Become Highly Motivated for Your Job

For many, your job is the place where you will spend the majority of your life. Staying motivated for your job, therefore, is crucial to living a meaningful life full of excitement, curiosity, and value. If you are able to find a career that you’re passionate about, one that constantly challenges and inspires you, you’ll be on a great track for maintaining motivation and productivity at work. Even if you’re stuck in a job that might seem tedious or mundane, adopting new attitudes, varying your tasks and goals, and allowing yourself to explore your interests outside of work will give your job a new sense of immediacy and purpose.

Steps

Maximizing Your Potential On The Job

1. Vary your tasks throughout the day. People tend to lose motivation on the job out of sheer boredom. The brain functions best when it is subjected to stimulation and differentiated activity. Try to organize your day so that you’re working on different tasks or projects for a few hours at a time. This will help keep you engaged and break the monotony of your routine.
2. Ask for more opportunities. If your job consists of only one or two tasks, it’s easy to become bored and unmotivated. Ask your boss for more responsibility. Take on a new project or see if you can collaborate with coworkers to get a different perspective on your work. This will not only broaden your skill set and keep you stimulated, but will also show your boss that you have initiative and drive.
3. Focus on the positive. If you adopt a positive attitude towards yourself and your work, it will be easier for you to commit to a standard of excellence. Find a way to see the value in everything you do and give it 100%. If you remind yourself of what you do well and put effort into even menial tasks, you will have a higher sense of self-worth. Plus, doing tasks well might lead to a promotion, or a shining letter of recommendation if you’re trying to switch career paths.
   • If you’re having trouble fixating on the positive, try writing a love letter to yourself. Though it may seem a bit overly sentimental, putting down what you love about yourself on paper gives those positive qualities a new weight. Try writing down five or six things that you value in yourself as both a person and a worker, and keep these in mind when you’re feeling low at work.
4. Eliminate distractions. It’s easy to waste time at work by checking your cell phone, social media, or your favorite blogs. Completing your work with speed and drive will boost your motivation. Commit to turning off your phone for a few hours at a time to get your work done quickly. That way, you can associate work with productivity instead of constant distractions.
5. Seek feedback. Work environments can be isolating, and it can often be hard to find a sense of community. Seeking out honest feedback from your superiors will not only help with your job performance, but will also allow you to create a personal connection with your colleagues. Plus, your boss will be impressed by your initiative.
   • See the value in both positive feedback and constructive criticism. Positive feedback can help give you an ego boost and refresh your motivation to continue to perform well. Criticism, when viewed as constructive instead of negative, will help you to develop new skills and put renewed effort into your work.
6. Take breaks. Nobody can be productive for eight hours straight. Taking a few breaks throughout the day will give you a much needed stress release and refocus you for impending tasks. Go for a short walk around the block to get some fresh air, stand up and stretch, grab some coffee with a coworker. Don’t make the breaks too long, but recognizing that everybody needs to clear their head from time to time will make it easier to return to your desk.
7. Be aware of your strengths. While it’s great to work on your weaknesses, focusing primarily on your strengths will make you feel more successful on the job. Recognize what you are good at and put energy into completing those tasks on a daily basis. Talk to your boss or supervisor about what you think you’re good at so that they know what kinds of projects and assignments you’ll do best with.

Making Lifestyle Changes That Promote Motivation

1. Wake up early. Most people tend to be more productive in the morning, when the brain is rested and there are fewer distractions. Try setting your alarm a bit earlier and create a morning ritual that will set a positive tone for your day.
   • Try to make the morning your time. Eat a good breakfast, practice yoga or meditation, go for a walk or read. Creating space for yourself will make it easier for you to go into the workday feeling calm and focused.
2. Manage your time. Making realistic lists for the day is a great way to promote efficiency. Don’t put too many things on your list. Instead, write down your top priorities for the day. This will increase your motivation to accomplish goals, and you’ll gain a lot of momentum and confidence from crossing things off your list once they’re complete.
3. Leave work at work. Let the evenings be your time to pursue hobbies and passions outside of your career. If you come home and fixate on mistakes you made that day or worry about projects that need to be completed the next day, you run the risk of letting your job consume you and burning out. One of the best ways to destress? Laugh! Call up a friend with a great sense of humor or watch a funny show to lighten your mood post work.
   • Pick out a new hobby. Changing up your routine with a new, fun hobby will help you release tension after work. If you’re having a tough day on the job, having something to look forward to in the evening will keep your spirits up.
4. Develop conviction. Conviction is a firm belief in what you want to do. Make sure your career goals match with your company’s goals. If you believe in your company’s goals, you are more likely to stay motivated during the workweek.
5. Show respect. A solid sense of self-respect will help you believe in your capabilities at work. High self respect and esteem are also easily recognizable qualities that will make your coworkers want to connect with you. It’s equally as important to show respect to others. When engaging with coworkers, even ones you might not get along with, showing them that you respect their opinion and contribution to the company will allow your relationships to develop smoothly.
6. Develop empathy. At work and in life, we are bound to meet colleagues or clients who we find unreasonable, uncooperative, or just plain frustrating. Take time to communicate with someone individually if you feel the two of you are clashing. Understanding a person better will help you see where their more aggravating qualities stem from, and will allow you to form a more positive relationship. Getting along with your coworkers instantly boosts motivation, since it makes you more likely to enjoy being at work.
7. Keep learning. Dedicate yourself to a lifetime of exploration and learning. In your spare time, read books about things that interest you, take a class, learn a new language – do anything that gets you jazzed about your life. Exploring all the possibilities that the world has to offer lets you go through life with a sense of curiosity and excitement. This kind of attitude will keep you motivated in your career and help you figure out exactly what it is you want to pursue.

Choosing The Right Career

1. Discover what you love. Imagine getting up in the morning and being excited to go to work. For people who have found a career that they love, going to work feels more like a hobby than an obligation. Take some time to figure out what you’re passionate about, and then find ways to turn your passions into a career.
   • Make lists of things that you love to do. Write down 5-10 things that get you going, and try to match these passions with plausible careers. If you love hiking, look into careers that allow you to be in nature, such as a horticulturalist or environmentalist. If you’re interested in social justice, try researching ways to get involved in a local school or non-profit. Writing down what you love to do and matching those interests with potential careers will open your eyes to the kind of life that will make you want to go to work everyday.
2. Give yourself the freedom to experiment. It’s easy to get comfortable in a job, even if it’s one you can’t stand. If you find yourself dreading going to work in the morning, give yourself the license to look into a different career path. It takes time to figure out what job sustains your curiosity and intellect.
3. Seek advice from experts in fields that interest you. If you think you’d like to pursue a different career path, talk to friends, family or acquaintances with jobs that excite you. Ask as many questions as you can on how to get your foot in the door. Not only will this help you to make connections, but it will also show you that it is possible to follow your dreams if you take the right steps towards career satisfaction.
4. Don’t prioritize money. We all need a certain amount of financial stability to survive. However, picking a career based on salary alone isn’t always the best path to staying motivated. Let yourself pick a job that interests you, even if it’s not the highest paying offer. As long as you can support yourself for the time being, it’s important to try to love what you do. Believe in yourself and work hard so that you can get the necessary experience to move up in your career and eventually snag your ideal salary.

Tips

• Dress for success. Even if you're feeling stuck in a rut, putting some effort into your outfit will help you feel self-confident at work, and will show others that you're still engaged in the job.
• Challenge yourself. Don't shy away from new opportunities out of fear. Always take risks to grow as a person and employee.
• Get enough sleep. Though our culture promotes a lifestyle of constant productivity, letting yourself sleep for a good 6-8 hours a night will keep you alert, happy, and refreshed.
• Practice a healthy lifestyle. Exercising and eating well promote productivity and positivity. Be sure to drink lots of water and eat fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

Warnings

• Not all work environments are the same. Be sure to apply the advice above to your specific work environment with care, and adjust where needed.
• Try to stay in a given work position at least a year. Even if you're really struggling in your job, it is a generally good rule of thumb to complete one year of work in order to build a strong resume and standard of reliability.

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Sources and Citations

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