Most people agree that they wish they knew how to get motivated to work, even if they don’t feel like it.
Unless you are one of the lucky ones, it can be nearly impossible to find a job that is equally as emotionally rewarding as it is financially rewarding.
However, this doesn’t mean finding a good balance in your professional life to experience a higher motivation level is impossible.
How To Get Motivated to Work?
Are you one of the millions of people finding it challenging to find a good motivation level when mastering your career path?
If you are dealing with a lack of motivation, there are several ways to get yourself back on the path to positive workday motivation.
Let’s jump into the most popular ways to learn how to get motivated at work, even if it’s the last thing you want to do.
1. Avoid Professional and Personal Life Imbalances
Did you know that one of the main reasons employee morale skyrockets downward is because of a poor work/life balance?
Even though it can be nice to make money to put towards rewards and luxuries, it shouldn’t be the sole motivating factor in your career choice.
If you are unable to draw a distinct line between your job and your personal life, you are going to find it impossible to put enough focus into your daily work activities.
Not only will it be far more strenuous to go to work, but all you will be thinking about during your time off is work.
Unfortunately, this will lead to you having too little mental energy to make a positive impact once back in the office.
Instead, you will want to make sure that when at work, you think only of work and vice versa outside of the office.
2. Eliminate Causes of Physical Strain
Physical comfort is an often overlooked issue that can significantly contribute to a lack of motivation and productivity.
In fact, these are a couple of the central tenets ergonomics is based around.
The more comfortable the employees are at the office, the better time management they achieve in completing daily tasks at their desks.
If you have noticed you can’t maintain consistent motivation, it could be due to shoddy office furniture.
Consider switching your chair for a more comfortable version or rearranging your monitor height to assist with back and neck strain.
With a more ergonomic workspace, you will feel more comfortable for your entire shift.
3. Get Rid of Workplace Distractions
One of the best tips on how to get motivated to work is to eliminate all and any distractions that could take away from your daily tasks.
It is one of the main reasons employers require their staff to keep their phones in lockers until the end of the shift.
Even though it’s challenging to admit it, we are surrounded by distractions everywhere.
So, when setting up your working environment, focus only on the fundamentals you need to do your job.
Keep desk clutter to a minimum, get tools to help with your organization, and keep your phone notifications silenced until your break.
4. Learn How To Get Motivated To Work By Prioritizing Effectively
Did you know that learning to prioritize can be one of your biggest sources of motivation?
It is also a great way to keep your mind focused on the big-picture goal of having a successful day.
When you understand what the most important steps in prioritizing your duties are, you will find your most important work-related tasks will always be done on time.
You will also begin to notice that distracting tasks are avoided, helping you create more concrete plans.
When you have a clear idea of what daunting projects need to be tackled first, you will never fall behind on deadlines.
In turn, this can help you reap periodic rewards while getting less negative feedback about your lack of motivation.
5. Establish a Personal Reward System
Finding an enjoyable reward to treat yourself with is a phenomenal way to stay motivated along your career journey.
Not only will it help hold you accountable, but it can also associate more positive emotions with your job.
A reward system is ideal if you are the type of person that benefits significantly from external motivators.
With this system, you will want to think of a single reward to give yourself as you accomplish goals throughout the week.
Depending on your budget, you can decide between weekly, monthly, or annual goals.
For example, you could treat yourself to a weekend spa retreat if you finish a massive project before its deadline.
Rewards are a great way to keep your brain in shape while giving you a boost of energy to finish important tasks.
Not to mention, this type of momentum will help you benefit from the hard work you put into your job daily.
6. Start Implementing More Breaks
Break time is more than simply getting time away from work-related tasks. It is a phenomenal way to get a refresher instead of being burdened by endless daily tasks.
That said, it can be very helpful to start taking more natural breaks throughout the day.
Taking an intentional break at regular intervals can be a fantastic way to boost your motivation and productivity.
It can also help you associate more positive thoughts with your assigned tasks, helping with long-term motivation.
Interestingly, taking small mini-breaks during the day also has massive health benefits.
7. Schedule Everything
It can be challenging to stay motivated when you are drowning under a backlog of email messages and urgent requests.
You might be distracted thinking about the extra effort it will take to get caught up, causing you to fall out of your motivational momentum.
Instead of falling victim to an unmotivating daily routine, take advantage of organizing your entire day.
With a schedule, you can allocate specific time slots to finish the projects on your plate.
You can also guarantee you are putting critical hours into the most important daily tasks you’re responsible for.
Knowing how each of your eight hours is designated will make you less likely to get distracted, which is perfect for those bad employees lacking motivation.
8. Eat Better
There is no point in improving workplace motivation if you cannot keep your brain sharp throughout the day.
Fatigue and unfocused thoughts can lead to distracting tasks and much less effort put into your career.
What better way to improve fatigue than ensuring your brain and body gets enough nourishment to carry you throughout your shift?
Eating healthier and more regularly during the day helps give your body the nourishment it needs to stay acute and focused.
You will also find that it brings plenty of health benefits to the table, such as stabilizing your metabolism.
The better fed your brain is, the easier it will be to reach your annual sales goal or to answer those emails you’ve been slacking on.
9. Create SMART Goals
You have probably heard of SMART goals if you’ve researched human motivation before.
Using SMART goals to your advantage is a fantastic way to keep you on task while also boosting your intrinsic motivation.
These goals include:
- Specific – Keep your goals narrowed to a specific scope so that you know what needs to be done
- Measurable – When setting goals, ensure you can easily measure your progress
- Attainable – Always ensure you choose realistic goals you can accomplish
- Relevant – Your goals should be relevant to your career responsibilities
- Timed – Always set a specific time period to achieve your goals, whether long- or short-term
10. Think of the Consequences
When looking for workday motivation, think of the consequences if you get distracted too easily.
Not only will your boss have a laundry list of issues you will need to improve, but your productivity will be severely impacted.
The last thing anyone wants to deal with is negative feedback that could lead to a demotion.
Finding Work Motivation Can Be Easy!
Whether creating lists of things to be done daily or scheduling an entire project throughout the month, learning how to get motivated to work is possible by making daily schedules.
With a few basic tips on workplace motivation, you can experience internal and external rewards to give you the boost you need.
Not to mention, you will quickly become one of the best employees in your job with tons of positive feedback from your boss.