7 Rules to Follow and Stay Motivated at Work

1. Learn, Challenge and Grow 

How quickly are you going to lose motivation doing the same thing every day? The mindless zombie 9 to 5 may appeal to some, but if you want to enjoy your work, and stay motivated, you’re going to have to find ways to challenge yourself at work.

Are there new projects coming up that you can get involved with? Would learning more about what you’re doing make it more interesting – or possibly boost your job promotion prospects?

Being in your comfort zone at work isn’t always a bad thing, but to really have fun and get you excited to be there, you need to start pushing your limits and seeing just where your job can take you.

2. Say “No” to Negativity
How often have you focused on a negative outcome, only for it to come true? The more you say you can’t do something, the more you put restrictions on yourself, and the less likely you are for a positive outcome to happen. Negative people will bring you down. Like oxygen, you need positivity in order to grow and remain healthy – negative people will suck that “oxygen” out of your life. Find the positive people who know how to get things done, who can use bad situations to find positive solutions, and you’ll see that things that may have got you down in the past, are actually exciting ways to motivate and challenge you in the future.

3. Socialize with Work Colleagues
Ok, you don’t necessarily have to all go out drinking together on a regular basis, but, if you have shared interests in things that you can do outside of the workplace, then see if you can start organising events so that you can meet and socialise while doing those things. Getting to know your colleagues outside of the work environment can help to create a bond – in a more enjoyable way than the “team bonding” events you may have had to endure – and that will help to boost your motivation, too.

4. Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
Not everyone is a “morning person”, but a lack of sleep is going to make you far less focused on what you’re doing, and that will lead to a certain amount of demotivation – and contrary to some people’s belief, coffee is only a short-term solution for a lack of a good night’s sleep.

Some form of physical activity routine is also a great way of, not only keeping you in shape, but getting the blood pumping to the brain and releasing those “feel-good” endorphins that will have you ready for the day. Of course, you don’t have to get up extra early and go to the gym to do that, just walk an extra 10-15 minutes before you go to work, or take the stairs instead of the elevator, or anything that will get you out of breath for a short time will do.

5. Have a Break, Have a…
Like any muscle, the brain can only work at capacity for a certain length of time before it needs a rest. If you try to push things too much then you’ll get tired, make mistakes, get angry, and lose all interest in what you’re trying to do. It’s all right to have a break and do something that will switch your focus for a short time. This could be getting up to get yourself a coffee, having a chat about what Linda in accounting was getting up to at the party – though we never condone idle and scandalous work gossip ☺ – and generally giving yourself some time to re-energise and clear your mind.

6. Face Problems
Not everyone is going to either, find all of their colleagues easy to work with, or projects that they’re involved in problem-free; do something about it. If you can’t find a quick and easy solution to a problem that you have, then you’re going to have to speak to someone with more authority who may be able to offer a solution. If you find that you can’t work with someone, their solution may be that you have to talk out your differences, or just work apart. If the problem is to do with a project, they may have ideas that will solve the problem, or they may have other people who you can talk to. Either way, letting the problem get too big will cause you to start hating your job, and that will certainly lead to a lack of motivation.

7. Celebrate Good Times, C’mon
Not to make a song and dance about it, but celebrating your achievements is a good thing. Take some time to acknowledge a milestone that you’ve managed to pass, a goal that you’ve reached that you thought you were never going to get close to – all of the positive things that make your job even better. You don’t have to have a party every time you achieve something, but just taking a few moments to say “wow, I really managed to do it” will have you looking to the next challenge that you can put yourself to the test on, and will get you more motivated than you could possibly imagine.