It’s frustrating – staying motivated is both one of the most important and most difficult things to do. Motivation pushes you to work harder, overcome setbacks, stay positive and accomplish your dreams. Without it, it’s very easy to get distracted, cave under pressure or lose sight of your goals.
The workplace is one area where self motivation skills are essential. Career satisfaction is key to overall happiness, but there are often many obstacles. You might have a stressful job, a cut-throat office culture or a tyrannical boss. Or you might like your job, co-workers and boss, but still find it hard to always maintain a positive attitude and dedicated work ethic.
To help you out, here are our top 5 tips and techniques for how to stay motivated.
1. Set a goal and think of it regularly: Having a concrete goal in mind is the best way to keep yourself motivated. Your goal might be getting a promotion or a pay rise, working on a desirable project, learning a new skill, or even finding a new job. As long as it’s attainable and specific, decide on it and stick to it. Put it on post-its around your flat, think about it on your way to work in the morning and when things get tough, repeat it to yourself as a mantra.
2. Only do meaningful work: This is obviously easier said than done, but doing only meaningful work makes motivation effortless. If you care deeply about the things you are working on, you’ll be much better equipped to deal with the inevitable stresses and difficulties you’ll face. Meaningful work can mean different things – directly helping people, expressing yourself creatively, gaining substantial financial rewards – so figure out what it means for you.
3. Develop a good work/life balance: Again, often easier said than done, but this is an important one to strive for, especially if you have a demanding job. Enjoying life outside of work makes it much easier to stay motivated at work. Get outside and do some fun outdoor activities, spend quality time with your family, or indulge in some bad TV. You can even volunteer with us at the Army Cadet Force to improve your self-motivation skills and give back to the community. Our work developing young cadets is meaningful, fulfilling and fun.
4. Get to know your colleagues: Even if you work in a massive company, take the time to get to know your colleagues. When you value and care about the people you’re working with, it makes it a lot easier to motivate yourself to work hard. Your colleagues can support you when you’re feeling down or stressed at work, and you can do the same for them. You might also find inspiration in their attitudes, goals and work ethic.
5. Celebrate the small successes: We often dwell on our mistakes or failures, but forget to dwell on our successes. Focusing on the things you’ve done well will boost your positivity. You don’t have to win a major award or complete an entire project to give yourself a pat on the back. A lot of hard work goes into success, and it’s worth rewarding yourself for it as you go. Celebrating the little successes along the way will help to keep you motivated until the big finish.
