Lacking motivation at work is a real obstacle and genuinely one of my fears! It makes everything harder to do, from completing tasks, to even starting them altogether.
Whether you’re reading this in the morning, or you came across it procrastinating in the last half hour of the day, if you can relate to these habits on the regs, you need to do something about it. Remember, there’s no time like the present 😉
1. Drowning in work
One of the main things that keep you motivated is focus. With too much on your plate it makes it difficult to think straight and complete your tasks effectively, time and quality wise.
As soon as you wake up, don’t let the doom of the amount of things you have to finish today effect you. As soon as you get to work, write a list of the tasks you need to complete in priority order. I find writing tomorrow’s tasks down the evening before, so I’m ready to go as soon as possible, works for me! This way you’re already in ‘let’s do this’ mode, rather than, ‘OMG, how am I going to make it to lunch, let alone the end of the day’. Dramatic, but you know the feels.
2. Comparing yourself to others
This is one of the worst things you can do. Don’t get down about how great Julie is at organising every tiny section of her life and reaching deadlines in impossible time frames. It’s a total time waster, you might as well spend half an hour of your day watching cat videos. You never know, all those post-it notes are a complete front and that proposal she finished in 15 minutes is utter tripe.
On the flipside, your colleague might actually have it all together and if they do, ask for advice. Be honest, find out their secrets to slaying work and become unstoppable.
3. You have zero goals
If you don’t have any goals, what’s the point in anything? We need goals to keep us going, to improve ourselves as individuals and to succeed in life in whatever that means to you.
Linking to habit #1, I mentioned about making lists. Lists are great, I make them for anything and everything. I always make a clear, prioritised list of my tasks for the day that need to be completed. Ticking them off one-by-one gives you a sense of achievement, motivating you to go on to the next task.
4. Not rewarding yourself
You’ve spent all week working your butt off, you need to celebrate! Whatever it is that makes you happy, do it, whether that’s a self-high-five or a bottle of wine, I mean glass of wine… There’s no such thing as all work and no play in our eyes. Give yourself the respect and recognition you deserve, it’s great hearing it from others, but the only person you need to prove is you.
5. Making no time to learn new things
Learning doesn’t end at education you know! Don’t make your job a routine thing, learn new things and evolve your job responsibilities. Keep reading and stay up-to-date with the changes in your industry and your interests. Network at events and meet new people, go to talks and be inspired. It’s important to continue to learn new things and keep your mind on top!
We hope this has inspired you to break some of your bad habits. Stay motivated and if you’re feeling down and out, don’t dwell, do something about it!
If there’s a topic you’d like us to elaborate on, we’d be super happy if you got in contact with us!
