10 Tips To Help You Stay Motivated and Energized At Work
Sometimes work feels like a drag. You try to get yourself excited and inspired, but on days like this, it seems impossible. When you feel better, you work better – that’s a simple fact. So how on earth do you tackle the drudgery of work when you feel so… blah?
Luckily, there are techniques you can use to put some pep back in your step at work. Self-motivation is an art form, and once you’ve learned these tricks, you’ll be able to not only get your work done but done superbly (and enjoy yourself along the way).
Take a look at these 10 tips to help you stay motivated and energized at work.
1. Set Boundaries
It seems almost counter-intuitive, but scheduling set break times during your workday is vital to staying motivated. Breaks give you time to clear your head and chill, allowing you to come back to your work in a more relaxed and comfortable state.
When you don’t take breaks, your thoughts can end up scrambled and stressed. Experiment with taking a short 10 to 15-minute break when you feel like this, and see how much clearer your mind works when you return to your work refreshed.
Having your workday divided up with short breaks means you’ll feel less overwhelmed by the chunk of time ahead of you. You’ll know in the back of your mind that your next break is only 1 or 2 hours away, so it cuts your workday into manageable portions.
Similarly, having a set time that you’re going to finish work for the day keeps you from getting burnt out by stress.
2. Set Achievable Daily Goals
Have you ever heard of SMART goals? SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
These are the qualities that your daily goals should have. The one quality that has the most significant impact on your motivation and inspiration at work is the 3rd one down: achievable.
If you set your sights too high and make your goal pretty much unreachable, you’re going to get very discouraged, not motivated. Making your work goals achievable will give you optimism and drive to make them happen.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid setting goals that challenge you. The best goals are exciting to think about, making you learn and grow. Achievable goals aren’t necessarily easy ones – just possible ones.
3. Break Large Tasks Into Smaller Pieces
Having an enormous task ahead of you can be daunting. It’s easy to get so intimidated by the scale of the project that you don’t even know where to begin. The solution to this is breaking your large tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
One effective technique for breaking a project down into achievable steps is to work backward from the goal. Instead of thinking of the steps, you will need to take from start to finish, think of your project as completed and work backward.
What is the step you would take just before completion? What action would you take to get to that step? And before that step? This technique can help you see what small steps logically need to happen to get to your desired outcome.
4. Get Enough Sleep
The amount of sleep you get has a significant impact on your stress levels. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll have trouble concentrating at work. Research has shown that people who don’t get enough sleep become more emotionally reactive when faced with stressful situations.
Making sure you have a regular sleep schedule has a lot of benefits. You’ll concentrate better, your mood will be more stable, and your decision-making will be sharper. These factors play a big part in having a good day at work.
If you’re having trouble getting to sleep at night, there are several things you could try that might help. Taking a warm bath before bed and drinking a cup of calming tea works for many people. Meditating and breathing exercises can also be very effective in helping you get to sleep.
5. Create an Exercise Routine
Get yourself in the habit of exercising regularly. Exercise is terrific not just for losing weight and gaining physical strength but also for many other reasons. Aerobic exercise has a unique ability to get you in an exhilarated yet relaxed state, perfect for having a motivated workday. It has also been shown to reduce depression and stress radically.
There are neurochemical reasons why exercise makes you feel so much better. When you exercise regularly, you’ll have lower levels of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, the two primary hormones that cause stress. Your body will produce endorphins, which are chemicals in your brain that elevate your mood.
One way to get these endorphins while you’re at work is to stretch regularly. After stretching at your desk, you’ll notice that you feel less tired, more energized, and more positive. Your body will feel a lot less tense, which will calm your mind. Stretching also helps regulate sleep (which we looked at in number 4).
6. Find Ways to Make Your Job More Fun
A key to motivation in the workplace is finding ways to make your job less repetitive and exciting. Adding fun elements to your workday puts you in a more energized and motivated state. Then you’ll get better work done.
Think of ways you can add joy to what you’re doing. If you’re allowed to, try listening to music you love while working. Decorate your workspace to feel fun and joyful, and try using fabulous, colorful work supplies.
There are also ways you can make your workday less repetitive and boring. Try rewarding yourself for completing a tedious task by doing one that’s more fun next. You can also use tools like Text Blaze, which eliminates the need for repetitive typing. With Text Blaze you can use simple keyboard shortcuts to insert saved snippets.
7. Leave Enough Time For Family and Friends
Fitting in time with friends and family can be put on the back burner once you start to get busy with work. But spending time with the people you love helps reduce stress and increase happiness. Ensuring you leave enough time for family and friends ensures that you’ll come to work in a more motivated state.
Even for introverts, spending time socializing outside of work is very important. Friends and family can make you feel supported, loved, and meaningful. When you’re stressed out from working too hard, or you’ve got a problem that’s worrying you, your loved ones can help you get through it.
On your days off from work, set aside time to be spent with your family and friends. You could invite friends over for a potluck dinner or watch a movie or go out to coffee with a friend. You could plan a board game night with your family or just go for a walk together. Anything helps.
8. Adopt a Growth Mindset
Your mindset determines your behavior in life, how you respond to success and failure, and your overall happiness. A growth mindset means you desire to learn rather than just appear bright.
People with a growth mindset embrace challenges, keep going even after setbacks and learn from criticism. They are willing to put in the effort to get where they want to be, and they find inspiration in the success of people around them.
Having a growth mindset has lots of benefits. People with a growth mindset feel more comfortable taking risks and working towards goals. They also experience higher motivation and lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
9. Reward Yourself
Be sure to acknowledge all the things you are doing right. We often criticize ourselves for getting things wrong but ignore the times we get them right. Instead, give yourself small treats for the small wins in your workday.
When you’re waiting to achieve essential goals before getting any kind of reward, the joy of winning can feel entirely out of reach. This takes away from our energy at work and our level of self-motivation.
Celebrating the little wins in your workday can motivate you to keep putting in the work, encourage you, and boost your self-confidence. You’ll be amazed how much easier work feels when you’ve got a smile on your face.
10. Eat Foods That Fuel You
Chowing down on a cheeseburger and fries can seem like a fast, affordable, and yummy choice when you’re feeling stressed. But eating unhealthy food results in feeling groggy, drained, and unmotivated, which has a significant effect on your workday.
A recent study that looked at how food affects people’s day concluded that the more fruits and veggies people ate, the happier, more engaged, and more creative they tended to be. How is this possible?
Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help to produce dopamine in the body. This neurotransmitter has a big impact on how curious, motivated and engaged you are during your day. The antioxidants in fruits and veggies also improve your memory and enhance your mood. Cool right?
Next time you feel less-than-inspired at work, try out these simple but powerful techniques and watch the difference they make to your motivation and energy!
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