Do you lack zeal to work but you want to boost your productivity level in the office? If YES, here are 20 best tips on how to motivate yourself at the workplace. Motivation is a very crucial for every business because of a lot of things. For instance, it puts human resources into action. You need to understand that every entity needs physical, financial and human resources to achieve something lucrative.
It is through motivation that human resources can be utilized. This can be done by establishing willingness in employees to work. Workplace motivation also helps to improve the level of efficiency of employees. Note that the level of a subordinate or an employee does not only rest upon his qualifications and abilities. In order to get the best of his work performance, the gap between ability and willingness has to be filled.
Goals can be achieved if co-ordination and co-operation takes place simultaneously, and this can be effectively done through motivation. For employees specifically, providing motivation would help to enhance their performance in the office, leading them to generally work harder and smarter, and allowing them to complete tasks efficiently, properly, and on deadline.
Have it in mind that businesses set up activities like contests and leader boards to help motivate and encourage employees to stay enthusiastic and excited about their jobs. On a general level, motivation sounds relatively simple; but the science behind it can be more complex than companies and managers understand. Below are 20 ways to motivate yourself at the workplace.
20 Best Tips on How to Motivate Yourself at the Workplace
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Find out your interests
For you to get optimum result at your workplace, you have to find out what you love about your work. Indeed, this is easier said than done. But you need to know and understand those moments at work when you are in your element. What leaves you with more energy at the end of the activity than when you started? For some, it is travel, while for others, it is gleaning insights from raw data. Find a role that lets you do these tasks the most.
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Leave your desk
When you sit in the same spot day after day, you can suffer from boredom. We suggest you reposition your desk or take a task you can transport to an outside location, like your local coffee shop or library, and work remotely for a few hours. Take note of your surroundings and breathe deeply. Use all your senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing.
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Work on yourself
We also suggest you invest a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour on yourself daily. Use that time to take account of what you have achieved and what you can do. Try to develop a sense of optimism and confidence in your abilities. You can also use that time to learn new skills or acquire additional qualifications. At work, take pride in your work by delivering high quality results. Make sure that you are physically fit. Once you are confident, volunteer to help others with their work. You will benefit just as much as they do.
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Build early momentum
Note that the way you start your day will go a long way to dictate the pace of the rest of your day. This is why you need to start with something tangible and exciting. You need to mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead as soon as you are out of bed.
Then, you can ride that wave of momentum all the way to the afternoon. It makes a huge difference, no question about it. We suggest you psyche yourself up, go over everything that you plan on doing on that day and remind yourself that you are not only capable; you are doing it, period.
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Beware of the company you keep
Analysis has shown that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. This is why we suggest you spend time with confident and motivated people at the workplace. Make very good friends for these people will influence you, and their behaviour and outlook will become part of your habits. The cheer and optimism of motivated people rubs off on those around them and you get a chance to consciously learn from and emulate them.
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Focus on your salary
We all can agree that money is a great motivator no matter how small or huge. But after some time at the same job, we tend to forget that big motivator and what it brings to us. This is why we suggest you remind yourself of the money you are getting for the work you are doing, and think about all the things that you want to do with the money.
It might be to buy that new car you want, or pay for your home, or save up for that great vacation you are looking forward to, never let it slip your mind that you are working for money that can help you achieve things in your life that are of great importance to you.
Also, if you work in an environment where you can actually affect your salary, such as being an entrepreneur or a salesperson, then money should be one of your biggest reasons to motivate yourself to work harder than anyone else.
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Know your Dreams and goals
We also suggest you take some time to identify your life’s dreams, for you surely had a few when you were younger. Set yourself concrete goals for the year. Having goals gives you direction in thought and effort. Such clarity can motivate you. A lot of us come into work, sit at our desks, and just start working on the tasks that have been given to us, without knowing what our actual goal is.
If you lack a clear vision and knowledge of how your work impacts the bigger picture, you may end up spending more time on unimportant tasks, rather than ones that will actually be beneficial to you and your organisation. Clarify what your objectives are and focus on them being your end result.
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Enjoy a Balanced Life
Living a balanced life is vital to feeling motivated. When you eat unhealthy foods you will feel lethargic and will not want to accomplish any of your goals. Try to eat a well-balanced diet and exercise for 30 minutes (at least three times a week), it can increase levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine which can help to reduce stress.
We also suggest you leave some of your to-do list for the following day if it can wait, rather than staying late to finish it. Working overtime will leave you frustrated as your mind will solely be focused on work, rather than giving yourself some time to wind-down in the evenings.
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Accountability
Accountability is the single largest source of motivation. If the present job structure does not involve accountability to a team or subordinates, involve a family member or a friend as a ‘goal partner’. A goal partner is a person who is aware of your goal and with whom you share the progress made. Hold yourself accountable to him.
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Don’t see it as Hard Work
If you want to work and achieve success, don’t think of it as hard work. Think of it as part of making yourself into who you want to be. Immediately you have made the choice to do something, we suggest you try not to think so much about how difficult or frustrating or impossible that might be.
Just think about how good it must feel to be that, or how proud it might be to have done that. For instance, if the project you’re faced with isn’t viewed as drudgery, but rather as a piece of the puzzle that’s helping you along your career path, then perhaps the energy required to do it will be easier to come by.
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Take Baby steps
Indeed you can start small, but make regular progress. Try to break down the goal into tasks and each task into smaller steps. Focus only on the next step, and even distasteful difficult tasks become easier. To build persistence, spend some time on it every day, even if it is five minutes.
Soon you will find that the momentum would build up, as the tasks bring its own pleasure. There is a reason donut holes are so lovable. They’re easy to eat. Before you know it, you’ve eaten a dozen of them. This is how goals should be too. Of course you should have a really big, audacious goal.
But make sure you break down that goal into bite-sized, consumable goals. This way you’ll feel like you’re making progress in your journey and you’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment when you complete the smaller goals. A feeling of progress and achievement is a beautiful combination.
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Clean up your workspace
Experts believe that nothing will bring you down like returning day after day to a messy, disorganized or dirty workspace. You should put some time and effort into cleaning up, organizing and decorating your office space. You will spend a majority of your waking hours there, so make it a pleasant place to be. Hire an organizing expert to assist you in designing a workable filing system, hang pictures that remind you of your favourite after-work activities, or infuse the office with fresh flowers or candles.
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Focus on long term growth
Irrespective of what your current position is, there is most certainly room for advancement. You need to understand that there is always some other position that you can work towards, and this can be one of the best ways to motivate yourself at work. Always try to approach your work thinking that the higher ups are always looking for someone to promote.
Indeed it happens everyday, even if it is not said in public. So concentrating on your potential career growth can definitely increase your motivation to do stellar work and be at your very best to ensure that you do get the recognition that you deserve, and get promoted to a higher position.
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Don’t Beat Yourself up on Your Weak Points
No one is perfect and we all have weak points. This is why the next time you feel like you could have done better, stop beating yourself up and focus on how you will improve next time. Every aspect of our life is a learning curve and the important thing is to grow everyday. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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Only positive talk
It’s almost impossible to remain motivated when you keep hearing about the negatives of the workplace. There is the good and bad in every office. We suggest you focus on the positive, surround yourself with like-minded people that enjoy their work and are there for a reason (such as the ones listed above), and you will be guaranteed to always be in a frame of mind where your motivation is pristine.
When you allow negative discussions at work to enter your mind, you subconsciously start doubting your reason for even being there, and you will not have the right motivation to work properly. So at all costs, always be positive when it comes to your discussions about your job.
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Make use of Motivational Quotes
Motivational quotes have become more popular in the last few years, flooding our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds. Instead of just scrolling past them, screen grab one that really relates to you and print it and keep it somewhere visible on your desk. It’s funny how a few words can really keep you going and remind you of your goal and how you can achieve it.
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Read Daily
Always ensure that you make out time in your day to read. You should try to read at least once a day. If that’s too much, start with 20 minutes [a day] and do it for one month. Develop a belief that reading is the quickest way to success. It will make reading a breeze, and extremely fun/rewarding.
Although it may sound counter-productive to set aside reading time when really what you’re looking for is motivation to work hard, sometimes it’s necessary to do something seemingly unrelated to tackle the task at hand. Developing a daily reading habit is one thing that’s likely to have a long-lasting impact on your thought processes, ultimately inspiring you in all areas of your life.
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Personal pride and accomplishments
Think about it, at the end of the day do you want to go back home and be proud of what you have done? Treat your job, whatever it may be, with pride and witness your motivation and your success soar. That is how we should all approach what we do. Even if what you do is not your ideal job, there is a reason why you are doing it.
We suggest you focus on that reason, and while you are at it, you might as well make it a joyful and pleasant experience. When you can go home and be proud of what you have accomplished during that day, when you can be satisfied with your work ethic and attitude, then you are truly living life the way it was meant to be lived.
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Fix a Quit Time
Research has shown that entrepreneurs tend to stray from the typical 8 to 5 workday, and global accessibility through emails and Skype makes it more than easy to have a 24-hour workday. But it is very crucial that you understand when enough is enough.
It is for this reason that you should fix a realistic quitting time for yourself, and stick to it most days of the week. Stop answering emails after 8pm, or take Sundays off. You’ll feel more refreshed and more productive when you allow yourself some down time.
It’s practically impossible to feel energized all the time. You need to give yourself a rest, and if that means giving yourself a specified set time to unplug or turn away from the demands of your job, then do it. It is likely to help you perform harder and smarter in the hours that you do allot for work.
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Celebrate Wins
You need to start acknowledging all the good you are doing. Never should you discount the little things. Indeed you need more wins in your life. This will motivate you, encourage you, and help you see how brilliant you truly are. If you are constantly waiting for a long-term payoff, you will forget how crucial all the little wins are. And it can be challenging to stay motivated and on top of things if there is no reward in sight.
Treat yourself with small things and don’t underestimate how gratifying it can feel to recognize tiny advancements. Sustained motivation is possible only when there is an element of fun. So celebrate your progress. Figure out which portions of your work can be made into experiences you enjoy. Sometimes work is much more fun than leisure.
In conclusion, the highest levels of motivation come from a feeling of control and achievement that comes from learning and mastering new skills. Take every opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, take on multiple tasks (insulating them in separate compartments), accept mistakes as a learning experience and stop offering excuses.
To succeed in the workplace, you need to be at your best, and you can only truly be at your best when you are motivated. With the proper inner drive, everything can seamlessly fall into place. Self-motivation is a process that must be practiced.
If you have days when you’d rather not get out of bed, you’re not alone. Give yourself permission to take a mental health day every now and then. You are your greatest investment, take care of yourself or you might not achieve your goals.