Marketing Career Zone

If you are fed up with your job or struggle to get going when your alarm goes off in the morning, it may be that you are finding it hard to get motivated.

Many people work in a job they dislike or just find it difficult to stay focused at work.  The days seem long and they can’t wait to get home and go out or see their family.

To motivate means “to provide with an incentive”, or “move to action”. It is a desire to achieve a particular outcome with the energy and enthusiasm to achieve that goal.

When you are motivated it strengthens your ambitions; it increases your initiative and it gives you the energy to focus on your goals.  If that desire, energy or energy is absent, it can be difficult to get motivated to achieve something. This can lead to a feeling of failure, despondency or lack of success. But there are steps you can take to re-gain your motivation at work. Read on for my top 10 tips.

1. Plan your day – it can be hard to be motivated when you see the clock going around slowly and it feels an eternity until 5pm.  So plan activities into your day, such as the tasks you need to achieve, and also make time to stretch your legs, or make a drink.  Then you will be amazed how fast time will pass and what you will achieve.
2. Remain positive – office politics or negative colleagues can often reduce morale and make people feel demoralised and demotivated.  So do what can to remain positive – remember the good things, the thank-yous, the positive comments and thoughtful appreciation.  Then share your positivity with others.
3. Manage your projects – if you are working on a project which feels daunting or overwhelming, take some time to break it down into manageable chunks.  What can you do today to move the project forward?  Setting and achieving mini-goals will motivate further and help you to achieve the project.
4. Consider what you enjoy about your job – even those people who are really unhappy at work enjoy one or more aspects of their work.  Remember what attracted you to the job in the first place, what do you enjoy and appreciate, and how it benefits other parts of your life.
5. Have something to look forward to – whether you are planning your next holiday or a night out with friends, schedule activities and events that you love.  Or if you are working hard to afford a new car or other big expense, remind yourself of what you are doing to achieve that goal.
6. Remember that you don’t have to work flat out all of the time - make sure you take a break every so often, whether you make the tea, have a chat with your colleagues or do a different task.
7. Take a lunch break away from your desk or working area - fresh air and exercise is a great motivator and it is good to give you time away from your work.  It has the added advantage of making you feel more refreshed and more productive.
8. Delegate some work to others – delegation of the right tasks will help you to reduce your workload and will also give a new challenge to another person.  Show them what to do, give them a timeframe and then let them get on with the task.
9. Set goals for your working future – if you don’t want to be in the same job in one year’s time, do something about it.  Set a goal of where you want to be, and then start to work on it today.  What can you do within the next two weeks to move you closer to that objective?
10. Call for help - if you are having trouble staying motivated in your job, find someone to help you.  Whether you choose a colleague, friend, partner or a coach, talking about it will help you to overcome this slump and clarify what needs to change.