Stop Waiting for Motivation—It’s Not Coming

If you’ve ever found yourself stalling on a project while waiting for “the right moment,” you’re not alone. I know I've been there—so much so, in fact, I used to consider myself something of an "elite procrastinator."

Unfortunately, adding the word "elite" didn't help relieve the guilt I felt every time I pushed back another task on my to-do list or negate the pure terror as I watch the hours tick away the evening before a big project was due.

Instead of waiting for lightning to strike, simple mindset shifts can help you show up with consistency—even when your spark feels dim.

And it most definitely didn't help with my bleary eyed exhaustion after pulling yet another all-nighter to finish work that realistically should been completed days (if not weeks) prior.   

Creatives often fall into the trap of holding out for inspiration, hoping it’ll spark something magical. But here’s the inconvenient truth: motivation is fleeting. Building your creative process around it is like trying to start a fire with damp matches—it’s slow, frustrating, and often ends with nothing but smoke.

Instead of waiting for lightning to strike, simple mindset shifts can help you show up with consistency—even when your spark feels dim. It’s not about tricking yourself into being productive. It’s about creating a system that works with your energy, not against it.

Let’s break it down.

Motivation Isn’t a Strategy... It’s a Stall Tactic

Think about the last time you told yourself, “I’ll start when I feel ready.” Now think about how long you sat there, cursor blinking, inbox tabs multiplying, inspiration nowhere to be found.

Waiting to feel like working is a common creative loop—and it leads straight to delay, self-doubt, and unfinished drafts. The science backs it up: motivation is not a reliable starting point. It’s reactive, not proactive.

What actually gets the wheels turning? Action.

One small step can generate the momentum you’ve been chasing. As best-selling author, performance coach and podcast host Dean Bokhari explains, it’s movement that creates motivation—not the other way around.

Mindset Shift #1: Start Small, Then Keep Going

Instead of waiting to be in the zone, try this: tell yourself you only need to write one sentence. Or edit one photo. Or sketch one idea. Starting tiny cuts through resistance and makes the work feel doable—even on low-energy days.

Progress doesn’t require perfection. In fact, the more you move, the more confident you become. That first step tells your brain, “We’re doing this,” which builds internal momentum. From there, you can layer on bigger goals without the same emotional drag.

Mindset Shift #2: Perfection Is a Productivity Killer

Perfectionism is sneaky. It convinces you you’re just holding out for “your best work.” At least that's what I would tell myself as I watched "just one more episode" of Law and Order: SVU despite knowing an article's deadline was quickly approaching.

"I work better after 11:30 p.m.," I'd tell myself. "Actually, I work best after 1 a.m." These were lies I had told myself so often that I almost began to believe them. But in reality, perfectionism is just another way to delay the doing.

How many times have you put off submitting something because it “didn’t feel right yet”? That pause might feel productive, but it usually adds no real value—it just piles on pressure. According to Psychology Today, accepting imperfect progress is key to getting unstuck.

Start moving—messy, imperfect, one step at a time. That’s how real progress happens.

When you allow yourself messy drafts, flawed first attempts and half-finished outlines, you give your creativity room to breathe. That’s where flow lives—not in polished perfection, but in forward motion.

Mindset Shift #3: Energy Beats Time Every Time

Traditional productivity advice tells you to block time on your calendar and stick to it no matter what. But creatives (and my wallet, which has shelled out stupid amounts of money on apps, systems even a giant, analog Pomodoro timer...) know that focus doesn’t always show up on schedule. 

Instead of fighting your natural rhythms, start tracking them. Notice when your brain is sharp (early morning? post-lunch? midnight?) and align your most demanding tasks to those windows. During low-energy stretches, schedule lighter lifts—or rest altogether.

The Harvard Business Review found that aligning tasks with energy cycles leads to better performance and less burnout. In other words, managing your energy—not just your hours—is the real secret to staying in flow.

The Bottom Line? Motivation’s Unreliable—But You’re Not.

Stop waiting for the stars to align. Start moving—messy, imperfect, one step at a time. That’s how real progress happens.

Because when you prioritize momentum over mood, progress over perfection, and energy over the clock, you build a creative practice that works on your best days and your worst ones.

From my own personal experience and my expereince working with creatives, these mindset shifts aren’t just productivity hacks—they’re game changers for reclaiming control over your creative process and beating procrastination at its own game. When you stop waiting for motivation and start acting despite it, you create a sustainable process that can make your work unstoppable.

Ready to Put This Into Practice?

I built the guided workbook + planner Brain Dump to Breakthrough for moments exactly like this—when motivation is MIA but your ideas are begging for traction. It’s a guided, no-fluff tool to help you untangle your thoughts, spot what matters, and start doing (without the mental gymnastics).

✨ Get out of your head—and into flow. Grab your copy now!