Staying Motivated

Work You Really Love - I believe that you need to do work you really love to stay
fully motivated. If you get up every morning looking forward to your work,
motivation will not be a problem for you. Unfortunately, we often have to spend years
working at jobs we don’t care much for in order to get the work we love. In those
situations it is more difficult to stay motivated. However, if you are going to properly
manage your time, remaining motivated is essential.

The Simple Pleasures - Wouldn’t life be great if you could just sit back and enjoy
its simple pleasures instead of having to work everyday? While I certainly enjoy my
vacation times, I also enjoy my work very much. Life is great if you enjoy it and part
of that joy is realizing that we can make the best of what we have. Every job is made
better as we become more proficient completing the tasks. Not only do we accomplish
more, we enjoy it much more because of the satisfaction of doing a good job.

Almost any job can lose its charm in time. It can become boring or monotonous to us if
we don’t make it interesting and challenging. It seems to be a human tendency to get
bored with something after time. When things are new and interesting we try to learn
and do everything as quickly as possible to make a good impression. Then we get
accustomed to everything and interest can wane. This is the point where we can lose
motivation and fall into procrastination.

Boredom - It is at the point where we begin to get bored that motivation becomes
essential. Some of us are self-motivated. We know what needs to be done and we plow
into it even if bored or distracted. Many people are not so fortunate. They become
bored and can be easily distracted. This leads to avoidance of planned and scheduled
tasks.

Short Attention Span - Studies have indicated that the attention span of the
average human is just a few minutes. Now, think about those two to four hour
meetings you are sometimes stuck in. Most people conk out after fifteen to thirty
minutes and simply focus on staying awake. They may have little if any idea what was
discussed after the first few minutes. Consider the difficulty of those repetitive jobs
where you do the same thing for eight hours or more. Unless the work is physically
active, it will be difficult to just stay awake. So what can we do to deal with this
situation?

Hints and Tips for Staying Motivated - It takes a significant effort to remain
self-motivated but it will help you avoid becoming prey to procrastination and
endangering your job or contract. The following items should help:

Switch Around - Unless there is an absolute requirement to stick with a certain
task, switch around and avoid staying on the same task for too long.
Brief Breaks - Try to take a brief break every half hour. Do a few simple
exercises or take a short walk to clear your head.
Double Up - When faced with boring tasks, try to do two or three of them at the
same time to reduce the boredom.
Exchanges - If someone else is doing another job nearby, you could try and
exchange jobs for a short time.
Discuss your boredom at work with someone who is a sympathetic or
empathetic listener who will encourage you.
Reward yourself once you have completed a job well even if it is only a cup of
coffee. We have a tendency to reward others when they accomplish something
but fail to do it for ourselves.
Remind Yourself - If you have an uninteresting job to do and start to put it off,
write it down and stick it somewhere where you are reminded of it constantly.
Leave the paper up until the job is completed.
Pleasant Work Space - Make your work environment more pleasant by
pinning up motivating words or wall posters.
Play Music - If it is allowed, play some music while you work.
Keep a list of the uninteresting tasks handy that you have already completed so
you can see that they can be put behind you.
Keep a potted plant or even a small aquarium with a small fish and take care
of it. Taking a little time to care for one of these can help you relax.
Relax - Take a little time to relax during the day. Take a short walk, get a drink
of water, coke or coffee or just relax in a chair for a few minutes.