Goood afternoon studyblrs!
It’s been a long time since I’ve done this which I’m very sad about but life took over... However, I’m back! This post somewhat explains my disappearance and my aims for the upcoming future via my thoughts on motivation (and lack of) - I hope you find this useful and can relate somehow!
Losing motivation
Not a particularly cheerful topic but it happens to everyone. Personally, I find it happens when I haven’t really had a purpose for a while, for example a project or even a daily routine, and I slip into ‘netflixing’ all day because that’s what my housemates do. This happened very recently for me and has made me feel inadequate and not productive enough, especially as I scroll Instagram or Tumblr looking at everyone else achieving things. I hate this feeling of ‘ugh’, it makes my self confidence plummet and it creates a vicious cycle of trying to do something but feeling ‘not good enough’ to unmotivated, etc. This can last anywhere between a couple days to a month or so.
On reflection, not achieving something everyday is my downfall even little things like tidying my room a little bit everyday makes me feel lazy and therefore actually become lazy. This is the same with my design work: if I don’t achieve something everyday, no matter how small, the cycle begins again.
Finding motivation
This is both difficult and easy. It is difficult because you already don’t have the motivation so to motivate yourself to, er, motivate yourself is somewhat of a challenge. However, on the other hand there is so much out there that is set to help you find your motivation again. One example instagram or right here on tumblr: so easy to scroll through whilst procrastinating but if you follow the right accounts (for me it’s other graphic designers, studyblrs, etc.) you can find inspiration from them for different things to do or a reason to get going again. I often feel annoyed about myself when I’m not being productive, so seeing them being productive can give me a bit of a kick up the backside to get going again.
Some tips: • Move around! If it’s the gym for you then great but just going on a walk is so refreshing especially if you’ve been in your house for a while. • Do something - It doesn’t matter how small, just get something done off your to-do list • Make a to-do list with things you should get done for that day - perhaps alternate between, or start off with, easy and more difficult things. This will ensure you’re being productive and moving through the list effectively (a list full of difficult things isn’t going to get you more motivated). Include some breaks and rewards such as a 10 minute walk or a snack. Be careful about how much you put on the list - people often are overambitious and then feel disheartened that they don’t achieve everything on the massive list. Start off small and add if you have time.
Maintaining motivation
This is pretty much as important as regaining your motivation. Here are a few tips I found useful: • Surround yourself with motivational people - These are people that inspire you to keep going or are motivated themselves. Surround yourself with them preferably in person (my housemates are not a good example), but social media is good for this: I follow loads of successful designers as well as students who I admire. This really keeps me going! • Set daily goals - This ensures you always have a purpose for that day, even ‘go to the beach for an hour between university and work’ is a great one! • Be kind to yourself - Really important! Noone is perfect, nothing is the end of the world: everyone has unmotivated periods and you will overcome them!
I hope this was helpful in someway!
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Message me anytime about anything!
Iz x
