Who doesn’t know it? You know you need to do something, but you’re not in the mood to actually do it. Or maybe it’s not you, but your team has worked a lot the last some weeks. Next, you can see they have no power, additionally no motivation anymore.
The thrill is gone.
First of all, let’s start with the different types of motivation. There is extrinsic motivation, which comes from external influences, for example money. Furthermore, there’s the intrinsic motivation which comes from oneself, for instance doing your hobbies because you just like it. Intrinsic motivation stays longer and should be the one to strive for.
How to motivate your team?
Do you have a team and want to motivate it? Don’t start with bonus payments in case you want to have a long-term motivation. What would happen with a bonus payment? The employee will be motivated to achieve it and afterwards will lose the motivation again. If you really want to motivate, you need to get to know your employee. What does he or she want to reach? What are their drivers? Invest some time to get to know your employee. Does your employee want to learn something new? Is there maybe just a communication problem? Is he or she frustrated because of something? Of course, it can also be that the employee thinks that he/she is, in general, underpaid for the work effort he/she does.
How to motivate yourself?
What applies to your employee also applies to you. Don’t try to motivate yourself extrinsic. Anyway, you don’t think you can give yourself a bonus payment? Let’s think differently. I’m sure it’s easy to motivate yourself for something that you like. However, what about the things that you don’t like? Writing an exam, doing your housework, exercising and so on. To illustrate, the bonus payment in this case could be a glass of wine, a new dress that you want to buy or an evening of doing nothing. In other words, something that you treat yourself to.
Definitely, it is a possibility, nevertheless it is a different one. There’s a high risk that you convince yourself to skip the exercising and go directly to your glass of wine. Who doesn’t know this situation? To avoid it, keep in your mind what’s the final goal and try to get the intrinsic motivation. For what do you really want to exercise, do the housework, additionally why do you need to write the exam and gain a good mark? Do you want to be more healthy? Have you plans for your future? Do you want to feel comfortable in your flat?
Setting goals correctly
Every year again you set some goals for the next year until you realize that you won’t achieve them at all. What’s wrong in here? Most of the goals are set too far away, in other words, there are no intermediate aims. If the goal seems too far away, it’s more likely that you give up. Therefore, try to set some smaller, easier objects in between so that you don’t lose your focus for the final one. You’ll have more motivation after achieving the first mid-therm goals, additionally you will continue to reach the upcoming milestone.
This method does not only help for long-term goals like loosing a lot of weight, establishing a company or doing a training course. In addition, it helps to stay motivated within tasks that you don’t like. For me, it’s easy to drive long distances with my car, not because I like driving cars while staying concentrated for hours. That is to say because I give myself some targets in between. There should not be the 500 kilometers in your mind that you need to drive. Rather look at the navigator, gaze at the time which is left. Calculate from hour to hour as well as at the kilometers that you need to drive off one road to the next. You’ll see, the ride will be easier.
But what about the mandatory items?
The things you absolutely dislike besides that you have no choice? Appointment to the doctor, tax declaration or whatever comes to your mind. Realize the consequences for yourself if you don’t do it. By the way, there’s a good side to everything. Furthermore, think about how relaxed you will be after finishing these tasks.
And now, start the things you have been putting off for a long time. Why wait any longer when you can do it now? You have no more excuses! Think about what you can archive when you motivate yourself day after day.
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