How to avoid getting bored with your creative project
When I work on a project, the process can go in many different ways. Sometimes, I get so hyper focused on finishing a project and work for hours that I surprise myself when it’s completed. Other times, the process can end up feeling stale. This generally happens if I’ve been working on a project for too long which results in me lowering my productivity, taking more breaks to think about design, and losing interest in the project all together.
It’s understandable that not every process will go the same way. Some will be smoother than others and others more challenging, etc. But, regardless of how you feel about a project and how the process goes, if you’re under deadline, the project still needs to be completed. It just might not be under ideal circumstances.
If you find yourself currently feeling stale about what you’re working on, you are not alone! Here are some things you can do to mitigate that feeling so you can keep work interesting.
1. Stop working on it and take a break!
This is an obvious one that’s often overlooked. If you’re a freelancer or working for yourself, this might seem difficult because “taking a break” means work is not getting done and logically, you can see it as time wasted. However, I find taking a break to be one of the most crucial steps in the process, especially if you’ve been working nonstop.
Think of taking a break in the context of making a stew. You’ve added a few ingredients to the pot and now you need time to let those ingredients settle and incorporate with the rest of the mixture. More specifically, our brains need time to process all the work we’ve done up until this point to help maintain our creative vision. We’re able to accommodate any changes or adjustments in our execution which allows us to clearly visualize the next steps. If we continuously work while in a fatigued state, we lose the connection to our “stew” and that can create disinterest or frustration from not having a clear plan.
As difficult as it might be, try prioritizing breaks so you can come back to your project with a refreshed eye and mind!
2. Do other Things
Building off the first point, try doing other things unrelated to the project at hand. More specifically, something that activates other parts of your brain like another task or action item. This helps to relieve some of the pressure from constantly thinking about our main project and allows us to spread focus to other priorities. This is also a great way to generate some productivity momentum to help us feel refreshed and give us sustaining energy and confidence throughout our work.
The idea here is to bring our minds back to a balanced and healthy state. A state where it’s not overly engaged to creative exhaustion and not under engaged to where our drive is gone. When you’ve been consistently thinking about a project and feeling bored by it, all your mind can focus on is how boring the project is which can negatively affect your work. Think of it like being nervous for a job interview or taking a test. If you’ve been constantly thinking about how horrible you’ll do, there is a chance it could go horrible because you might be psyching yourself out! Doing other things helps to remove us from this mode of thinking so we can come back to our project with a more positive attitude.
If picking up other things isn’t possible right now, then simply going on a walk, working out, or doing another hobby works great as well.
3. Incorporate something new you learned
In addition to the previous 2 points, this is the actually the main way I like to keep my projects interesting. If something is boring you, it could be that it’s not challenging enough. By incorporating some new, this helps to grow the investment and interest you have in your project. This also provides the opportunity to learn new methods and techniques to better realize your creative visions and create something more amazing the next time!
Feeling stale or getting bored with your creative project is not uncommon. It happens, especially if you’ve been thinking about it for some time. But I hope these 3 things can help keep it interesting!