“Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis.” – Zig Ziglar, ‘Raising Positive Kids in A Negative World’
Keeping yourself energised and motivated is tricky. Even in a job you love, there are days when you don’t feel up to it, get bored, or maybe even feel like you don’t like it very much! This happens to us all, even in dream jobs. On days like these it is all about technique.
Having a few tricks up your sleeve to boost your energy and will is essential for keeping up creativity, productivity and positivity. Without a few techniques for this it is easy to get yourself into a rut. So, if you are feeling unenthused about your day ahead today, let us help you get back your motivation and support your workplace resilience.
1. Little Goals
So, you get into work and look at your inbox or to-do list and get overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead. This happens in workplaces all over the world every day. It also happens in our home lives; life admin can be very daunting. Wherever you are, whatever your tasks, the same technique works; one thing at a time. Short trem goals are a sure fire way to keep you calm, focused and undistracted. I know that I can often get overwhelmed by a simple job because I am worried about how much I need to get done by the end of the day. This worry only serves to slow me down and downgrade the quality of my work.
This is a well worn mindfulness philosophy; live in the moment. Not only will you move through tasks more quickly and efficiently, you will feel the positive energy that comes from achieving many goals in one day as opposed to maybe one or two.
2. Regular Reward
Break work up with reward. There are many arguments as to how long the human attention span is. What is for sure is that the human brain can only hold focus for a short number of minutes at any one time. I deal with this by working for 45 minutes at a time, and then scheduling a 15 minute concentration break after every work period. Sometimes I use this for making a cup of tea, sometimes for a small meditation, sometimes to watch some nonsense videos on the internet. Whatever it is for you, make sure you reward yourself with break regularly. This will boost your positivity and help you to come back to work with a fresh head.
3. Accountability
If you are the only one who knows what it is that you are aiming for, the likelihood is that you will find it easier not to do it. The only disappointment you will face will be your own with yourself, and even then, you might not mind so very much. If you share your goals and targets with other people then you are far more likely to go for them. Accountability is a hugely useful thing to have, especially when you are struggling with your own motivation and resilience.
It might be just enough to have another person know that you are supposed to be aiming for something to energise you to work towards it. If you need a little more encouragement you might want to instruct your nominated parties to check up on you, prod you, encourage you or give you a kick if you are waning in your efforts!
4. Look for Positives
I don’t believe that there is any job, task, journey or goal that is entirely awful. Light can be found in darkness, and positivity can be found in tricky or boring situations. Whatever it is that you are trying to get through, or pluck up the motivation to get started, search for the things about it that you like. Maybe even love. Maybe a project doesn’t seem like its going to be that fun, but maybe you get to work with someone you like? Perhaps you don’t want to go for that run, but you know that you love to go to the park on a sunny day.
5. Pen to Paper
Lists have a wonderful way of making things seem less daunting. I often have days where I feel stressed, the reason for that stress being that it feels like I have to much on my plate. I keep forgetting to do things, or remembering other things that need to be done… its hard to order your day in your head. Put pen to paper. Write down what you need to get done. I guarantee that that list will not look as daunting on paper as it does all mixed up in your head. Also, ticking off tasks is immensely satisfying.
By Chris Thomson
For other ways to look after your workplace resilience, check this out: How to Boost Your Workplace Resilience
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