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I'm having a really hard time slipping into a painting schedule that I am comfortable with. I know part of is that I can't just sit down and paint for 30 minutes or an hour. I need to really set everything up and dive into it. I really don't have that much going on right now. I'm on summer break from university, but besides a part time job and my research duties for my degree I honestly have a massive amount of free time.

To be honest, I'm a little scared to dive right in. I have a lot of models, but I have only ever (almost!) finished one. It is an AoBR dreadnought that I spent a very long time on. Very few people have seen it, but I did have a buddy who told me it looked really cool. It is clean, but nothing to write home about. It is very important to me that I don't cut corners, especially when thinning paint. I'll post a pic below.

I guess I feel a little dumb that I have only gotten this far considering that not counting the break I took for a year, I have been messing around with warhammer for 6 years. I spend a ton of time reading articles and watching videos, and when I put those skills to the test on a scenic base, I was completely astounded at how it turned out. I didn't think I was capable of something like that. Other people might think it looks stupid, but considering that I come from a strictly academic background, I was extremely proud of it.

How do I find that rhythm? I am in the top 20 in a league I am in, and considering that having painted models boosts your score by a lot, I could really put myself in the top standings at the store. I guess I could have that be my motivation, but I literally have 3,500 pts of DA and a bit of CSM so this task feels very daunting.

Try just painting five or six models at a time and if you get bored after doing a few models from the same army move on and do a few from the other that way you won't get stuck in a rut painting the same thing over and over again

TBH, I don't think there's a perfect painting schedule when you are only painting as an Hobby. If you enjoy painting, you spend your free time doing that. When you are feeling up to it, grab the models you feel like painting and let it rip! Feeling tired? Take a short break or just quit it for the night.
Just never start when you aren't in the zone. I tried, I really did, and the result was just me getting frustrated, losing time and patience.

You should try the method Candle_man gave if you are attempting to take care of your collection, the assembly line style. Grab 5-6 models, basecoat one, basecoat the next, keep going until the last, the first one is now dried, paint that one. It works with some people.

I can't do it. I paint at max 3 same models at the same time and many times I have to take a break from them and work on another one.

P.S: Be proud, brotha! That Dread looks good but a couple of pointers from another newbie
- Shades are your friend. They will give you good details with minimal effort. Try some Nuln Oil on the metallic parts and you'll see a big difference.
- A light wash of Agrax Earthshade on the gold symbol in the middle to make a difference, same thing on the cables.
- Since you are starting, do Edge Highlighting! The Dread is a big box filled with straight plate sections, it's perfect to pratice Edge Highlighting and makes one huge difference.

Just my 0,02 thrones, keep it up!

Find something you enjoy painting and only paint when you feel like it. Don't force yourself to do something you don't want to do. Also, start working in small, easily attainable goals. For example, fully complete one tactical squad of marines before starting on something else.
Make your painting time as comfortable as possible. Put on a record for some background music, listen to a podcast, or even watch TV. Me personally, I have a TV and a computer in my painting area so I often listen to music when painting and during hockey and football season I will have a game on in the background.

I know what you mean, we all do. There have been times where I've set my whole station up, new clean water, paper towels, painting palette, brushes and lights all ready to go, then I look at it and say "Not happening. Done for today". Sometimes the anticipation is almost palpable then when you're right about to do it, the enormity of the task just surfaces and your morale plummets.

For me, I find NOT having the unpainted models in sight to be a huge help. I have ALL my unpainted stuff stashed away in boxes or in their carrying cases (a ridiculous mountain of unpainted stuff. Literally tens of thousands of points worth of models spread out over 5 armies, it's incredible), the only models that ever see the light of day are the ones I am currently working on. This way, your perception of the task at hand is much easier to wrap your head around and is not as intimidating. It helps me a lot, and I've managed to finish an entire army this way. Of course, it takes time to get there, but once you do one model, then another, next thing you know a squad is done, then do a hero, a vehicle, all of a sudden a legal army is complete, then your extras are up next, etc. Another bit of advice that might help is, change your next project significantly from the one you've just done. If you've done a few troops that are all alike, do an HQ with higher detail next to break the monotony. Or work on a vehicle, or an independent character of some sort to keep you interested and enthusiastic.

Good luck, take solace in the fact that this phenomena is not exclusive to you and has nothing to do with your issues, it's a standard problem that all hobbyists have to deal with.

I find it really funny how all of us hobbyists buy up tons of miniatures that just result in pure rigmarole for us. We have to assemble tiny models down to miniscule details, and then paint the details to a standard that we are happy with and that won't embarrass us. The preparation for tabletop use is basically nothing but stress (not for all of us, I suppose) yet we are addicted to it.

As a hobby painter I tend to take 1 mini at a time. I get my inspiration by making up a back story to what I'm painting, I've just started some chaos cultist painted up in a russian ww2 theme. They were cryogenicaly frozen and have thawed out, claiming and making their own weapons. From that I decided how they were going to look. Check my gallery to see what I mean if it helps.

If you get an image in your head you won't need routine as your creative juices start flowing and you can't stop them.

Good luck dude and just remember enjoy yourself.

The ideal schedule, if any set schedule can be ideal, varies based on both your personality and goals. For you, painting your army for league points is an obvious, concrete goal. You've also stated that you A) have more theoretical knowledge than experience (I'm with you, brother ) and B) have trouble starting.

With those points in mind, my advice is simple (well, the content is - putting it into practice may prove somewhat less so): Just get stuck in. Don't ever let the prospect of disappointing results hold you back - you can always strip the models and repaint them, later. By forcing yourself to start, you gain first-hand painting experience to fuel further efforts and get your league points. Better to achieve your short-term goal (points) and revisit early models (if you desire) once your skills have improved (as they inevitably will) than to sit on a pile of bare plastic forever.

I would even suggest small-ish batch painting. Combat squads, for Marines, are a nice size to get you going - five models is a small enough number to avoid going crazy with repetition and delaying gratification for too long, but large enough for each batch completed to visibly grow the painted portion of your army.

I also find that small batches help me keep working. Where I might otherwise perform a five minute step and stop, when dealing with a single model, I'm likely to still perform that one step, even across five models. If I can then start the next step on one model, I tend to carry that through, as well. Before I know it, the little nudge that got me sitting at the painting table for a five minute stint has instead netted me 30 and I have some appreciable results. I find larger batches somewhat overwhelming, so keeping them small enough that I can't as easily justify breaking mid-step maximizes my productivity.

Another point in favor of simply forcing a start - visible progress. Bare plastic is daunting, but even a sprayed, overall color coat brings a model that much closer, visually, to completion. A basecoat only takes a few minutes, but does a lot to establish a sense of the mini's desired final look. I find that if I can manage to put in that first bit of work on a model/batch, it feels like I'm closing in on the finish line, even if I've barely left the gate.

A lot of hobbyists warn against forcing yourself to work, but that generally only applies to established (in the sense of "have done this," not "well known") painters - you can't get burned out if you never start. I doubt I'd be so confident in my suggestion if your situation didn't sound so similar to my own, when I first started painting. Hell, I still do this, today, when I get fed up with my total lack of productivity. I've proven to myself, at this point, that I can get decent - even good - results, if I can get myself to work. Even so, it takes conscious effort to get the ball rolling, each and every time.