Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You look down at your to-do list and see the next item on it—revise next two chapters of draft. It’s a manageable goal—a downright small goal, frankly—and you know it, but you feel… stuck. You can’t quite force yourself to sit down at your computer and get it done, especially not when watching the next episode of your favorite show is so much easier and so much more fun. Sure, drafting was exciting, but revisions just suck. Before you know it, three hours have gone by and you haven’t accomplished anything. Then five hours. Then seven. Then—oh look, it’s dinnertime. Oh, well, surely tomorrow will be a more productive day.
No? Just me? Well, I’m going to talk about it anyway.
Motivation is a slippery thing, showing up at the most inconvenient times—for me, it’s around 1am—and flitting away as suddenly as it arrives. Almost any kind of work can be done without feeling motivated; in fact, work should be done without motivation, given the latter’s elusive and inconsistent nature. However, I’ve come to realize that I tend to do my best work when I’m feeling inspired and motivated to write, and there are a few specific things I do to keep my head in the game and make sure I’m giving my current project my all. Hopefully, you will be able to apply these steps the next time you find yourself “left in a Lurch,” as Dr. Seuss would say.