Motivation at work isn’t always easy to come by. Some days you feel like you could change the world all by yourself, and other days you barely care about your career or the success of your company. It is perfectly normal to sometimes not mind about your productivity at work, but you have a reason to worry if you are constantly uninspired to meet your personal, departmental, or company goals.
Every worker needs to find ways to improve their workplace motivation so that they can grow professionally. This article explores 4 ways to get you more focused and motivated at work. Here they are:
1. Create bite-sized goals
It is okay to think big and dream about big projects, but it can be equally overwhelming. Audacious goals are always hard to achieve and they more often than not lead to frustrations. Some people actually feel demotivated to start a project just by the thought of the possibilities of getting stuck or running out of energy somewhere in the middle of the project. So, if you don’t want to dampen your spirits or lose your excitement towards a year-long project, just break it into small 2-week or 1-month chunks. Small goals combine to achieve a bigger goal, but they are less overwhelming and more achievable. Also, completing one goal within a short span gives you a sense of accomplishment and the motivation to proceed with the next goal. And, when you eventually complete the bigger picture, you get to celebrate all the smaller achievements all over again.
2. Be open to criticism
Of course, you have a plan on how to deliver whatever you are working on to the satisfaction of the bosses or clients, and on a good time. You probably are leading a team of junior employees who obviously have lesser experience and maybe lesser qualifications than you. You feel like it is your job to drive the team members; like you deserve to call the shots for the project to run smoothly and without much hassle. Unknown to you, you are running the risk of getting overwhelmed, frustrated, and eventually demotivated.
As much as you are the overall head, it helps to allow your team members a chance to interrogate your plan, challenge your ideas, and criticize your decisions. Allow them the chance to suggest how the process could run better. You will be surprised by how resourceful some of them are. While at it, try to get different perspectives from your mentors and peers. That gives you different approaches to making your plan even more effective. Being pushed from all corners gets you off your comfort zone, so you feel the need to keep working harder every day.
Speaking of criticism, you need to acquire some listening skills for managers if you are to get the best out of your critics. Your team members need to feel valued and appreciated for them to give their all in the project, and to advise you when you are stuck. Note that difficulties in communication could leave employees feeling undervalued in the workplace.
3. Find work that is interesting and fulfilling
Money should not be the key motivating factor in your career. Your relationship with the boss, though important, should not be the main reason you stay in your current job or the reason you decide to quit your job. The key driving force should always be the love you have for what you do. Happiness, good compensation, and motivation will stem from loving your job. Always keep your interests piqued by taking on new challenges and advancing your skillset.
4. Celebrate small wins
Acknowledge that as much as you are not there yet, at least you are making moves in the right direction. Don’t discount the little roles you get just because you feel you deserve bigger positions. Instead of scolding and being mean to yourself for not impressing stakeholders in a meeting, why don’t you be happy that you helped a client today or you mentored one of your juniors? It is the small things that will motivate and encourage you to go to work every morning. Quit postponing celebrations for a long-term payoff that might never come.
Conclusion
The monotony of doing the same thing every day can be demotivating. It leaves you feeling stuck and stagnated. Quit monotony and embark on new, exciting adventures every day. That is how you stay motivated at work all the time.
