Forcing motivation?

Cassarilla

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Whenever I'm feeling kind of "blaah" about anything that is somewhat boring to do, I set the timer for 20 minutes and go work on it for 20 minutes each day. It's only 20 minutes, so it's not like a giant commitment, and there's really no excuse I can make to NOT work on it for 20 minutes...so.... It sounds kind of simple and lame, but once I get going, it's usually easier to continue on and finish whatever it is! ^_^ And you can get A LOT of stuff done in 20 minutes if it's the only thing you're focusing on!
Just going to say that I absolutely love this advice! I have to set a timer to get housework done or else I just can't focus on it. But for whatever reason, I never thought about using that strategy for youtube! Most of the time I wait until I "feel like it" and then I can focus and get something done.

I had seen something earlier this week about successful people being those who do something when they don't have motivation. Pushing through that "blah." Trying to incorporate that into my life.
 
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Tex

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As far as motivation goes, there's no surefire way to force the unpredictable hormone factory of the human brain to think a certain way. But if you're looking at it from a completely objective standpoint, there are a lot of ways to improve mood, and thus, productivity.

Your motivation will directly correlate with how much you enjoy doing whatever you're doing. Script writing has never been hard for me. Although gaming videos require absolutely no script, even then, dialogue will improve if you're playing something that you enjoy. That's usually why you'll see duo-gamer channels with more than one player full of so much life, V.S. somebody like Markiplier who, despite his efforts, cannot hide the fact that he is forcing himself to act a certain way.

Inventing and throwing away ideas constantly is a clear sign of depression or a fall in confidence, in my experience. In this case, the first thing you should do is to pinpoint the feelings that arise when you lose the drive to finish a script. Are you bored with the idea? Do you just not have the energy? Do you think you're not conveying your thoughts properly? Would you rather be doing something else? If you're unable to figure that out, it's likely due to depression, in which case the only solution is to improve your mood.

Do not, and this is pretty critical, do not force yourself to finish scripts unless your livelihood depends on ad revenue. Even in this case, it might be better to find another way to support yourself while you get out of the slump in question. It's like other have said already, if you don't feel inspired or motivated, your work will suffer as a result. Not only that, but you'll only worsen your mood even more.

If you're looking to improve your mood, focus on your health, or simply doing things that you actually enjoy, while not vegging out too much. Socialize more if you're the extroverted type, spend some more time alone if you're not. Exercise is a great way to generally improve your mood, as is improving your daily schedule. When you start to optimize your life, eventually your brain will crave a creative outlet again.

If you simply don't enjoy the type of subject matter you're creating now, make a switch. Start addressing things you're more interested in, or change your writing process so that it better reflects your personal preferences. Try recording some improvised videos without a scrip, even if you have to throw them away or edit them heavily. Just move towards something that you can enjoy, rather than forcing yourself to do something you don't.
 

Justine

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So when I'm running low on motivation I always take a long break. If you really like what you're working on, you'll probably feel refreshed after a bit and jump right back into it but if you don't then no worries, chill a bit longer and then if you still don't wanna finish what you're doing then you should honestly redo it till you're happy with it or just make some small changes and try finishing it later again! I do that a lot and it usually helps me get back into writing scripts and all that!
 

Boseen

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Is there a way to force motivation to finish video scripts? I have so many unfinished scripts because I just don't have the motivation to finish them for whatever reason.

Occasionally I'll have a burst of motivation and finally finish something, but that's quite rare.

I'd appreciate any help given, because my channel is dead at the moment (aside from a few odd sub boosts that seem to come from nowhere, but I digress) and I'd like to be able to start uploading again
For the longest time I was low on motivation. I wanted to do youtube but there were so many other stuff I was struggling with that the motivation for this was practically non-existent. It was not until recently I started to get an urge to post something again.

I think if you're really struggling and it's a big hurdle to come with ideas, you should take a break of youtube and focus on the other things. |When you're ready to make youtube your main project you'll notice it.
 
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The only advice that I can give you is to sit down and take the pen in your hand and look at it for 5 mins if nothing came up your mind get up go for a walk and repeat, if the second time doesn't work try again tomorrow, and also make sure to be passionate about the topic! Hope you are having a wonderful day!
 

OldManTenno

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My motivation is the end product. For me, doing the script is actually one of the easiest parts. It can be hard to have motivation especially when you have a long day (I work full time). I use Trello to make checklists (I copy over a template) and checking off stuff gives a sense of accomplishment.

As an example, my "Shotguns" video is a little over 8 minutes, and took a week to do. I know I have to get footage, review that footage, write a script, edit it (by far the longest part), come up with a good title, description, tags, thumbnail, publish, and promote it. I have checkboxes for each step, and start checking them off as I go (also helps me not to forget stuff). This video was by far the most work I did, but seeing progress really helps. Sometimes I go into Trello and look at the other videos I have in my "done" section. This helps me know that I can do it, and I've done before. The payoff is that one is my most popular video, and I got a lot of positive feedback from it, people saying it seems very professional. Knowing the end product is something people enjoy is my biggest motivator. Hope this can help you.
 

Courtney Candice

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Usually when I’m not feeling very motivated I just take a break Anne I listen to some music or watch Netflix or play guitar and then usually when I’m not trying to force out a video idea then An idea will just come to me, but when I’m trying to make myself come up with ideas that’s when I end up feeling stuck. Try not to force it let your ideas come naturally.