Discussion I feel burnt out. What to do?

Hi fellow translators!

Recently I feel a little burnt out with project I'm translating and thought maybe we could mutually share some ideas and tips about how to self-motivate ourself when the initial passion we had for the story is somehow diminishing as time goes by.

How I self-motivate myself:
Listening to energy songs helps me a lot (I listen to Aimer and TK)
Translate excerpts for other novels (to divert some of the focus from the current project)

 

Go check out a few good yuri doujins/works. Ask in thread Yuri Garden.
For exemple:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/the_lady_who_cant_give_up_on_the_white_powder

 

Read the story again from the beginning. Remember why u wanted to do it from the start.

 

Is it just translation or do you feel burnt out in general? Or maybe it’s because you got some other rl stuff that you don’t want to do- so it spills over onto translation?

 

Some just make a side project (translate another title for a few days). Some take a short break and dabble in another hobby (gaming, picnic, sleep?)

But really, getting burnt out is a hard thing to come back from.

 

Or this:
https://zenpencils.com/comic/king/

and this: http://blog.kimhooperwrites.com/2014/08/04/22-tips-from-stephen-king/

 

Just translation. I'm actually very passionate about this project, just when I sometimes look at the chapters left to translateI feel a little discouraged (regret looking at them)

 

Go outside.
Do something physical, high energy and unusual.

 

I don't know if this relates but when I work late into the night I get burned out at around 1 in the morning. However all I need to do is push through the hell for an hour before I'm fine again.

(I don't work as a translator)

Tldr: Push!

 

For some reason, this one reminds me more of learning for exam But thanks!

 

Maybe memes.

 

go to the gym regularly 1 to 2 hours of workout should suffice as they say "a healthy body is a healthy mind" you won't get easily burnout on what you are doing also its a way to relax your mind

 

Today, I'm going to pilates class. Hopefully, I will feel all refreshed afterward

 

Translating takes a good amount of your brain cells, so its quite easy to build up mental fatigue. It's not like you're doing a marathon, so make sure to take adequate breaks.

I also found myself in your situation, and to revitalize my thought process I picked up a teaser project (my works are in my signature).
If you need an extended break, take one, just inform your readers that you need some time to recharge. A change of pace is good too, just because you can plateau and feel like you've hit a wall.

In my experience, its best to recharge by doing things other than translating. Like playing video games, sports, doing an outdoor activity, going somewhere to take in the scenery (I'm fortunate that I'm within driving distance of a beach), watching a movie or the latest TV series, read books (maybe at a library).

Mainly doing something that breaks you away from the monotony of translating. You are not a machine so don't pump out content like its your primary function. Be Human.

 

Oh no,

 

Yeah. I'm probably dedicating too much time to translation and pushing myself to my limits. I think I'll give myself a pause and do some other hobbies to recharge myself.

Thanks for advise!

 

Your welcome. It's not like your project is going to run away from you. I learned that breaks are necessary, because your productivity just plummets when your fatigued.

Here's a little story I learned in one of my classes about taking time to rest & recharge. "The Story of Two Woodcutters"

Take it easy on yourself, enjoy living a little and when its time to return to your project remember to take a deep breath before restarting again.

 

For me, I translate side short novels (which is either funny, smutty or both~ <3 hurhurhur)

 

Exercise and meditation can bring you a long way. To save time and combine both of them maybe a yoga class.

Meditation also increases the sleep quality, which results to feeling fresher with less sleep. (I could sleep 10 hours and still be tired, but when I got a whole week of morning/evening meditation, I can do with 4-5 hours while feeling great and energetic.)

 

Take a break~