A lack of hobby motivation can happen to all of us and getting out of that rut can be difficult.

It doesn’t matter if you have no motivation to snap together, paint, or prime. Overcoming that feeling of slugging behind can be a challenge in itself.

What Causes Demotivation?

There can be several reasons a hobbyist can feel demotivated. Perhaps the first step to getting motivated is to find out why you’re demotivated in the first place. Here are a few reasons why you could be:

Too much on your plate

If you’re anything like me, you may have multiple ongoing projects or life events. I know when I’m bogged down with multiple projects and things such as college work, it can get me swamped.

Unrealistic expectations

I see this a lot with new builders. They get into the hobby and it’s suddenly “I want to master everything and I wanted it done five minutes ago.”. This does not work. You don’t become a master of anything overnight. Setting too high of standards for yourself can often lead to feelings of disappointment and doubt when they don’t suddenly happen.

Not setting enough short-term goals

Much like unrealistic expectations, only having long-term goals can be an issue as well. Short-term goals are reasonable and allow us to celebrate small victories. This could range from priming that kit you’ve been meaning to get to or even opening a kit box and unwrapping the sprues.

Set small achievements to help cultivate motivation.

Doubting yourself

One of the largest sources of losing motivation, for me at least, is doubting and putting yourself down. Sometimes we don’t value ourselves as highly as we should. You question whether or not you’re actually worth something in this hobby, which you are of course, but these feelings of imposter syndrome can drain motivation

Not enough challenges

One thing that can bog a hobbyist down is not allowing us a challenge once in a while. Sometimes we get too comfortable doing the same thing over and over again that we get bored. Boredom plunges motivation. No motivation, no hobby time. No hobby time? That’s sad.

Challenges don’t have to be huge! They can be small. This could be applying waterslide decals or reverse panel washing. They can be huge if you want! Keep in mind that mistakes might happen and that’s a-okay!

How to get motivated!

Start with one small task at a time

One thing I like to do when I get into a slump is a list of stuff I need to do, hobby-wise. A complete task dump. I use a whiteboard by my workbench to help keep the list. I then pick one small task to get completed. It doesn’t have to be an easy one, but I recommend getting the easier ones done first to get the momentum building. Seeing the list getting smaller and smaller can help pump some motivation into our brains.

Get the mood right

Sometimes having music or tv in the background can help get the ball going as well. Music helps the brain to release dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter responsible for things such as feelings of pleasure and rewards. Dopamine also helps to regulate motivation. So play some funky tunes when you work on your hobbies! It’ll help!

Reward yourself

Sometimes a rewards system can help motivate you into completing tasks. A small reward will help put into place positive emotions (and dopamine!!!). It helps to reduce procrastination and eliminate distractions.

Set deadlines

Not all tasks have deadlines but sometimes setting a deadline will help us stay focused on a task. It also helps you organize tasks.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

It’s hard to find motivation and stay motivated. Don’t beat yourself up when you don’t get a whole lot of hobby stuff done, it happens. Life can be a hassle and get in the way. Just try your best.

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Have a happy Tuesday everyone!

-J