Self-motivation – get over your weaker self

The holidays are over and the workaday world has us back in its grip. But it’s sometimes hard to get started in the new year and get going on your work with lots of energy after a long period of relaxation.

That important presentation is waiting and the reports are starting to pile up, but you just can’t bring yourself to get started and perhaps also to face some of the jobs you don’t like doing. Use these tips and procrastination won’t have a chance!

 

How do I motivate myself?

Find out what gets you going. New tasks? Recognition? Special challenges? A pay rise? If you know what motivates you, you can use this knowledge to steer yourself and set yourself goals for the future.

Why so sluggish?

But instead of just thinking about how you can better motivate yourself, it’s just as important to realise what demotivates you. Only then can you deliberately fight your weaker self and identify countermeasures. There can be various different reasons for motivation lows: bosses or colleagues you're not getting on with at the time, too much routine in your job or being overworked. A talk to clear this up is usually a step in the right direction. You can also use your free time to recuperate. Meet up with friends or do some sports. If your lack of motivation lasts for a longer period of time, it could be a sign that you need to change something fundamental and possibly look for new professional challenges.

Set goals

If you don’t have a goal for what you’re doing, it’s hard to complete the task. And vice versa: if you have a specific result in mind, your motivation will increase. So make it clear to yourself what purpose your task serves. Large tasks often seem intimidating because of their size alone and therefore demotivating. Divide it up into small and simpler steps that can be achieved much more easily and quickly. But never lose sight of the larger, overriding goal as you do so.

Schedules

Anyone with a proper overview of their to-dos will find it much easier to get going in the morning. So create a concrete plan for the day. Write down what you want to get done and how much time you need for it. Tick off the tasks you have completed so that you can see your progress. This will motivate you!

Under time pressure at full steam

Some people need pressure: as the deadline draws closer, you can suddenly get to work without any problems or struggle. Do you recognise yourself in this? Then use this trait by giving yourself deadlines for your tasks. And not just in your head. Put these deadlines in your diary, talk to other people about them. This will increase the pressure to get going on these tasks and get them done.

Reward yourself

Many people get their motivation from rewards. Try it out! Imagine something nice for yourself when you’ve completed certain tasks – e.g. a certain CD, a visit to the cinema or a massage. You’ve earned it! Praising yourself motivates, lack of recognition can demotivate. However, no one can expect to get an applause for all the work they do. Congratulate yourself when you’ve completed an unpleasant or large task. Enjoy the feeling of having finished something.

Dreaming allowed

Imagine the following: when I’ve successfully completed what I’m about to do, what will the result be? How will I feel? And how will my environment react to it? Imagine this in a really concrete way. These anticipated positive feelings will help you to stay on the ball and to overcome your weaker self.

Think positive

If your job doesn’t feel like much fun at the moment, you shouldn’t concentrate on the negative aspects of your work, but remind yourself of the positive ones. Aggravating yourself won’t help you. The faster you tackle the undesirable task and the more you stick at it, the sooner you can turn to other challenges.

Hopeless case

Sometimes nothing helps. No motivation trick works, you just can’t beat your lack of energy. Before you spend hours brooding over a particular task and still don’t get anywhere, on days like this you should dedicate yourself to other tasks or finish work early if possible. Do something completely different. And do it without feeling guilty. The next day you can start again fresh.

Try it out! We wish you lots of success!