Picture this:
Goals! An idea hit you. Floating within. You know you have to make it real, the next step of your journey. Something to celebrate with pride. To tell your friends about, train skills or earn money – to look back on, later, with a smile! But most goals crumble, forgotten. Overwhelming, difficult, uncertain. What makes this one different?
You have a goal.
It’s always better to have a project than to sit empty handed. Organise your mind and buckle up ready to take the plunge into planning, because less than ten minutes of thought could save you ten weeks of abandoned projects.
- First, make a couple brief notes on why you want to do it. Financial gains? Portfolio padding? Reputation points among friends or strangers? Or even just for fun? Every reason can work – none are too small or grand. Know your dream.
- Second, figure out how long it may take you. Is there art involved? Any planning parts? Writing? How long would it usually take you? If you’ve got no idea, do a timed experiment! Set aside an hour and see how much you can get done. It’s a bit of quick maths, but it’ll save you a lot of stress in the long run. Big projects require big organisation! If there’s a part you’re really unsure about and can’t quite test, consider learning first until you do, or changing the plan – if you can’t measure the time something will take, you’re probably going to get a headache when it upsets expectations.
- Third, consider motivations and focus. If you got past step two and you’re still confident, this project is worth it. Go for it. You’ve got a goal, but how important is it to you? You don’t want to burn out midway!
- Is there anything which might help with self-control? A friend or relative who can help you avoid procrastinating along the way, helping you stay on track? A personal deadline system? Publicly sharing your aims? Don’t be too strict on deadlines, however – if you think something will take seven days, double it. It’s always more, and when it isn’t you’ll be thankful you had time to spare.
- Consider rewarding your dedication with things you enjoy, like games or food. Whenever you make an important amount of progress, pat yourself on the back with generosity.
- Set personal milestones and encourage yourself along the way. External validation is important, but you need to support yourself and appreciate the steps you take too. Remember that everything you succeed at is worth being proud of. When you hit your goals, remind yourself: You did good. You managed it. You succeeded.
- If you’re doing all this and still burnout, what lost your steam? Was it too difficult? Too repetitive? Did you not enjoy part of it? Or was it just more effort than you planned? Whenever you feel drained, it’s time to pick yourself up and look inwards. Find the source of your worries, and think about it. Perhaps lower the difficulty, or the quantity of content you need to create. Maybe change something about the project in a small, not too impactful way that allows you to keep going forwards. Maybe add a new goal into the mix. Burnout can be overcome – there is no burnout that’s ever unbeatable. Writer’s block, artist’s block- It’s all surpassable, so don’t let it drag you down. You can achieve your goals.
Personally, I practiced by doing a lot of smaller projects first. Short writing prompts, creating character backstories, working on smaller builds – all little things.
Whenever I get stuck for ideas, I think of a random word and try to weave it into what I’m doing. Windmill? Well, not all too relevant to the Cyberpunk build, but perhaps I can do something rotating? Something sail-like on the side of a building? How do farms work in Cyberpunk? I ask questions, bring up random thoughts inside, and act on it. The results blossom.
When you complete a goal, future you will be proud, and present you prouder. Life has meaning with your accomplishments. Your efforts matter. Claim your dreams.
