1. Uncertainty. When you don’t know whether or not the work you’re doing will ever “mean something” it can sometimes seem impossible to stay motivated.

2. Jumbled priorities. When working on a novel, for example, some people start with designing their own cover art when they should be using their fresh motivation to actually write some of the novel.

3. Bad time management. Some people aren’t great at creating and sticking to their own schedules and routines, which is essential if you’re trying to make progress on a big project on your own time.

4. Delayed gratification. We’re so used to getting some kind of result for our effort right away, but that’s just not how writing works. Long-term projects don’t provide immediate results.