TLDR: Flip the script.

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Hear me out: not every idea may get materialized, but most of the ones that do start with a little spark of motivation - a burst in energy entirely focused on working towards that ideal product in your head. It's almost like a "high".

You get to work feeling good and optimistic, and then something happens: the high may simply wear off, or something may change your emotional state and/or cause you to lose focus. Burnout sets in when you try to continue working anyway with a mind that is aiming to be occupied elsewhere (meaning your mind is on the task now, but it's looking at it like a job to clock out of instead of a straight road to success or joy).

In my experience, burnout is inevitable, especially if you are determined not to give up. I choose, and thus advise YOU to use it as a tool:

Now for the "flip the script" part - the advice is to prevent the idea from burning you out by burning IT out first. The key to doing this comes in two parts:

• First, identify EXACTLY what started the original spark of motivation for the idea - for fanwork, it can be the "canon" source material and for original work, it can be the inspiration (no idea is truly "original", as everything that exists is built off of what existed before, BUT your creation can still be unique to you in some way - THAT kind of original). It could be as simple as being like "i got the idea for this project after binge-watching/playing/reading something else." Find out what the "something else" is and move on to step two.

• Second, BURN IT OUT BEFORE STARTING THE PROJECT. Interact with whatever that cause was (be it a TV show, movie, game, whatever) as much as you can before you even think about starting anything "concrete" from your idea. This is the REAL test to see if the idea is a good one for you at the time. If you still have motivation of your idea (separate from the spark, mind you) AFTER you have gotten yourself tired of the original version, then go ahead and create the actual main product. Otherwise, shelf it, it's not ready yet, but it doesn't need to be thrown away. It's easy to just get started when you have the spark, but completing this step may yield a stronger resolve to actually finish what you start.

My current project, born from a spark ignited while watching a childhood show, "Eternal Frenemies" is six years old and growing because I did not want to fuel it on a momentary high and risk giving up. I made sure to watch the source material/inspiration until I memorized the dialogue, developed damn-near-photographic memory of every episode, and wore off of the initial novelty for its mechanics to make sure I was truly ready to commit to the project in the event it expanded past what I had in my head.

The only parts of the project that existed until I was done doing all of that were three little standalone sketches: the prototype designs of the characters Seraphia, Cocytus, and Peony.

To my frustration, I see a lot of the most promising work go down the drain because creators want results while the high is still there, and often give up when the first or second burnout hits. I stand by my claim that mental peace should be protected like a paycheck, so you can think of this advice as a preventative measure to make sure that when burnout DOES hit, it won't mess with your passion for your work.