How to Keep Going When You Want to Quit (9 tips)
Quitting is easy. It’s cathartic and feels like a good “f you” to some system. But it’s a terrible strategy for growth and reaching creative goals.
Luckily, you’re not alone — this is totally normal. This is totally human! So the trick is to find something you love and never stop showing up for it.
This is my guide on how to keep going when you want to quit.
Now let’s do this freaking thing!
Table of Contents Show
Why We Quit
Before jumping into the tips, let’s explore why we want to quit in the first place.
It’s different for everyone, but there are some common reasons for wanting to throw in the proverbial towel:
Burnout and fatigue
Simply losing interest
It’s harder than expected
Priorities or values change
It’s not what you expected
Personal circumstances change
Life gets busy or you don’t have time
You have no clear why, purpose or goal
You’re experiencing shiny object syndrome
It feels like no one believes in you (i.e., no support)
How to Keep Going When You Feel Like Quitting (9 tips)
1. Find the Cause(s)
The first thing I like to do when I feel like quitting is to ask myself why.
Sometimes, there’s a clear cause for my fading motivation. And by shining a spotlight on it, it’s much easier to move forward (and hopefully resolve it).
To dial in on your cause, you can reference the reasons we feel like quitting in the section above. Otherwise, you’ll need to spend some time doing a little self reflection.
Getting to the root of a problem can be tricky business, but these insights always make us stronger and more self aware.
Your primary goal in isolating your cause should be in trying to answer this one, “simple” question:
What’s vexing me? (and why is it so?)
2. Remember — This is a Movie
If I had to choose my favorite modern phrase, it’s this: do it for the plot. This means doing something for your personal storyline — as if your life was a movie or a book.
I love this mindset shift.
It reminds me how boring stories would be without a little conflict or friction. So those feelings of quitting are actually important (and interesting) points in your story.
So I say, embrace the exhaustion and accept that it’s temporary and greener pastures await you. Besides, we’re much cooler stories with these struggles.
A plot mindset gives me instant appreciation for my obstacles, struggles and setbacks.
It paints the whole situation in a more creative way. My life is a story. And these are the main scenes.
The audience is watching eagerly, as me (the hero of this journey) overcomes one of the villains (feeling like quitting).
Explore more:
➤ Modern Creatorship Is the Hero’s Journey
3. Take A Break (don’t quit)
Burnout happens. And every once in a while, we need to hit pause (not stop).
Like how I space out lengthy YouTube videos over a few days. I usually don’t abandon the video altogether just because I get tired or busy. I hit pause instead, and watch it in short bursts until it’s done.
So it’s the same idea here. Except your goal or project is the YouTube video.
A great way to keep going when you want to quit is to simply step away and take a break. Forget about your project or goal and take some self care time.
Try to ignore the hustle culture and any lingering feelings of guilt. Everyone needs to take a break from time to time – even the pros, experts and leaders in your space.
When it comes to feeling like you want to quit something, stepping away has a lot of benefits:
More clarity about what to do next
Increased objectivity
Renewed energy and motivation
Better life balance
4. Get Aligned
Alignment means you’re doing things that you’re actually passionate about and that match your values, goals and lifestyle. This makes you way less likely to quit.
It’s such a simple concept, but surprisingly uncommon (or at least, tricky to do).
We’re constantly being told what we need to do to be successful. Content needs to look this way, art should reflect this strategy and business needs to be done this way. Strategies and tips helps — but at the end of the day, you need to do what feels right.
So follow your intuition and start doing things that are only aligned. Stay patient, but eventually, this is what will pay off the most (that’s been my experience).
Explore more:
➤ Do More of What you Love
5. Stack Your Deck — Get Support
I’m as good as the company I keep, the spaces I spend time in and the content I consume. So let’s stay the deck in our favor!
Jim Rohn said we are the average of the five closest people in our life. So, the simplest solution is to start hanging around more people who commit and motivate you to follow through on things.
But it’s not always easy to cut ties and find people you vibe with. But stay patient and make this a priority — it’s such an asset.
Beyond the people in your life, the simplest changes you can make is to start watching more inspiring, helpful content and upgrade your spaces to be more motivating. For example, swap the news for motivational YouTube videos and try working at a cafe for a change in environment.
These small changes add up to big results.
Ready to stop quitting and commit? Join my challenge — Super Creator — and commit to a full year of showing up. You’ll get support, resources, motivation and more — all for free. Subscribe below!
6. Dream Big — But Take Small Steps
Motivation runs out quick if you’re always looking up at a big mountain, wondering how you’re going to reach the top. It’s intimidating and overwhelming.
So by all means, live in the clouds (I definitely do) — but take small steps to build those dreams. It’s more sustainable, realistic and strategic.
Here’s how to do it:
Define your main big goal
Break down the big goal into micro goals
Break down each micro goal into nano steps
Focus on those nano steps for your day-to-day
Explore more:
➤ Reverse Engineering Goals 101
7. Stop Trying to Do It All
You may be aware of this, but we can’t do it all.
Put another way, we can do anything (just not everything). So if you’re feeling like quitting, this could definitely be the culprit.
At least, I know this is a common reason for me.
Nothing zaps my drive to keep pushing forward with a project than a lack of focus and feelings of overwhelm.
Digital fatigue is real.
So my best advice is to trim the fat and just focus on one (or two) things at a time. Once those projects stabilize (or you hit key milestones), you can add more stuff into the mix.
This is the sustainable approach to doing stuff, whatever that stuff may be.
I love making short films, writing and producing music, singing, blogging…
But when I tried to do it all (earlier on, while I was still skill building), I quickly became discouraged, tired and felt like quitting.
So lessen the load – you’ll thank yourself later.
8. Reframe Things as a Project
I don’t like goals. They feel more like hopes and less like actionable things you’re working towards.
So instead of goals, I reframe things as being projects. This makes things feel more tangible and action-oriented.
For example, consider these two sentences:
“I have a goal of becoming a content creator.”
”I have a project of becoming a content creator.”
You can just feel how much more active the second sentence feels.
So, reframe your goals and tasks as being creative projects — it’s subtle, but it works. What’s your project?
9. Become Future You
This one requires some imagination (but it’s super effective).
Simply ask yourself this question:
What would future you say or do?
It’s best to imagine the most ideal version of yourself and who you hope to become. Think about every detail, from the clothes you’re wearing to the scents in that future air.
This is a great way to quickly realize an obvious answer – something that you intuitively know already.
The truth is, that future version of yourself (who already has everything you’re trying to reach for) is you. It’s the same person.
Of course, future you probably has some more insights and experience. But at the core, it’s the same person.
So with that, keep on going and don’t quit — you got this.
Later ✌️
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
