Top tips for staying motivated while working on a project

Creativity, even if you enjoy it wholeheartedly, can be exhausting at times. That's why we've put together this little guide for you.

Read on and we'll help you with some valuable advice!

Give yourself a deadline and a reward

If you're doing a personal project and you're not driven by income or fear of losing work, make sure you set yourself a deadline.

It's a basic foundation that will help you stay extremely motivated.

And yes, don't forget to reward yourself: give yourself a reward for each milestone you reach. It could be a simple tick in your diary, an episode of your favourite TV show, a bar of chocolate or even a nice little purchase.

Learn new skills!

When was the last time you learned a completely new skill?

Like a whole new approach to posing?

Or working with Genesis 9 instead of Genesis 8.1 (or certainly Genesis 8)?

If you can't remember the last time you did something like this, it's time to dive into learning. Without new skills it will be difficult to progress - you need to adapt to the changing world of technology.

There are many places where it's possible to learn new skills

Normalise your sleep schedule

There is a lot of scientific evidence about how much sleep quality affects different aspects of our lives.

So much, in fact, that it doesn't even need to be quoted. Obviously, sleep is a natural and basic need. The better the quality, the faster the body recovers.

And the mind, of course.

Give yourself a little more rest and, believe me, you will be much more likely to maintain the desire to work on your brainchild.

Organise your workspace

Tidiness in your surroundings leads to tidiness in your thoughts.

It also works the other way round.

Make sure that the room where you spend most of your time feels good. Decorate it with things that you like and that remind you of what is important.

Add regular physical activity with breathing exercises

Exercise not only improves your overall health, it also has a positive effect on your mood.

And on your desire to exercise.

Combine regular exercise with breathing exercises to better manage stress: this holistic approach will help you stay focused and motivated even in the most challenging work situations.

Give yourself a punishment!

Yes, this may sound bloody weird.

It might even sound creepy in a way.

But sometimes this kind of incentive works better than the rest. And suspiciously *much* better...

Another type of extrinsic incentive that works better than the rest is the possibility of avoiding loss.

To increase work motivation, you can do the following: set a rule that if at the end of the week you have not managed to do everything you had planned (even though you had the time and energy to do it) - you will donate a small amount of money to some charity.

We hope you found this article useful.

Burnout is a perfectly normal, natural and even healthy situation, but that doesn't mean you have to put up with it. If you follow the advice we've given you, you'll be surprised at how much more energy you'll suddenly have for creativity.

Good luck!