• Question: Have you ever struggled for motivation for your work?

    Asked by Big EX7 to Steven, Jillian, Connor on 16 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Jillian Scudder

      Jillian Scudder answered on 16 Jun 2015:


      Yes, absolutely. No matter what you’re doing or how much you love it, there’ll be times when it’s just Not Working and you can’t figure out what’s wrong. Or there’s something that you just don’t really want to do, and can’t get away with not doing it. Usually at that stage I have to acknowledge that it’s a thing I don’t want to do, and my motivation is going, and try and either: remind myself why it’s important that I do it, or figure out what it is that I don’t like about what’s going on. Often that helps, but sometimes I just have to force my way through because there’s a deadline I have to meet.

    • Photo: Steven Thomson

      Steven Thomson answered on 16 Jun 2015:


      Sometimes when I get very stuck on the same problem for a long period of time, I start to wonder why I’m doing what I’m doing. But then I talk to other people – to friends, to other scientists and to keen members of the public – and I remember why I love science and why I choose to do what I do. Then my motivation returns and I get back to work!

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