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The Top 5: Crisis Motivation Tips
Where’s My Motivation?
As we approach the end of each year, any piles of unfinished work and unmet goals are thrown into sharp relief. This mounting pressure can often spur us into a flurry of activity for a strong finish. But this is 2020, a year with so much stress and disruption, we can’t stop talking about it. Is it any wonder many are struggling with motivation? Use these tips to keep yourself on-track.
- Find interest and meaning. Practice shifting your mindset away from all the work you have to do to instead focus on what your work means to you. Find what value your effort brings to yourself and to your coworkers, clients and company. Don’t just focus on your responsibility or worry about others counting on you – look for positive motivations beyond fear and anxiety. What makes you feel good about what you’re doing? Do you make other’s work easier, do you teach them better ways to operate, do you offer new tools, do you brighten someone’s day? Once you find that meaning, try to build more of it into your day.
- Seek feedback. Sometimes you just need to know that someone sees and appreciates your work. Ask for feedback from someone you trust, whether that’s a manager or a respected coworker. If you’re feeling too raw in this moment, you might reach out to a former colleague for a recommendation based on your past work.
- Connect. Isolation has been one of biggest challenges in 2020 so finding ways to connect is increasingly important. If you feel like you need help, there are likely others who feel the same. Look for opportunities to collaborate and share the workload with coworkers you enjoy. If collaboration isn’t an option, try reaching out just to chat. Make sure you reciprocate – asking how others are doing can help broaden your perspective.
- Set goals. Break down your workload into smaller, achievable goals. Make them smaller during times you know you struggle. If it’s hard for you to get started in the morning then make little goals like “read one email” and treat yourself when you get it done. Then set your next goal for three emails, then five, etc. as you warm up for the day. Alternate your hard tasks with easier or more rewarding ones so you don’t wear yourself out. And reward yourself in proportion to that difficulty. Let that little zing of accomplishment fuel your drive to complete your next goal.
- Find activities outside of work. When you’re done for the day, let yourself be done. Unplug, put your things away and leave your workspace. Find some activities that satisfy you outside of work – cooking, crafting, learning, making, moving, connecting. Get outside if you can, move your body, feed your senses, rest your mind.