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How to stay motivated at work

Have you ever found yourself staring blankly at your computer screen feeling like you’re living the same old day every day? Sometimes it’s only human to feel like this, so we have produced 8 top tips to help boost your motivation levels.

Write a to-do list

Write down a list of all the things you have to do whether they’re big or small. For the bigger projects, break it down into each step and when you complete each task, cross it off one by one. This allows you to see physical progress by helping you to focus on one thing at a time, saving you time too by having a clear plan of action.

Set yourself goals

It’s always great to challenge yourself, no matter what level you’ve reached in your career. If you have a repetitive schedule each day, try and improve the amount of time you spend on each job, setting yourself little challenges to help you become more efficient. If there’s a part of your job that is out of your comfort zone, take the time to learn and perfect your knowledge on it. Nobody is great at everything, so there’s always an opportunity to work on your skills and knowledge.

Ask your manager for feedback

It’s always positive to get feedback as it shows you want to better yourself and want to ensure you’re on the right track for progressing. Ask your manager how they feel you are performing and if there are any areas you can improve on. Even if there aren’t any areas for improvement, receiving good feedback will top up your motivation level.

Take a break

Stop working. Yes, we said it. What we mean is to not over-work yourself and remember to take a break every now and again. Our advice would be to go and make a cup of coffee, or even just have a quick walk around the office. Not only will it help you refocus but it’s a known fact that sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day isn’t healthy for your eyes or your back. Top tip: If you suffer with migraines or headaches, try the 20 20 20 rule. For every 20 minutes you look at your computer screen, take a break for 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away. It helps exercise your eye muscles to keep them from tiring.

Celebrate all successes

It’s important to acknowledge achievements. If your colleague or team does a great job, tell them so. Make a celebratory brew round, or bring in sweets as a thank you if someone has helped you out. You can’t make people celebrate your own successes but you can add to a more positive culture that may in turn reflect positively back to you. At First Recruitment Group, when one of our recruiters makes a placement the whole office celebrates with bells and a 20 second YouTube clip of their choice, which most people use for their favourite music. It’s a mini celebration and it’s a good motivation booster!

Think about the bigger picture

Ask yourself if you are overall happy in your job. Ultimately, what are you working towards? How will what you’re currently doing affect your goals for the future? Think about what you can be doing differently to help yourself get to where you want to be. By figuring this out and having a clear direction, it will motivate you to work hard in order to achieve the end goal.

Beat the procrastination barrier

Everyone has moments of procrastination. To help overcome this, figure out why you’re delaying said task. Is it because you aren’t sure what it is you’re supposed to be doing or is it because it takes a lot of time and requires a lot of attention? Then, split it down into smaller steps, simplifying it so that it doesn’t seem as daunting. If you’re finding it hard to focus, try and block out distractions. For example, if you work in a noisy office, put your earphones in and play a focus playlist (there are plenty to choose from on Spotify and YouTube), as long as your office policy allows this. If it isn’t an urgent job and can be done at any time, set yourself a deadline date to complete it by. This is more of a personal challenge to set yourself but it will help you focus and get the job done.

Stay healthy

Your physical health can have an impact on your mental health and motivation. Eating the right foods and staying hydrated can help to aid performance for some people. If you don’t drink enough water during the day and you eat fatty foods, you’re more likely to experience fatigue and tiredness. Combat this by keeping a glass or bottle of water nearby and remember to keep topped up.

We hope you found these tips helpful. Remember to try and stay focused on the bigger picture… you can do this!

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