Motivation can be a hard thing to find at times, it's almost like you have to grab it and tackle it to the ground just to get started. I like some hobbyist/gamers/collectors suffer from the "chronic illness" of wanting all the figs I can throw money at ...at the time, there is just so much good stuff out there these days.
I have amassed quite a few armies over just 12 years of gaming and I know I don't want to stop collecting and I (for some unknown reason) have been feeling the pull to play only with painted models. Don't get me wrong, I will play games with unpainted minis as I don't get as many opportunities to play as I use too. Seeing a game played out with two completely painted armies on a descent battlefield is what it is all about in my opinion.
The are a couple of reasons why I have been able to get these minis painted:
* no children
* no other major interests/hobbies
* plenty of space to stop one project and put it aside and pick up another- I have the attention span of a gnat.
* I paint several minis at a time that have the same exact pose so it's almost like my hand has formed a memory of the painting strokes. It does not add to the variation of my forces but I can tell you ...it really increases speed.
* Grey-scaling. It is just that cool.
As we go through life we can pick up inspiration for things from the weirdest places. For example, Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" explains the rolling snowball affect/effect(?) in paying off debt. You can use this in getting your mini collection painted.
Paint up the rest of a squad/warband to add to the army. Finish off another for a different army to keep things fresh. Paint something for another game, then come back. After awhile you get your armies closer to completion and then set your focus to the one almost done. One completed army. Start on the next one that is close and you start to "see the light at the end of the tunnel". You can do this process for your squads, armies, or all the models of your collection for that game's system.
That is how I have been able to tackle my pewter/plastic mountain. It has made a dent in my pile and I look forward to trying to out do myself next year, for if anything it may help in keeping me motivated.