7 Tips For Your Own Motivation

It's probably happened to each of you at some point: you come into the workplace and you don't even know where to start. You don't want to, you feel depressed and the motivation was forgotten somewhere on the way to work or even at home. That's what happened to me the last few days. 

Of course you can blame it on the winter blues at the moment. But there is no sign of winter far and wide. It would be better not to look for excuses, but to look for things that give you energy and motivation again.

Reasons for lack of motivation

• Lack of light - wrong lighting at the workplace
• Winter blues
• Office sickness (depression, burnout, cold, etc.)
• Lack of appreciation (social and financial)
• Discrepancies with the manager
• Disagreements with colleagues
• Job dissatisfaction
• Futility of work
• Monotony
• Work by the book - Signs of internal resignation

There are many other reasons that could be listed here. Everyone feels this subjectively and everyone puts their priorities somewhere else. You are welcome to add your own reasons in the comments.

So what can I do to motivate myself?

I've been working very hard on this topic for the past few days. Especially since it affected me myself. Since I work from home, I couldn't have lost my motivation somewhere on the way to work :-). So I had to think about what I could do myself to get back to work with full vigor and renewed motivation. Many other self-employed people certainly feel the same from time to time. 

I came up with the following 7 tips for motivation : 

1. Become clear to yourself what motivates you the most

The reasons why there can be a lack of motivation or a lack of motivation are listed above. Everyone has individual reasons that give them the most energy or, on the other hand, rob them of the most energy. Become aware of this. If you know these reasons, you can build on them. If it's the money, for example, you can negotiate a salary increase with your manager. If it is the daylight at the workplace, you can try to redesign it accordingly. If this is not possible (assembly, production), you should use the breaks sensibly and, for example, take a walk outside. 

2. Think positively and optimistically

This may sound the most difficult for many. I count myself among them, as I used to be negative and “realistic” at times. However, you only ever harm yourself by doing so. Everyone has heard about the power of thought and everyone should know that this power exists. Faith is known to move mountains. So try to approach a task positively. "I can do it", "It's done in no time", "Child's play" ... even if it shouldn't be child's play, you program your subconscious and approach the task in a completely different way - purposefully and successfully. ( NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming )

3. Motivation through rewards Everyone is happy about a reward. Even a brief “Well done” from the boss counts and can be very motivating for many. A reward can be different for everyone. For some it is a walk in nature, for others it is a visit to the cinema or the purchase of an object. It is important to know what a reward is for yourself. I like being outside with my dog. When I have finished a task, I take her for a walk or play in the garden. Maybe it can also be a visit to a restaurant. It is important that you treat yourself to the promised reward. Work before pleasure!

4. Self-praise does NOT stink! Appreciation and recognition are basic human needs. Unfortunately, many managers forget this and rarely or not at all praise their employees. So one should not have too high expectations which, if not fulfilled, will lead to an even greater disappointment. So feel free to praise yourself from time to time. And anyone who says self-praise stinks doesn't get it! Unfortunately, the critic in many is often the strongest inner voice that keeps you from doing a lot and can sometimes even really pull you down. You should also be proud of smaller tasks that have been completed and give yourself a pat on the back. Try it and you will see how it works.

5. Clarify tasks At the beginning of each working day, you should clarify which tasks need to be completed. If there are several, priorities should be assigned – but not like this: “What I can do today, I put off until tomorrow.” ;-) - Some tasks are more urgent than others. Some can even be delegated to others. Others are so “unimportant” that they are put back again and can be processed at a later point in time.

6. Create schedule Once the tasks have been clarified, a schedule can be drawn up. I've gotten into the habit of writing my assignments down on paper. In the meantime, this can also be done with a smartphone, if this suits you more. When a task is done, I cross it out. This line alone gives you a really good feeling. You can see that you have created something again and, above all, that you have successfully completed it. It often makes sense to break down a larger task into a few smaller ones. The effect is that you often visualize that something is done again. If a task is not completed, it is tackled the next day without a guilty conscience. Unfortunately, in today's service and knowledge society in Germany, overtime is often worked in this case.

7. Set deadlines – artificially build up time pressure Maybe many are like me. I always need a certain amount of pressure to get a job done. Unfortunately, I keep pushing many things to the back of my mind and only do them when it's almost too late. So far I've done quite well with it :-). But it also means I know that time pressure works wonders for me. So it would also make sense to provide tasks with a deadline and write them down on a calendar or on a piece of paper so that you always keep an eye on them. Anyone who knows that something should be done by this evening or the end of the week approaches the task in a completely different, motivated manner.

Conclusion

But sometimes nothing helps and it is best to put together an “emergency plan”. When all the motivational tips aren't working, the best solution is to take time off and recharge your batteries. It's best not to think about work and try to enjoy your free time, again without a guilty conscience. Now you know what motivates you the most. Also, what is fun. Pursue these things and do them with joy. The next day the motivation looks completely different again! How do you see the motivation? Do you have similar tips to motivate yourself or perhaps more? Then write them in the comments! We all benefit from it. Because everyone has the problem of being lacking in motivation from time to time.