[myth_buster]

  I think it's important to pace yourself. 

I get demotivated when I don't meet target or when I find the task too intimidating. The former is because I didn't set realistic expectation and didn't chalk my path carefully. The latter is because I'm looking at a very high level. I try to break them into smaller chunks which by themselves are self-sufficient and a project.

  Secondly, I think it's perhaps important for some to be 
  involved in multi-disciplinary pursuits.

In school/college it was easier as there were many subjects and you would go round robin on them or some other algo. That way there was a freshness to things and your mind doesn't get saturated which may drag your pace and eventually you may not end up meeting your targets. I think quite famous people have this behavior like Einstein/Violin, Knuth/Organ and even Sherlock Holmes had one which Doyle mentioned helped him get his mind off the case and come back invigorated. :)

  Look around for inspirations.

I've now understood that most of the things that are of value require years of discipline, which bring you to the place where you could do the things you set out to do. A younger me never understood this. We currently live in a society of instant gratification which also glorifies short term achievements. I think it's a probabilistic model and the odds of success at very young age are quite low and they are outliers as there are certain circumstances beyond once control which catalyzed it. Inspiration can come in many forms... I got quite inspired by the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi [0].

  Celebrate your successes.

Nothing motivates one better than seeing one making progress. So spend some time to stop and look behind and see where you started and where you have reached. Perhaps documenting your progress can help you recollect easily.

[0]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/