How to Stay Motivated as a Designer
So I’ve been running my business for just over year, about 14 months at the time of writing (July 2021), and I’ve learnt a lot about what makes me tick and ways that my mindset affects my process. So I wanted to share one of my daily struggles with you. Motivation! Especially towards harder tasks.
It will hopefully come as no surprise to you that although I love my business, love my clients and the work I do, I still need to find motivation on a day to day basis. I believe that our brains are wired to go down the easy path so when I arrive at my desk and write out my daily to-do list, I often choose the tasks that are the easiest to fulfill and the work that I’m enjoying the most first. Then everything else needs a bit of a push.
I also have this habit of telling myself that my worth as a designer comes from how productive I am, which isn’t true - I can have slower days and rest and still be a good designer. So with that in mind and in the spirit of sharing, here are three strategies that help me turn towards motivation in a kind way, and a reminder that motivation is a skill and needs practice.
Strategy One: Ask yourself why getting this task done will help your business
Understanding the value behind each task and why you are doing a certain task can be really motivating. The reasons don’t have to be “because it helps my career” or “because I love it” - the reasons behind a task can be anything. Here are some of my recent examples:
I appreciate the money that this project brings into my business.
I want to stay connected to this client.
I really love working with this industry and want to do more of it.
I love the client’s energy and want to support her.
I think this connection will be really valuable to my business.
This project is really aligned with my business’ values of sustainability.
If you get into the habit of recognising value and intentions day to day then it also really helps you align work tasks to your yearly goals. You can start to identify work that aligns with your plans and big picture thinking and identify work that does not fit. I also want to add that if you take on work that doesn’t fit with your goals or future plans then that’s totally okay. It might be that you need this project to keep your business afloat, or you want to connect to this particular market. Even if the reasons aren’t connected to your goals, there will still be values hidden in there.
Strategy Two: Focus on a fun treat for when the task is finished
Think of things that bring you joy that you can plan at the end of a productive day to keep you focused on completing tasks. Here’s some of my favourites:
Walks around my town
Reading a fiction book
Having a cup of tea and doing some ‘fun scrolling’ rather than work scrolling
Listening to a podcast that I’ve been looking forward to - this works well if you have a podcast series that comes out on a certain day and time so you can work towards it.
Taking time out to talk to a friend
Taking time out to cook dinner or bake
The theme for me is aligning to things that are outside of my business. My trick with these incentives is to have a time specific deadline, so “If I get this presentation done by 3pm, I’ll go outside and take a walk with a cup of tea” or “If I work really hard for the next hour, I’ll call my friend and take a long lunch break”. I find this thinking helps me to power through because I understand the value of being focused.
Strategy Three: Using business deadlines and tools
Lastly, you can use business deadlines and business tools as BIG motivators, especially if you are easily distracted and need some variety in your business. Here’s some quick fire examples:
Give yourself a deadline to get the work back to the client - and stick to it!
If the client has a deadline, then respect it and give yourself more space to get it done.
Use a timer to keep you focused for short bursts of time - Here’s a timer that I really like for this
Lean into novelty - try a new tool to spice up your process. I do this frequently and the novelty helps keep me focused.
Reread my business plan and reconnect to why I’m here
Connect with other designers or join a co-working space
Get some fun new stationary
Redesign your organisational tool - the one that has stuck with me the longest is using a batch-tasking method, which I wrote about on a recent blog post. But even then every other week or so, I change the way I write out my tasks, rejig my Trello boards, change my stationary and relook at my batches. So I’m still playing with my process and spicing it up ever now and again.
Deadlines are not my preferred way to motivate myself, however for small projects or work that is quite automatic such as updating websites, it can be a really easy way to ensure I really focus. So think about if this approach will work for you but be careful when using it for big projects or high-stake work.
What if none of these strategies work? Remember to be kind to yourself!
Here’s the tricky thing; if nothing works and you can’t think of a reason why this project is good for your business - then maybe it’s time to think about doing less of it? You can do this in two ways, you can outsource it to someone who loves that kind of task or you can simply phase it out of your business
I’ve done both, I love outsourcing as it means I no longer have to force myself with something I really dislike. Overall I’ve also stopped offering services that I dread for my own piece of mind. There are no right answers - just what works for you.
Lastly, be kind to yourself. Lack of motivation is complicated and happens for many reasons. For me, I'm often less motivated when I need rest, unsure about a project, need to take care of my mental health, feel overworked or distracted by some personal matter. It’s really easy to think “if I’m not productive or highly motivated then I am bad at business or not a great designer” But I promise you that's not true! Motivation needs practice and the amount of it has no reflection on your skills or value in any business capacity.
Hey! I’m Amy, and this is Begin Studio.
Here I create unique, thoughtful brands for small businesses in the UK and beyond. I guide my clients from logo and branding design all the way through to packaging, websites and even the social media launch of their new business. I also run a small blog with resources for designers who are just starting out in the freelance world or are recent graduates.
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