Well, in my case I build and tinker so yes, I certainly do quite a bit of stuff on my gear other than just "practice". Now personally I don't think this is a bad thing...as I've said in these forums before, I think a person who works on or builds their own guitars has a deeper appreciation for them than others...you start to understand how your guitar works and why. I also think there is more of a personal connection between the player and the instrument as well...there really is something special about playing an instrument that you built yourself (even if it was only from parts).

That said, obviously practice is important however I also have to say that just because you feel you need to practice more doesn't mean you have to tinker less...if you love both, do both. Motivation on the other hand...that varies from person to person. Some folks only practice when they're "under the gun" with a gig coming up or something. Other's practice simply because they enjoy playing. You will have to figure out what motivates you to play...maybe it's exploring a different style or new material than you've been playing (such as learning slide for example). Maybe if all you've played is electric, then it's as simple as buying an acoustic and just sitting out on your front porch "strumming". Maybe you need a change of location...instead of sitting in your bedroom or your studio or where ever you normally practice, grab your axe and head out to the park instead.

The one piece of advice I would offer though is don't think of it as practice. The word "practice" has a bit of a stigma attached to it for some people..."uhg...I need to sit down a practice". I think part of it is even though you may be playing "tunes" a lot of folks associate practice with things like scales, finger exercises, etc.....and of course, "exercise" in itself has a negative connotation for a lot of folks. Personally I try to think of it more as "jamming by myself". Sometimes I'll pop in a video...something like the Clapton "Crossroads Festival" and within minutes, I have a guitar in my hands just jammin' along with Eric and the boys! LOL!!! If you have kids or a girlfriend or wife you can also "make a game out of it"...make yourself up some flash cards to help you learn those chords and scales and such. I also find that teaching someone else how to play is a great motivator as well...I have to be on top of my game in order to teach another! Of course having someone to jam with...not necessarily in a band type of structure is always a plus.

The point is that you need to find something that will motivate you without associating it with any kind of tedium. Playing...even when it's "just practice", should be fun and when it's not fun, you are doing something wrong.

Just my long-winded $.02 worth as always.
Jim

I never really practice anyway,but ever since I started recording my jam band and setting up a space to do it in I hardly get any quality guitar time in.There is ALWAYS something else that needs more attention...broken stuff,a better way of setting stuff up,constant knob fiddling.That's just for the vocalist and drummer's stuff and doesn't include all the tweaks to amps,effects,and other paraphenalia that myself and the bass player use
That being said it makes the time when you do actually get around to playing much more fun,probably because of all the pent up energy.

I watched that last night. I very much like that DVD.

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I Can't Explain