How to Stay Motivated When Working

Keeping yourself motivated and consistent is essential if you're going to be successful at work. Here are some strategies to help you stay motivated:

1. Set yourself clear goals and objectives. make them: SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. These should feed into your annual appraisal with your line manager.

2. Practice manifestation and positive mindset meditation (see posts) on a regular basis.

3. Create a folder system for your emails. The book Productivity Ninja by Graham Allcott has an excellent system for this.

4. Create an annual overview using a Gantt chart. Include major deadlines, goals etc.

5. Have a weekly timetable and break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Include breaks, exercise and micro-rewards. This helps remove any overwhelming feelings about the study process and you get a sense of accomplishment when you tick the task off.

6. Give yourself a micro-reward if you finish an assignment. This could be anything from buying yourself a doughnut to watching a film you enjoy. When you complete a major task, give yourself a bigger reward.

7. Create a daily work schedule that includes regular breaks and time for review. Ensure a balance between work and other activities.

8. Work in appropriate, distraction-free, comfortable environments but vary them.

9. Look after your physical and mental well-being by scheduling in regular exercise, keeping hydrated, eating well and maintaining a positive mindset.

10. Ensure you take your lunch break away from your desk. Go for a short walk in the local area.

11. Join collaboration and support groups, but ensure you focus on work. Develop active listening skills to deepen your knowledge of diverse perspectives. Being open to different perspectives helps to broaden knowledge and brings our assumptions and positionality to light.
    

Lastly, always remember, success is a life-enriching journey that goes up and down and takes you outside your comfort zone, it's never easy.