Workshop and/or Project Motivation Issues?

[Christophe Mineau]

Great topic , Ken, I recognize the great workshop-men psychologist you are. ;-)

I think I very often suffer from that , as you say, occasional attack of project-related ennui.
Especially as an amateur instrument maker, projects are really long lasting, I can take, working a few hours per week end, more than a year to complete an instrument, and the initial motivation you had when you started the project can fluctuate a lot as time elapses .
There are also parts of great interest and some other with lesser interest (for me like varnishing, or sanding), and you sometimes re schedule that for the morning after, and the week end after ... and the project can slow down ...

But eventually, even if I can start lots of different things in the same (and I claim it), I know I will complete everything, it is a question of personal satisfaction.

There is also another source of project slowing down, it is when you lost your customer before the project ends. For instance, I have started a viola for my son, the project was progressing quite fast when my dear teen son decided that he would no more play the violin ... pfff ... My viola got stuck for a while... but I started it again, I want now to complete it rapidely, because I really want to start a new Mandola that will be for myself ! (even if the varnish is something on a violin that I don't like so much and that is so time consuming .... but I think it will overlap with the mandola project).

Astro says above :

I think that's one of the reasons we join a community like this (forum). To become more motivated to complete tasks we've set ourselves and also to be inspired by other members work

That's true, but that's also a source for distraction in our projects !
How much times did I say to myself, "I must focus on my project" ... and after a few minutes spent on the smartphone looking at my favorit forum's news, the illumination comes and I say "I must build one like this, no better like this", and I end up doing something different as what was initially planed ...