How to stay motivated at work
You feel ecstatic every time you receive your paycheck, but that’s about it. The first few months might have been different because you were all excited about the opportunity you found yourself in, but now you just can’t seem to focus on your work anymore because you find it boring, meaningless, or even frustrating. The only positive thing you seem to like about the whole ordeal is that it helps pay the rent. Well, you have joined countless of workers around the world in the same dilemma of losing the needed drive for their jobs.
Staying motivated at work will definitely be a struggle especially when things don’t go as planned or when circumstances don’t work out the way you imagined it to transpire, like an unrecognized work achievement or an unfriendly work environment. However, you should always have motivators to keep you going. The ensuing recommendations will help you stay motivated for optimal job performance and a fulfilled work life.
1. Love your job.
You will never appreciate the day you spend in the workplace if you do not have the heart for what you are set to do. This is why you should have chosen a job that never subverts or relinquishes your passions. If you absolutely hate what you’re doing and who you are working for, it will not inspire you unless it challenges you.
Sometimes, love for work is slowly cultivated as time goes by. For instance, if you are entering a job that is not in line with your field of expertise, the experience you will earn will help you to gradually learn and even excel. You just have to accept everything as it is but avoid settling for less by doing your very best in everything you are tasked to do. Your efforts will surely pay off.
2. Be kept reminded of your goals.
You need to have a clear-cut understanding of what you need to accomplish. That is the only way that you will know how to approach it through the perfect means. A lot of employees continue with their work without thinking about the purpose of what they’re doing. This constrains them in seeing the overall picture and detaches them from the meaning of their efforts. However, avoid setting unrealistic goals. Extreme targets which you will never meet will make you feel defeated.
3. Set your own standards.
Your employer expects a lot from you, which is understandable because you would not have been hired if you weren’t fit for the job. This fact alone may lead you to stress and anxiety when faced with pressing situations that you may find difficult to handle. You spend sleepless nights on a project but you are unsure whether what you have accomplished is enough already. Sometimes, colleagues may even be your competitors in the work arena, adding up to the tension that you are going through. As hard as you try to stay motivated, you feel inferior and think that your best is still not enough, leading you to indifference and lack of desire for work.
However, there is no other person that you need to surpass except your very own self. Set your own standards for the quality of output that you are responsible for. Aim for topnotch but attainable ones. You will feel a sense of fulfillment whenever you meet them.
4. Have a plan.
A big task will be easier if subdivided into smaller and practical sets of tasks and actions. A plan will come in handy because it helps you keep track of your work progress and keep you on schedule. It will make you focus on your work because you know what you are supposed to do.
Incorporate deadlines to help you in establishing the time frame step by step. Keep it recorded in your memo entries so that you know where to concentrate your time and where to prioritize the placement of your efforts.
5. Reward yourself.
Even if your boss does not recognize the hard work you invested for the success of your endeavor, don’t let that hinder you from congratulating yourself. Accomplishing a task excellently entitles you to self-recognition. Reward yourself by doing what you desire to do such as dining in a fancy restaurant, shopping for a new dress, or treating your friends out for a drink. It will boost your self-esteem and make you invigorated for the next task.
6. Live a healthy lifestyle.
Don’t skip on breakfast because it fuels you for a long and arduous day at work. You need to observe proper meal time no matter how busy you get. Make it a point to eat nutritious meals to gain the energy you require in performing your many tasks. An empty stomach is never a work stimulator.
Moreover, have adequate periods of rest and relaxation. You will not be able to replenish your vigor if you spend your free time without getting adequate sleep. Don’t disregard social functions such as joining parties and stuff but make sure you have just enough time for slumber. Lack of sleep will make you feel disoriented and not set you in the right work mode.
7. Lighten your perspective.
The right approach to stay motivated at work is to be optimistic all the way. Avoid delving on negativities because they will not do anything but bring you down. Think positive! No matter how difficult and stressful situations may get, you need to believe that you can overcome all of them in due time.
8. Have something to look forward to after work.
Whether it is the comfortable recesses of your own home, a movie you yearn to watch, a chapter of a book you are eager to read, or a dinner outside with your loved ones, having something to look forward to after work gives you some sense of motivation. It will effectively enable you to focus on the present task and get it over with. Just make sure that you don’t get all too excited about it that you can’t seem to put your mind at work anymore.
Having the right attitude is the key to staying motivated. Nothing should pull you away from your determination and commitment towards the job you have chosen. It all depends on you.
