Hyperdrive Motivator

Friday evening I breezed home on the train and cleaned house to prep for a meeting with my editor to discuss some projects I am working on.

It went well. I've got work to do.

So now I have to get motivated and fast. This is a great thing for me but I have to admit that I'm not easily shaken loose from the inertia of my day to day life.

Sometimes I think it's the same fear of mediocrity I wrote of earlier but I notice that I don't feel as compelled to work hard when I'm not being paid for what I'm working on. This doesn't just involve my writing but commitments I've made designing as well. If I'm being paid and I have a deadline I am FAR more likely to take action.

I don't like the nebulous, "get it done whenever" nature of unpaid projects. I am absolutely more in gear when I know the limits of what I'm working on. 4,000 words by next Tuesday, 2 full layouts by the eighth, etc.

The money isn't even really the motivator, but the transaction is. It's the commitment, not the cash. I often don't feel that kind of an obligation when there's nothing else going on. It's weird that I need this kind of structure but I guess I do.