For some, feeling motivated and staying on task at work is easy, but for a lot of career goers the daily work grind can feel mundane and predictable. Luckily, spring is on its way, the temperature is rising and bright pops of colour are starting to appear everywhere!
These outwardly changes in the atmosphere help us feel more motivated at work but besides the sun shining brighter, let’s take a look at some other practical ways we can stay inspired at our 9-5 job!
1. Set goals:
At the beginning of each day make a list of what you hope to accomplish! You can always do this at the start of each month, week or season if you prefer but whatever the time preference, focus in on what goals you are going to strive to achieve. Having specific goals will push you out of compliancy and in to action.
Make sure your goals are tangible, a daily goal for example may be to answer a certain amount of emails by the end of the day. Set mini goals and rewards and make it fun! A mini goal to accomplish before noon could be to answer 25 emails and the reward might be a delicious smoothie. If you work in teams, set goals and share rewards together! Let’s say your team is striving to gain new clients. A goal could be to get 5 new clients in one month’s time and a reward could be a dinner out together to celebrate. Remember to have fun and get creative with your rewards!
2. Take Mini Breaks
Usually when you first get to work your mind is operating at its peak. You have hopefully got a full 8 hours of sleep the night before and grabbed breakfast on the way out the door. Usually you can barrel through the early morning work load no problem, you are functioning at high levels and are quick to respond and complete tasks.
Fast forward to about an hour after lunch and your work production has dwindled down to an all-time low. You find yourself stuck in the same place you were 15 minutes ago and production is showing no signs of speeding up! I think we can all relate to this scenario.
This is where mini breaks become beneficial. We need to intentionally give our mind and body a break. Get up and take a walk around the office, grab a water or coffee, take a bathroom break, stick your head outside for a minute, you can even do some stretches! Depending on your work environment you can always beat the afternoon lull by listening to music which will help energize you or you can try chewing gum. When you chew something, your body begins to release insulin because it thinks you’re about to eat. Insulin ultimately helps to make your body more alert.
3. Tidy up:
Staying organized and keeping a clean work space is essential to conquering your work day! Never mind the fact that you will be more productive because you can find important papers and files quickly but you also spend so much time in your work space. It should be somewhere that is clean and comfortable and a space you look forward to spending time in every day.
Give your office atmosphere an upgrade:
- Add some greenery! Get a plant, succulents are low maintenance and very pretty
- Use a desk calendar, something you can flip daily with motivational quotes and artwork
- Update your coffee mug, find one that let’s your personality shine
- Get creative! DIY a box or jar to hold all your favorite sharpies, pens, elastics, sticky notes, business cards, etc.
- Add a framed photo of your favorite person or furry friend to your space
- Keep a small stash of your favorite treats in a decorative jar
Let’s face it, a lot of us spend more hours at work then we do at home but it’s not impossible to create a work environment that we can thrive and succeed in! It’s up to us to keep it interesting and make it the best it can be. Applying these strategies will hopefully help get you started and put you on the path to becoming more motivated and successful at work!