Nov 15, 2018
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How to Stay Motivated at Work
Let’s face it, some days are better than others. Maybe after your third cup of coffee, you still can’t find the energy to focus on the task at hand. You can’t be the office superhero every day, and sometimes it is easier to daydream about the beach than read financial spreadsheets. But, the work still needs to be completed and you will feel better once you have it done. Here are some ways that you can stay motivated at work.
The Big Picture
This abstract concept can be hard to pin down, but it is the intrinsic reason that you are working in the first place. And before you say money, know that it is not enough to keep you happy at your job just having money as a motivator. Maybe it is for your family, or it is a stepping stone towards your dream job. People say that if you have a job that you love then you will never work a day in your life which simply isn’t true. No matter how much you love your job, happiness is not a permanent state of mind. The goal is that you have more good days than bad, and if you are starting to notice that most days are bad, maybe you should reevaluate where you work altogether.
Setting Manageable Goals
Sometimes a task can be daunting and you don’t know where to even start, so you just put it off. How to do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Instead of thinking of the giant project that you have to complete, think of one aspect of the project that you can complete in the next hour. Chances are, once you get in the grove of things you will get more accomplished than you were planning on. Even if you only sit down and work for 15 minutes, that is 15 more minutes of work that is completed that wasn’t before. Setting and finishing small goals can get you in the habit of completing work on time and taking on large projects.
Reward Yourself
Let yourself get that ice cream cone after work, or buy that pair of pants you have been wanting. Only after you complete the task at hand that is. Knowing that there is a little reward for yourself at the end of the day can help focus your attention on what you need to complete. I know a lot of parents use this tactic to motivate their children to clean their room, but it still works pretty well on adults. If you are feeling distracted and not wanting to be at work that day, tricking your brain into looking forward to something can make you energized again. The catch with this is that you actually wait to get yourself the prize after you finished your work, not before. You are an adult and can technically get ice cream whenever you want, but it will taste better knowing you earned it.
Work can be frustrating, monotonous and stressful. Maybe you are having a bad day, or you just aren’t feeling too driven to get out of bed. By using these little tricks to stay motivated it can help your workday go by faster. Automating some of your tasks can also free up your time to help focus on the work that you want to get done. Some days are going to be harder than others, but getting through those days can be a reward in itself.