Motivation is, to some part, a personal thing.
Some days you can feel it, but others, you can’t seem to grasp even a sliver of it no matter how hard you try.
You sit at the computer screen, intending to type, create, and develop, but instead, you find yourself going through the motions, scarcely caring about the work you’re putting out.
In the short term, you’re completely uninspired and at a loss for what to do about it. In such a situation, what do you do to get yourself motivated?
Self-motivation can give you the extra push to complete a challenging endeavour. It can give you a sense of accomplishment and drive to finish more things.
However, what gets you going might not get me going. And some people appear to be more committed to their goals than others.
If you feel down and can’t get yourself to work, this article discusses the 10 ways you can motivate yourself to work, even at odds.
Also, this article discusses self-motivation, why it’s a valuable trait to possess, and how you may use it in the workplace.
Table of contents
- What is Self-Motivation?
- Why is Self Motivation so Important?
- What are the Examples of Self-Motivation?
- What Causes Lack of Motivation at Work?
- How Do I Motivate Myself to Work?
- What is a Good Motivation for Work?
- What Do You Say to Motivate your Team?
- 10 Proven Ways to Motivate Yourself for Work even at all Odds
- 1. Reflect On and Celebrate Your Achievements
- 2. Break your Big Goals into Small Goals
- 3. Learn New Skills
- 4. Stay Focused and Take Control
- 5. Remember your “WHY” and Practice Gratitude
- 6. Reward Yourself for Accomplished Goals
- 7. Surround Yourself with Motivated People
- 8. Do It
- 9. Take a Break
- 10. Stay Positive
- Conclusion
- References
- Related Articles
What is Self-Motivation?
Self-motivation is the force that propels us forward — it’s our internal drive to succeed, produce, develop, and progress.
Your self-motivation keeps you going when you believe you’re ready to give up or don’t know where to begin.
Also, self-motivation can assist you in developing the desire and resolve to complete numerous chores and goals throughout the day.
If you’re self-motivated at work, you’ll discover you’re accomplishing more goals and working harder to succeed.
Check Out: Performance Anxiety at Work: How best to Go about it at Work
Why is Self Motivation so Important?
Self-motivation is the most effective form of motivation for oneself. It is essential in stimulating people’s drive to succeed and provide their best at work.
Self-motivated people will constantly want to provide their best and be willing to take on various duties.
Self-motivation is vital because it prevents you from relying on others and encourages you to use your strengths to achieve your objectives.
It also ensures you work on your flaws rather than allowing them to derail your ambitions.
It is a critical aspect of a person’s life since it allows them to perceive things more positively. This will enable them to overcome obstacles by cultivating a resilient attitude that can tolerate trials and setbacks.
Everything will begin to fall into place if one can cultivate a positive view of life. As a result, self-motivated people are more likely to:
- More organised
- Great at time management
- Self-confident
- And also have a high self-esteem
Read Also: I Want to Quit my Job this Year: 7 Must-do Backups Before You Quit
What are the Examples of Self-Motivation?
We’ve compiled a list of the best self-motivation examples to help you maintain positive inspiration and get back on track.
Psychology has provided insights into how to increase good feelings in one’s life.
Here are the perfect examples of self-motivation that will help you to work:
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. “ – Alexander Graham Bell
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn
“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“Developing a good work ethic is key. Apply yourself at whatever you do, whether you’re a janitor or taking your first summer job because that work ethic will be reflected in everything you do in life.” – Tyler Perry.
What Causes Lack of Motivation at Work?
How Do I Motivate Myself to Work?
We often sit on our laurels after achieving something and fail to keep the spotlight.
As a result, the loss demoralizes us, leads to despair, and saps our motivation to continue working.
At this point, it’s difficult to keep yourself motivated. Trying to keep your motivation going through a task, a project, or even a career can feel like pulling yourself out of a swamp by your hair sometimes.
We appear to have an innate aversion to sustained effort, which no amount of caffeine or motivational posters can overcome.
On the other hand, effective self-motivation is one of the major characteristics distinguishing high-achieving professionals from the rest of the pack.
So, how can you keep going even when you don’t feel like it?
Fortunately, you can do a few simple things to feel more in control of your responsibilities, even if your mental state isn’t at its best.
Try one of these motivational strategies the next time you struggle with your to-do list or daily tasks at work or home.
- Count the good works you’ve done before
- Listen to the motivation Podcast.
- Learn New skills
- Do what makes you happy
- Set a new goal
- Don’t push yourself too hard.
- Be positive
- Learn to celebrate your achievements
What is a Good Motivation for Work?
Good self-motivation helps you be more productive and proud of your accomplishments at work.
Self-motivation and a desire to succeed can lead to job advancements, strong and trusted relationships with coworkers, and the opportunity to work on additional projects you enjoy.
What Do You Say to Motivate your Team?
People can be motivated to engage in their work in various ways fully, but one of the most potent sources of motivation is how their superiors treat them.
Workplace culture is quickly becoming the focal point of employee engagement.
Your staff worry more than ever about your opinion and what you say from time to time these days.
What you say to your teammate says much about who you are and your values.
The things you say to your team enhance motivation or demoralize them.
Since saying nothing at all is a no-no, here are some enticing phrases to help you motivate your team members to keep working:
- Feel free to talk to me anytime
- You can ask me any question
- Can you give me your opinion on this?
- You’re doing great
- “You’ve been instrumental to the success of this project
- I appreciate your effort in today’s deliberation
- You did amazingly well in your teaching
- You did great, and you can be much better next time.
10 Proven Ways to Motivate Yourself for Work even at all Odds
1. Reflect On and Celebrate Your Achievements
One of the best ways to motivate yourself to work even when you’re totally not feeling it is to count your blessings.
Begin to recognize all of the good you’re doing.
Don’t overlook the minor details.
How often do you chastise yourself for accomplishing something minor that wasn’t perfect?
How frequently do you believe that the wonderful things in life, such as being on time or signing a new client, are just how they are?
They deserve to be praised. You require more victories in your life. This will inspire, drive, and help you see your brilliance.
When continually looking for a long-term payoff, you lose sight of each small victory’s importance.
It’s also difficult to stay focused and on top of things when there’s no tangible reward in sight.
Treat yourself to modest pleasures, and don’t underestimate how satisfying it is to see small improvements.
2. Break your Big Goals into Small Goals
There’s a good reason why candies are so popular. They’re simple to consume.
If you’re not careful, you will eat a dozen before you realize it. This is how objectives should be as well.
Of course, you should set a lofty objective for yourself. But make sure you divide that objective down into smaller, more manageable goals.
This way, you’ll feel like you’re progressing on your path and will have a sense of success once you’ve completed the little tasks.
A sense of growth and accomplishment is a lovely combination.
You’ve probably heard this advice before, but have you put it into practice regarding motivation? Completing a major project can be intimidating when you don’t know where to start.
How can you expect to finish without knowing where to begin?
So, instead of focusing on big, terrifying goals, focus on one thing at a time, and break the enormous goal into manageable goals.
3. Learn New Skills
When was the last time you learned something completely new?
It could be time to learn a new skill if this inquiry reminds you of your first weeks at work or, worse, your school days.
There are numerous opportunities to develop new job-related skills. Perhaps today is the day you enrol in that UX design course.
Take a chance. Inquire about your firm’s educational stipends, and use them!
Learning it should be your favourite part of your profession, and you should do it even if you aren’t paid.
This isn’t just about technology; it’s also about figuring out how to be more efficient.
4. Stay Focused and Take Control
When you can’t focus on the task, staying motivated to keep working is difficult.
MaRina Abaza, a Quora user, suggests minimizing your exposure to outside distractions by informing people that you won’t always be accessible to answer texts, emails, and instant conversations immediately.
While it’s easy to become overwhelmed by various personal and professional obligations, you may stay focused by remembering that, at the very least, you are in charge of your actions.
Roemmele writes, “You have complete control over this power.” “You have the ability to build the tallest structure and destroy the tallest building in your hands.”
5. Remember your “WHY” and Practice Gratitude
Nothing motivates you more than remembering why you’re doing the effort in the first place.
It’s critical to stay in touch with what motivates you, whether producing a product you love or simply putting food on the table for your family.
In business, you hear much about connecting to a ‘vision’ – the company’s ‘why’. The company’s vision is how it wants to be perceived.
You may want to hold yourself to the same high level.
6. Reward Yourself for Accomplished Goals
We should all take a moment to appreciate our accomplishments. This does not imply that you should miss work to drink limitless margaritas because you exceeded your monthly traffic goal.
Instead, it’s pausing—and informing another employee, your mother, or your significant other.
Every day, we put in a lot of effort. It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison trap and forget to appreciate our achievements.
Give it a shot. Make a list of your accomplishments from the previous year.
What did you accomplish in your first three months on the job? What were the first six months like for you?
Take heed. It’s never too late to rejoice, even after the fact.
But honestly, make it a habit to celebrate—or at least acknowledge—your accomplishments.
Make a list of them. Please pass them on. Give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.
7. Surround Yourself with Motivated People
There is no such thing as an island guy (or woman!).
It’s beneficial to be around other individuals working as hard as you are to pursue your objectives with everything you have.
It’s crucial to have peers who drive you to succeed, whether they’re coworkers who motivate you on the job or a group of like-minded buddies you meet up with afterwards.
If you have an average of five individuals you spend the most time with – make sure they’re HARD workers.
This is very important because if you’re unmotivated at work, there’s a good chance you’ve previously voiced your displeasure—perhaps even to a coworker.
Only those who understand you can bear your attitude at that moment.
So, avoid working with coworkers who are negative about the company. Better still, respond with a good response to their negativity.
Share your thoughts and collaborate on new and innovative projects. To encourage more inter-team collaboration, form a club or group.
8. Do It
The most effective way for me to get motivated to start doing something is to do it, based on my experience (sounds trite, but it works).
As soon as you realize something needs to be done, jump right in and get it done (of course, provided the conditions are feasible).
You must think about nothing else, repressing all other thoughts, maintaining a blank mind, and operating like a robot.
Yes, it seems strange, but it works!
Otherwise, you’ll be debating whether you should do it now, whether there were too many problems with it, or whether there are more enjoyable and interesting things to do instead of this tedious chore.
9. Take a Break
If you’ve gone through the above processes and are still unmotivated, it might be time to take a break.
It could be a break from the industry you’re in, a break from the poisonous work culture you’re in, or simply taking those vacation days you’ve been putting off.
You need to take care of yourself, and if that means setting aside time to unplug or disconnect from the pressures of your job, go ahead and do it.
It will likely motivate you to work harder and smarter during the hours you set aside for work.
It may even be as simple as switching off your phone for three hours on a Saturday. Allow yourself to take a break—and then take it.
Taking time off, whether on vacation or sabbatical, is equivalent to taking a long shower. Your thoughts suddenly become clearer and more coherent.
Giving yourself a rest allows you to notice ideas and inspiration that you previously could not see due to your busy schedule.
10. Stay Positive
Failure is unavoidable, as anyone will tell you, but how you deal with it decides whether you will succeed.
We advise doing whatever it takes to achieve your goals, regardless of what others think of you.
We also encourage the significance of not comparing yourself to others’ success and being discouraged.
Meanwhile, MaRina Abaza advises concentrating on your strengths rather than your flaws.
You gain self-esteem by finding out what your abilities are and then developing and improving on them.
Your employer would not have hired you if they didn’t think you had specific skills.
Conclusion
We’ve been discussing this topic a lot lately, and we’re guilty of it as well.
We believe that self-motivation will always lead to success if a person remains devoted after being driven.
Self-motivation is extremely beneficial because it allows one to achieve one’s goals.
However, self-motivation, in my opinion, is staying motivated because of one’s own interests.
Hence, self-motivation is crucial for a happy life. It allows a person to make as many self-assessments as they want.
Follow these ways and forever be motivated.
References
- positivityblog.com – 87 Inspirational Quotes for Work (Motivation to Work Hard and Smart)
- beyondtheboardroom.com.au – What to Say to Motivate Your Team
- careercontessa.com – 13 Ways to Motivate Yourself at Work
- businessinsider.com – 7 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Work Harder
- themuse.com – 7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Hard When You’re Really Not in the Mood
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com – IMORTANCE OF SELF-MOTIVATION
