Picture source: Jonus Group
As the holidays approach, it can be difficult to stay engaged and motivated at work. It's easy to lose focus during the last few weeks of the year, with distractions like Christmas parties, year-end events, festivals, family commitments, and vacation plans. During this time, employers may notice that we mentally disconnect from work, have longer lunch breaks, and struggle to muster the energy needed to complete projects by the end of the year. Instead of getting frustrated with your team, the best approach is to develop a few key motivational strategies to stay focused, end the year on track, and be ready to tackle next year.
After a year of ups and downs at work, you're likely to lose motivation at work, especially as the holidays approach. Check out our tips on how to find and maintain motivation at work through the end of the year.
1. Get Comfortable and Creative
One of the most stressful parts of the job is the daily repetitive tasks. Repetition is effective up to a point, but if you do it for too long it tends to reduce your motivation. By changing the environment even slightly, you can regain the motivation to work that was taken away by the monotonous decoration. Additionally, a more comfortable place to live has a positive impact on your health. Sitting comfortably with your back straight can help reduce the stress and pain your body feels. Look for a chair that supports and corrects your posture throughout the day. But don't hesitate to spice it up with some comfy pillows here and there. The main goal is to not hang around for too long and get uncomfortable.
2. Listen to Your Body and Your Mind
One of the worst things you can experience at work is the potential for burnout. Burnout in the workplace is a state of being extremely mentally and physically exhausted, unable to do anything, and feeling unfit for work. Even if you have years of experience at a job, burnout can make you feel like you're not good enough for the job. Lack of motivation for work can be considered the first symptom of burnout. If you can recognize when your motivation is low, you can prevent burnout from developing. One of the best things you can do is listen to your body and mind. Throughout the day your body gives you lots of signals - sometimes even cries. So, take a second to listen to it.
3. Break It Down One Step at a Time
If you have a long-term project that needs to be completed, it's probably too scary to look at it on a larger scale. Instead, break things down into smaller bite-sized pieces so you can see the end more clearly. For example, you might want to finish writing a basic outline for your next project. This details the steps you need to follow and the little things you need to do along the way. You may also feel motivated to complete the first steps of this project. However, when you look at your project on a larger scale, you may not know where or how to start. If you only look at the larger scale, the individual accomplishments don't seem all that great. If this happens, your motivation to work may decrease.So start small and grow from there. Before you know it, the project will be completed and your motivation to work will remain high.
4. Focus on the Parts You Enjoy Most
Focusing on the negative aspects of your job will only add to your stress and reduce your motivation to work. If you can't change jobs, you'll need to find other ways to motivate yourself in your current job. To achieve this, you need to focus most on the parts you enjoy. Do you enjoy talking to colleagues? Are you amazingly good at cataloging those difficult number strings? Do you enjoy checking things off your to-do list? Expanding or focusing on your favorite areas will increase your motivation and reduce stress at work. So, it may be a cliché, but think only about happy things.
Source: Jonus Group, Strategy Collective, New Focus HR
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