Office Doldrums: How to Stay Motivated at Work
February 14, 2010 Collaj
Filed under The Workplace
The days of boredom or feeling burned out are finally over. After today, you don’t have to work a single day. Instead, you can fly to the Bahamas, sit on the chaise lounge next to the poolside Cabana, “drink all day, play all night and get it poppin’” because you just won the lottery. Or you can travel around the world like the guy from Jules Verne’s novel, except instead of 80 days, you can take however long you want. Is this you when your head is in the clouds?
But then if everyone retired early with a fat bank account, who’d make the Bentleys and McLarens, the iPhones and Nooks, the juicy prime rib at Lawry’s, to the produce that gets farmed, picked and shipped? Who’d run the country, the homeless shelters and the orphanages? After all, work was in existence since Adam and Eve, and statistics show that those who retire early have a higher mortality rate.
Instead, it may be smart to keep a job, one with meaning, as long as you can since it elongates life, Robert N. Butler, M.D. says in his book The Longevity Revolution: The Benefits and Challenges of Living a Long Life.
Work is life. So how do you do it when you’re not motivated and about to go crazy?
1) Find meaning and maximize your potential. If you’re not happy with what you are doing and where you are, take action. Spend your lunch breaks thinking about what you would like your dream job to be. What are you good at? What makes you happy? It’s not too late to live out your passion. If that requires another degree, apply for a part-time program at a university. Or take a night class at a community college on a subject that you’ve always wanted to learn about.
2) Have something to look forward to after work. Plan more get-togethers with friends, go to the gym with a workout buddy or join a group at MeetUp.com, which has communities for foodies, photographers, hikers, young entrepreneurs, writers, etc.
3) Before the day begins, get inspired. Don’t head straight to your email inbox. Instead, read inspirational and motivational quotes or verses like those from Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, Proverbs or Ecclesiastes.
4) Get a notebook or journal and write down your life goals—short-term and long-term. Just storing the ideas in your mind won’t do it since we’re all forgetful. Short-term goals include daily activities such as “do 10 pushups a day” or “eat out only three times a week.” Long-term goals might include “start a business” or “volunteer abroad every summer.”
5) Apply for another job. Maybe you like what you do but you detest the culture, environment or the boss. So that you don’t make the same mistake twice, be wise when looking for jobs. This will take some research and due diligence. Apply to places you really want to be a part of. And when you land that interview, remember to assess the environment and culture.
Further Reading:
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I totally agree with number 2…Gotta have something outside of work to look forward to, to keep you going. Otherwise, it’s just “Oy, twenty more years of THIS?”