Complacency is a disease that the office has no vaccine for, you have to cure it yourself. When work becomes too difficult or too hard to manage, self motivation can plummet faster than you might think. These 7 tips will help keep your head in the game in order for you to push yourself to become better and better.
1. ‘That’ll do, won’t do’
The first step is to shake a negative and lazy attitude off. Don’t settle for average. Set out to make your next piece of work the best yet. Go over your work and dedicate plenty of time and concentration to each piece until you’re proud of what you’ve achieved. Make yourself proud and your boss happy.
2. Compare yourself to others
In your own little world, it is all too easy to adopt the ‘that’ll do’ attitude. However, when you’re surrounded by a team, you have competition and others around you that are striving to be the best. Office competitions like employee of the month are a great source of motivation. If you create a competitive edge, you will start to crave success and your standard of work will sky rocket. Make sure it stays all fun and games though, the last thing you want is a stressful, intimidating working environment.
3. Have a clear, distant goal
You need something to work towards. If you have no ambition to succeed then you’re in the wrong job. At the end of the day, this was your career choice, so if you don’t like it, change it. Know where you want to be and make sure you have a reason to get up in the morning. When you eventually achieve your goals, set new ones, there never comes a time when you’re allowed to stop pushing yourself.
4. Seek feedback
Self motivation isn’t the only ingredient for success. Sometimes you need the help of others. Don’t beat yourself up by trying to solve a problem on your own. If you can get another pair of eyes on your work then do it. It’s better for someone to help you move forward than searching for an answer that you don know.
5. Take on harder tasks
Dont settle into a comfortable rhythm. If you’re doing the same work over and over again, try and take n different tasks or a bigger workload. Repetition will only fuel frustration. Make sure you’re working for someone that can feed your ambition, and that you’re working in a place that will allow you to grow.
6. Care what people think of you
You spend a lot of time at your workplace, so make sure it’s an enjoyable place to be. You don’t want to known for being lazy, this will just create an unpleasant environment to be a part of. Your peers will appreciate hard work, and will be more inclined to help you when you reach out a helping hand.
7. Lead a healthy lifestyle
The most important point of all. It is impossible to be successful when you’re running of fumes. Get plenty of sleep, eat right and stay active. This will help will all aspects of your life, not just in the workplace. When you’re healthier, you’re happier, and when you’re happy, you’ll produce your best work. Treat yourself to an early night every now and then so you can get up an hour or so earlier. You’ll be surprised how much more you can get done with a few extra hours in the day. Make sure you eat clean. You need plenty of energy for a busy and productive day. A heathy body creates a healthy mind, so improve your health and it will improve your work.
Charlie Atkinson.
