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So I was recently at home from work for 3 weeks due to a surgery and got a lot of modeling, gaming, and painting in. I also managed to read a couple books (both wargaming and non-wargaming related).

However, now that I am back at work, I don't have the motivation, it seems, to keep painting. I get home, and all I want to do is sit around, play xbox and watch TV. I really want to finish painting my IG army and finish modeling my Imperial Fist Kill Team, but I haven't managed to start up again.

How do you guys deal with this sort of lack of motivation/laziness? Do you even try in the week or focus mostly on weekends?

Thanks

It sounds like you hit the hobby pretty hard for a few days and just got a short term burnout. It happens.

Take a couple days off from it, and get back to it.

I usually paint on and off all the time, weekdays and weekends.

well, i just stand up every couple of hours and scream CREEEEEEEEED!!!!!!
seriously, i just had shoulder surgery and like you got alot done. now that i'm back to work, i just do little bits. for example. i'm building a new Russ. so i set down for "X" amount of time
and then wait til the next day or 2 to get more done. smaller goals maybe.

I alternate bloodbowl and 40k painting, then once every few months for a week i seem to have a terrain building urge. keeps me constantly working in the hobby which is nice

I rarely stay focused, but what I'd suggest is to paint in small chunks, maybe 5 or so models at a time. Incredibly slow, I know, but it helps that it's not too much of a commitment and at least you can finish quickly.

I read the battle reports here. Gets me motivated.

Also, right now I'm doing the final touch-ups on my Tau, which is the only playable force I have right now, and I have totally burned out on it (I started the army for all the wrong reasons, and started out with a poor attitude anyway after the Lost and the Damned were tanked).

My point is that once I'm done with this, I'm going to paint what I feel like. I've got Imperial Guard, Nids and Space Wolves on the shelf, I'll probably paint up some Dark Eldar for giggles, and generally work on what I feel like. That's how I'm going to keep my motivation up.

It also helps to keep a goal in mind, and to play regularly as well.

Well for me, my biggest source of motivation was painting/building with fellow gamers, but since joining the army and returning from deployment, I mainly just stick to myself at home.
To stay motivated I use movies, precisly ones that pertain to what I may be building/ or working on, when I work on my Ig I pop in band of brothers, or kelly's heros, or some other WW2 style films, that always serves to give me a good background for my work.
But when motivation fully leave me, I try with some reading of old White dwarfs, and that usually at least keeps some of the fire kindled.

Baring all that I go online and look at what everyone else is doing, and that has been a huge source of inspiration to me.

I also vary my hobbying between painting/ Converting / scratch building, and gaming, with gaming being the most infrequent of them.

So, movies, reading, online, and variety, thats my suggestions , I hope any of this is a help.

I usually just have 5 minutes quiet to myself and paint as much as I can before 6pm when Im off because when the missus gets home its all change she scrapbooks I spend my time on here getting more inspiration.

X Box and catching up with friends and family populates Weekends off.

I usual source my inspiration as soo'vah'cha does movies characters and inspiration usually comes from what Im watching my Catachans have mainly come from watching Vietnam and Gulf War movies my forthcoming stormtrooper kill team from watching Delta Force a lot...

I tend to shoot for painting for 15 minutes each day, and I think about what i'm going to do during the next session after finish my last. I also focus on 1 units at a time. This way i'm finish my army in stages, and can actually see a lot of progress week to week. Here' an example. Some days I get more than 15 minutes at a time. Sometimes I luck out i'm running early in the morning and I do a 10 minute session.

Sunday: Trimmed, cleaned and based unit of 8 censer bearers
Monday: Primed the entire unit, finished cloaks on 4 models.
Tuesday: First 2 layers on skin, first 2 layers on weapons, painted bases.
Wednesday: today I plan to finish the skin and weapons, they will be done except for details which i'll do last on all 8.
Thursday: goal is to finish the cloaks, and first layer of skin.

I've found by breaking the army into smaller segments you feel like your getting more done and it shows. That way after a month you have portions of the army full painted, instead of a lot of half done stuff.

Just looking at some of the latest Tyranid Conversions gets me motivated. But I don't take on too much at the same time. I like to stick to one army and finish it to a painted playable standard before moving onto the next.

Enroling in a local tournament can help or even going to one to watch can increase motivation for me.

To prevent burnout I would start projects I knew I could finish in an hour or two. That way I could complete them instead of looking at the boxes of unpainted models that are screaming "paint me" and getting overwhelmed.

I just squeeze painting in when I can. As a father of three, the odd evening when I get to just sit on my own in the quiet and do a bit of painting is a real pleasure and luxury, and something I'd much rather do than waste time watching crap on the telly or playing some time-sink video game.

I guess that my down time is so precious that unless I am physically exhausted (which does happen a lot!) I prefer to have something constructive to show for my time, rather than see it disappear into the gogglebox!

I used to do a lot of reading when I was younger, but nowadays I find myself falling asleep after reading only a couple of pages, so I reserve that activity for bedtime!

Self control.

You are not going to be motivated if you do not get yourself motivated.

Make a pact with yourself that you CAN'T play X-box (or whatever else is in the way) until you spend a certain amount of time working on models. Maybe an hour or so.

The key is to make yourself sit down and work no matter what. Eventually, you'll pick it back up. Happened to me last night. I really didn't feel like modeling. I made myself sit down and do some black work on my unit of Biker Nobs. After realizing I just wasn't into it, I put the brushes away and pulled out my hobby tools. I chose to clean my Mega Dread, instead.

Next thing I knew, it was 12:30, and I had to force myself to put it down and go to bed.

Motivation doesn't always just *happen.* Sometimes, you have to MAKE it happen.

Eric

You can always switch to a game that doesn't require you to paint models that exist only to die Really though, having a tournament to look forward to or just picking out my favorite of the models that are unpainted to work on can usually get me back in the groove. Once I get started then I get my painting OCD back and can't stop til it's done.

Malfred has some good posts on this. I stole his idea of a miniature target for the year- I want to paint 500.
I keep track of what I've done in my sig, and keep my painting area clear so that if I feel like it I can get right back to it. I find impending tournaments can be good motivators too, though if you're stupidly busy you're stupidly busy and there's nothing to be done for it.

To keep me motivated to paint, I have decided to play with mostly my painted models. If I want to use my other models I make myself paint them. As long as they are in the process of being painted I am all good. So far it has worked out great for me.

since I got xbox live my models seem to not get painted . Try painting with friends that helps, even just poping into the shop helps me , when I learn about some new campagin gonig on.

It is a hobby, don't force it or it will become work.

I put cartoons on in the background (family guy, frisky dingo) then sit at my desk. It's amazing how much I will accomplish. It's like my subconsience has something to pay attention to so I don't get bored with painting.

I too am an XBox Addict. I've dedicated myself to the Freeboota Challenge. Basically it's one squad a month for a year. By the end of the year I'll have a completed army with all the choices done. So far I've done a HQ, Troop, and working on an Elite for this month.

Quit your job.
Live the dream.

Alternatively as others have suggested- take a break for awhile.
I'm now into my 21st year of GW gaming and I haven't played a game of 40k in 3 years and have only painted 10 or so models in that time. But I'm planning on a big return with the BAs.
Relax and paint a couple of models that have nothing to do with the armies you collect. Try new techniques, enjoy yourself.

I started with Orks and even then, I am only half way into painting them.

At first, painting 30 was a few solid hours worth of worth. As I discovered, I was barely painting them to tabletop quality.

As my skill has increased, each Ork model is taking considerable time to paint. And even then, I am still not doing top notch quality work on them; enough to make them serviceable. However, once I finish the first go around, I'll go back and touch up the models that need extra work.

And I have 3 other armies that need to come off sprues, assembling, priming and painting too.

I think you need to first figure out why you aren't motivated. I get the feeling it's not so much of a lack of time issue as with Osbad and njpc. But more of an issue of priorities, which is something I can relate to. Much like MagickalMemories's advice. You will probably find the time you spend on painting much more rewarding after you sit down and get to it. Things like TV and Xbox have that instant gratification feel to them that make them more appealing to reach for, but I think you'll find it's time better spent after you get started painting. I feel much the same way about painting and modeling as I do working out/exercising. Once you get started and especially when your done, you have something to show for and be proud of instead of looking back and wondering where that hour went in front of the TV. Sorry if I got too preachy there, I just finished reading some Seneca. I would highly suggest reading some of his works.

It's tough sometimes to keep motivated when working on large projects. I'm trying to put in a 1/2 hour a day or so on my SW army (the bling on all the models can be a bit overwhelming), but I try to stay focused by looking at what I've completed and taking breaks often to come on here.

A weekly trip to the FLGS helps to keep me interested too.

Just keep at it brother, you'll get 'er done!

@ OP. I got rid of my gaming system and TV. I use the internet for watching movies and stuff as background for when I paint. I don't miss TV or the PS2 (this was a while ago) and I have been free of them for a few years now and get heaps more done.

Creating is better than zombifying in front of TV.

I have trouble motivating myself to paint, but thankfully my house mate is an unbearable feth wipe so this gives me a reason to head up to my room stick on the radio and get painting.

Setting goals is a good way of motivating yourself but only if there is a purpose to them, saying "I will paint 40 Orks this month" is fine if you are gearing up for a game or competition, but if there is no pressing need to get them done then you will let it slip. Constantly missing targets will just de-motivate you and end up having a negative effect.

If you do set targets, keep them reasonable, start out with some easy ones like getting a small squad base coated or finishing the bases on an already painted unit. These small steps will make you feel good for achieving your goals and hopefuly will spur you on to do more.

Finaly, don't make a hobby into something you don't enjoy doing, if you want a few days off the painting then have them. Just like anything (appart from wives and prescription drugs) variety is key. I often find when I take a couple of days away from the hobby I come back to it with new ideas and get more done.

Motivation can be hard sometimes.

Unless you've genuinely lost interest in the game, try doing a little bit every night, no matter how small, so it's more of a routine. Things will get done eventually. It's the 'every little bit adds up' approach and it works.

I did something earlier this semester where I was just painting up a storm. I read Rynn's World, painted about a platoon's worth of Guardsmen, a squad and transport for Iron Warriors, a bunch of Space Wolves and even some Orks. Everybody burns out at some point.

I've taken a break from wargaming currently. I however have reawakened my interest for the hobby. Bought a CSM battleforce coverted a Aobr Dready and a defiler. They won't be painted till my next pay cheque. But building them and making them unique to the "Black Legion" armies running around here will be nice.

Between work & family,staying motivated to paint/model isn't my problem...it's finding the time.
I personaly relish my "painting" time,it's my little island away from "Daddy can I..?" and "Honey will you...?"