find ocean sounds, you can also hop over to youtube for affirmations.
Affirmations are all about self-empowerment and positive thinking. If you’re having a hard time staying focused and motivated, your mind may automatically go to “I’m having a hard time staying focused and motivated. I’m not motivated right now, I’m not focused. I can’t do this project, it’s not going well, it’s going to be shitty.” Sometimes, you just can’t help it, your mind goes down this spiral of negativity when you’re just not feeling your best. Maybe anxiety is getting the best of you or you’re just in a bad mood! But, believe me when I say that listening to and repeating positive affirmations is a game changer.
You shift that negative thinking into positivity. You shift that downer attitude into uplifting and empowering yourself. You aren’t unmotivated, you are strong and creative and the motivation to create something amazing is always inside of you! Your work isn’t going to be shitty because you do not create anything shitty! Your work has positive impacts on people's lives, including your own. You and your talent are gifts from God. You and your talents are unique - no one else is you and no one else can do what you do! When you’re in a good mood, list out some affirmations like these for you to refer to when you’re not feeling so hot. Read them aloud as many times as you need to and believe what you are saying. Watch your energy shift drastically. If you don’t want to create your own, below are some channels on Youtube that have some of my favorite affirmation videos you can listen to and repeat. You can also do a general search for affirmations or specifically for staying focused or whatever you want.
Give Yourself Grace
Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?
Sometimes we get in our own way by putting so much pressure on ourselves. Sometimes, we are the drama (lol). Oftentimes, you may notice you’re not feeling motivated to do something you need to do, & if you take a second to think you may realize you do not need to do this right now. You can spare yourself the harassment. Give yourself some time to just exist if you’ve been going a little too hard. You don’t want to hit burnout territory, because once you do there are little to no methods beyond just sitting your ass down that can bring you back. Practice balance in your creative endeavors. Yes, we may love what we do and wholeheartedly believe in the greater purpose, as well as desire the benefit for ourselves, but none of that matters if you don’t give yourself time to recharge. If you are not nice to yourself, if you do not give yourself a break. The world can already be tough. Everyone else isn’t as aware of the importance to look beyond surface-level reasoning like you! So while you’re extending grace to others and giving others the space to take care of themselves because you get it, get it for yourself as well. Give yourself that same grace and space. It’s right back to what we said earlier about ending the habit of seeking things we need externally. Everything you need, you already have and can give to yourself. So, why don't you?
Comment ways that you help yourself get motivated when you’re having a hard time! Let me know if any of the methods noted above have been tried before, as well. Were they helpful? Do you practice these things regularly to stay motivated while working on your creative projects? Let me know! Talk soon. Xo
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