Remember those butterflies in your stomach when you first started your job? Still feeling the same excitement and motivation for work a few years later?
Doubt it. That’s why you’re here, right?
Good news: You’re not alone.
According to Gallup Surveys, 87% of employees worldwide are not engaged at work.
Obviously, many people lose that initial keen interest overtime. It’s normal to feel like you have no motivation to work.
Even a once thrilling job can eventually turn into ongoing monotony you must endure to put food on the table.
But why is that so?
Well, people start losing motivation at work for various reasons. The most common and obvious ones are:
- They get too comfortable at their workplace so they may take their job for granted and lack initiative.
- They feel unappreciated and unwanted in their workplace. Because they’re usually left out of crucial meetings and decision-making processes. So their voice is never heard.
- They’re not allowed to share their ideas, or their suggestions get rejected often. This may typically cause feelings of unworthiness and incompetence.
- Worse still, their brilliant ideas get stolen, i.e. someone else in the company takes all the credit for them.
These stats say it all.
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Only rare individuals wouldn’t fall prey to lethargic comfort or significant loss of interest in their work under such circumstances, right?
As a result, people tend to lack creativity, feel uncompetitive and settle into the routine of being far less active than they used to be.
In the long run, they lose initiative. Their interest in gaining fresh knowledge and securing new career opportunities wanes. And before they know it, they’re behind their peers.
This could eventually turn into stress that impacts one’s quality of sleep. This was the case for 66% of employees who participated in the 2019 Mind The Workplace Report conducted by Mental health America.
And this may lead you to unhealthy habits that damage your health and personal relationships.
Do you want to be this person? Of course not.
So take charge right now.
You’ve lost motivation at work, right?
And no matter how hard you want it, you have absolutely no idea what to do to make that gloomy feeling disappear?
Don’t worry.
Here are some incredibly quick ways to get you off the hook when you fall prey to loss of motivation in the workplace.
Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to reignite your spark.
1. Note down the reasons for your work motivation loss
The awful feeling that you’ve lost the zeal and started going with the flow must have been triggered by previously unresolved workplace problems.
If there’s no one trustworthy enough to share your turmoil with, a good place to start may just be a pen and a paper away.
To get rid of the dull feeling, grab these two simple tools and write down what troubles you. Take all the time you need. It takes a while to really delve deep and find the root cause of your loss of motivation at work.
When you’ve completed the list, do your best to change your mindset for success. And realign your focus on the positive aspects of overcoming the obstacles step-by-step.
2. Get rid of redundant tasks on your to-do list
The next step towards boosting your work motivation is to omit redundant tasks to help you break the negative work routine. This approach is beneficial as it will help you to:
- become more productive,
- avoid procrastination,
- ensure you’re doing your job the right way,
- declutter your mind,
- ease your heavy workload,
- avoid excessive stress and burnout, as well as
- fight frustration.
Having tasks that add value to your work on your daily to-do list boosts your motivation, moving forward and overall professional success.
Focusing on smaller meaningful individual actions instead of huge projects helps you to get things done while keeping your motivation and the end goal in sight. Also, remember to never waste your work time on silly talk.
3. Connect with your coworkers
Peeking at what your colleagues are doing may be the right move to find new energy in your own career. That’s what many people tend to do when their work becomes boring.
It may seem wrong at first, but seeing other people’s good performance first-hand can enhance your motivation. Especially if you admire motivated individuals who continuously deliver exceptional results.
So, connecting with such impressive coworkers via email or social media networks turns out to be a great idea. That’s how you can share ideas and learn from them.
4. Challenge yourself
Nurturing your talents and honing new skills is an effective treatment that can cure this poor condition.
Learning always pushes you out of your comfort zone and brings a feeling of satisfaction upon completing each career milestone you’ve set.
According to this Workforce2020 survey, 31% of those polled said that training and education opportunities would increase their loyalty.
So perhaps what you need are more learning and engagement opportunities at the workplace.
Identify the specific skills you’d like to learn and ask for related tasks and projects. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Your motivation is on the line here.
Getting a little bit distracted from your previous negative daily routine may do you some good. Get lost in these new tasks and focus on upskilling.
This should help you evoke the memories of your once positive approach and the feeling of eagerness from the old happy days.
When your workplace ensures your professional growth and you know you’re heading in the right direction, it’s easier to retain motivation, isn’t it?
5. Bring back the good old memories
Based on what we’ve covered so far, the next logical step would be to evoke the good old memories.
They’re more likely to awaken your positive feelings towards the work that once thrilled you. You want to stay motivated in your new job.
So, remember the very first time you entered your workplace and remind yourself why you chose it. Take a step further back and remember why you chose your career path.
Recalling the reasons why you started doing that job in the first place can do wonders in regaining your work motivation.
Take time to find good old memories so you can make something new of your career. It might be as simple as the team or a project you used to believe in.
As Chris Burkmenn said:
Then, think about your first week at work, what were your feelings like at the time?
How energetic were you? How eager and proactive? How did you feel when your boss and colleagues acknowledged your good ideas? Did it feel like your career had focus?
Recalling how you felt helps to boost motivation. You could feel that good again with a bit more effort. You just need to direct your thoughts towards positive memories and use them to your advantage.
You’ll be amazed at how it works.
6. Acknowledge your wins big and small
You could take it a step further and recall the days before you got that job.
Remember how badly you wanted it and what you had to do to get it. Earning your current job position wasn’t a piece of cake, was it? You worked your fingers to the bone, didn’t you?
Then, give yourself credit for accomplishing what you have and who you are now. Take some credit.
And this study shows that the right kind of reward has the power to keep you consistently motivated to work.
Participants used two applications to monitor their physical activity. They logged in their activities for the day and received rewards like trophies and ribbons. Some regarded these rewards as motivating while others, not so much.
One user stopped caring about trophies after he acquired his first one while another felt a little motivated,
It was just kind of that little satisfaction of like — I have a little gold trophy.
Truth is, you don’t want “little satisfaction”. You want optimum motivation. According to James Doyle, founder, and Chief Rewards Officer at JAMSO,
The challenge with rewards is to strike the correct balance between effort and appropriate gratification. It’s important that the reward is enjoyable, has perceived unique value and acts to reinforce positive habits and behavior. It’s not advised to place a cake reward for someone whose goal is to lose weight.
The idea is to use rewards with the aim of seeking a positive outcome. So assess your goals and grade them to help you determine the best outcome and reward opportunity in order to enjoy long term success.
Also, remember all the stress when preparing for the job interview? After all, you were selected from among hundreds of other job candidates. Isn’t that quite a success?
Stop complaining about how boring your work is today and do what you can to make it challenging. Whatever you do, always find the one thing you need to thrive and avoid stagnation.
Respect what you have and start working in your full capacity. Once you start celebrating things like small daily wins at work, expect your motivation to soar.
And the rewarding feeling of excitement from the first days at work isn’t a bad bonus!
7. Create a motivating work environment
Did you know that your work environment can greatly affect your mood and performance?
Yes, it’s significant so don’t neglect it.
Just imagine what staying in a luxurious hotel room versus a fairly basic one would feel like. Which environment makes you feel more appreciated and confident?
Do you see the difference?
Look around your workspace now.
Does it inspire you? Is it motivating?
Is it quiet or unbearably noisy so that you cannot work there? It’s nearly impossible to force yourself to be productive and enjoy your work when your subconsciousness is screaming:
“I caaan’t work heeere!”
Even worse:
Your constant struggle to discipline yourself will probably be counterproductive and make you feel more unmotivated.
Here’s the truth:
There’s NO ideal workspace and ideal company.
BUT, the good news is:
You CAN build it by creating a supportive environment to boost your work motivation, confidence, and energy level.
Decorate your workspace so that you can’t wait to wake up in the morning and go to work because you feel good there. Get rid of distractions. Add a plant and/or some artwork to spark your natural inspiration.
You could even choose and print out an inspirational quote for work every day to help you stay focused and give you the extra boost you need to make it through the tough days.
Ever thought about taking your dog to work? No, listen to us. Studies have shown that pets reduce stress and anxiety.
And Bob Vetere, the president, and CEO of the American Pet Products Association has something to say about this.
Employers are starting to realize that having a millennial bring a pet to work, you wind up getting a more focused employee, you get someone more comfortable at the office and a person willing to work longer hours,
And Coleen Antonio couldn’t agree more. She brings one of her Labrador retrievers to work almost every day and the results are phenomenal.
Usually, it’s wonderful because if I’m having a stressful day I can reach over and pet Emma or Mattie. When other people are coming in the office — especially when they’re here for an interview which can be stressful for people — my dogs will turn around and welcome them. It sort of calms people down.
See? It’s a win-win for everyone.
Of course, bringing your pet to work is contingent on a lot of external factors. You have to consider your company’s pet policy, the building’s lease owner’s rules, and your fellow employees’ allergies. Just check with your HR department for that last one.
But if you have this as an option, try it out and watch yourself stay motivated throughout your workday.
More importantly, surround yourself with positive people who talk business and are passionate about achieving their career goals.
Similarly, avoid those negative gossipy coworkers who suck out your energy, kill your motivation to work and waste your time.
Also, watching inspiring videos about motivation could be helpful.
Never underestimate the power of a productive and encouraging work environment as it predetermines your mood.
Start swaying in the right direction now
Whether you’ve completely lost motivation to work or you’re lacking the right motivation, nurturing your talents is one of the best ways to break a bad habit. Habits like laziness and excessive comfort at the workplace can be retrogressive.
Even when you lose motivation, which happens to everyone from time to time, be aware it’s not the end of the world. Do your best to employ the techniques described above to help you regain your lost motivation.
Always challenge yourself and strive for the next step in your career ladder because you’re worth it and you can do it. You deserve better, so commit yourself to achieve small daily growth goals and you’ll soon lose sight of boredom at work.
Instead, you’re assured of job satisfaction and drive to succeed and develop at work.
Everyone can experience new inspiration no matter the cause of their motivation loss. Just be aware that you have a choice over the outcomes in your life and put your mind to action.
You’ll regain the zest for your work in no time.
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