It’s Tuesday afternoon and you just finished having lunch with your colleague at the local burger joint up the road. You pull into the office’s parking lot and have the sudden urge to ditch work. Outside, the sun is shining, it’s warm, and there is not a cloud in sight. You start daydreaming about heading to the beach and soaking up some rays when your thoughts get interrupted by a voice in your head reminding you about that project deadline you need to meet. Your anxiety kicks in and you fight with your self-defeating thoughts about how you can’t possibly make that goal as you walk back to your desk to get ready for your next meeting. There’s nothing like a little procrastination sprinkled with self-doubt to cancel your star work performance.
Sound familiar? Now and then, we all feel like we can’t finish a project or that we can’t keep up with our daily tasks at work. It is also not unusual to daydream about the things we would rather be doing to avoid the reality of work at our desks. Truthfully, when done in moderation, escaping from reality in your thoughts presents a healthy alternative to actually ditching work. However, if you feel like this most of the time, you may be experiencing work burnout. Don’t get me wrong, planned time off away from work is something we all need and should do regularly. But wouldn’t it be nice if you stopped procrastinating and managed your workload better? If you did that, you wouldn’t be fighting a battle in your own head about feeling compelled to leave work to avoid an upcoming deadline.
To prevent yourself from reaching work burnout, consider the negative effects of feeling idle at work to understand how it can wreak havoc. You may not notice it right away, but if you continue down the path of feeling directionless at work, it can hurt professional relationships, your advancement, and your performance. If left unchecked, it can lead to increased stress and anxiety levels, making it more difficult to focus on your duties. The stress will eventually impact your personal life, including your sleeping habits. A poor work ethic will hinder your productivity levels and the quality of your work. It can even lead to low morale among colleagues, which can turn the work environment toxic. We’ve all been there and had to work with that one difficult person who doesn’t carry their weight on the team. This is highly frustrating to the whole team and management because the team dynamics suffer immensely, and negative attitudes become contagious fast.
What’s the Secret to Star Work Performance?
So, want to know the secret to keep working even when you aren’t “feelin’ it”? You might be thinking, “Well, I want to be a top performer so I can get a raise.” You are getting warmer in thinking this because you pointed out a significant career goal. Now that your career goal is known ask yourself what it would take to keep working on that goal even if you didn’t “feel” like working to achieve it. I’ll give you a hint: without this, you can’t sustain working towards your goal to achieve it. Drum roll, please….The key to keep working to distinguish yourself as a high-performing professional is MOTIVATION. If you don’t have motivation, you will never succeed in achieving your goal.
That’s right – your greatest untapped resource is your own motivation. Simply knowing motivation can make the difference between success and failure is not enough. Motivating yourself is hard; staying motivated is even harder. Like other acquired skills, motivation can be learned. The biggest challenge to motivation is that it is highly personal and different for each individual. This is because we are all unique.
Career Pivot Red Flags vs. Lack of Star Work Performance
First, before we get into what motivation is and isn’t or examples of staying motivated, let’s look at other reasons you may feel unmotivated at work.
Although feeling unmotivated at work is completely normal, there may be underlying reasons that should be reflected upon to ensure you haven’t reached a time in your career when you need to pivot. After discovering certain red flags in your work situation, a career pivot may be needed to turn things around for you. A career pivot is simply an intentional, methodical shift in a new direction to promote career change for the better. When experiencing work burnout or feeling unmotivated frequently, it is important to evaluate your circumstances to determine if you need a motivation plan or a career pivot plan.
Look at these career pivot red flags revealing you should consider a career pivot:
- Do you have too much time on your plate? If you typically speed through your daily tasks, leaving you idle to daydream about tonight’s activities or watch the clock, this could mean your work is too easy or you’re not getting enough work.
- Are your interests or passions aligned with work? If you once had a passion for your role, but that passion has shifted or disappeared, or you lost interest in your field and want to pursue something completely different, this could mean you have remained in a role too long.
- Do you have very unclear professional goals? You eventually hit a wall when there’s no clear direction for your future in your position. Then, you must determine if you will stay in your current role for another five years, chase a promotion, or leave for another company/role. Not knowing your path can make you feel discouraged and even worthless.
- Do you have work burnout from too many goals? If you are an overachiever at heart and very ambitious, wanting to achieve multiple major goals within the next 6-12 months, this can lead to toxic productivity and extreme exhaustion (i.e., Burnout).
- Are you using your full capabilities? If your role only uses some of your skills, but you know you can make a bigger impact if given the chance to use other skills you have, you may be feeling underappreciated or undervalued.
- Do you have a lack of purpose at work? If you feel like you are just collecting a paycheck and find no satisfaction in it and secretly desire a role where work feels meaningful, it could be time to evaluate your personal values and values at work to see if they are still aligned.
- Do you feel like your contributions don’t matter? You do everything you can, but it never seems like it’s enough, and you may feel your time and efforts are wasted.
If more than one of these red flags resonates with you, it is time to consider if it is the right time to make a career pivot plan. Transitioning to another industry, role, or company may be the change that helps you take your career forward. You should not be afraid to make changes that will benefit your personal and career growth. In fact, a career change could be exactly what you need to perform at your best.
On the other hand, if you are lacking general motivation at work and none of these red flags sound like you, consider a motivation plan instead. Either way, a motivation plan is always helpful in building sustenance and continual growth at work. That is because a motivation plan will help you be your best and most authentic version of yourself, making it easier to reach star work performance.
Building a Lasting Motivation Plan for Work
Follow this easy mantra to discover your most fulfilling motivation plan at work, leading to star work performance:
“Find it, keep it, make it work for you!”
Find it –
- Take some time to understand what works for YOU to stay focused.
- Make a list of all the things that motivate you, keeping in mind there are no wrong answers.
- Motivation starts within; be honest with yourself about how you want to be motivated.
- Reflect to understand what motivates you and make a motivation plan to use it.
- Often, having a variety of options for motivation is best. This will help you from becoming stale in one mindset.
Keep it –
- Build a tailored plan to remain self-motivated.
- Write your goals and plans to remain motivated.
- Use your motivation plan every day.
- Adapt your plan as frequently needed. We all benefit from change. Some people need changes more frequently than others.
Make it work for you!
- Motivation comes from within, so it is imperative that you take care of your personal needs regularly.
- Maintain a positive headspace and do what is necessary to stay mentally healthy.
- Know your own limits and when to take a timeout.
- Nurture yourself regularly to maintain motivation.
Take Time to Take Care
Use these self-nurturing tips and stay motivated.
1. Take Regular Breaks: We all need a break. Schedule them if you have challenges taking them.
2. Set Smaller Goals: Do not bite off more than you can chew. Setting smaller, more attainable goals is better than overextending yourself and not meeting them.
3. Clear Distractions: Do what it takes to focus. If it is distracting, get it out of your work environment.
4. Maintain a Schedule: Humans achieve peak performance when on a regular schedule. Make one and stick to it.
5. Track Tasks & Time: Don’t micromanage yourself, but do keep track of measurable performance results.
6. Step Outdoors: Nature has a way of bringing peace. Enjoy the outdoors as frequently as you can. Schedule time if necessary.
7. Get Plenty of Rest: Find your optimal sleep length and try to maintain it regularly. Your body repairs itself during sleep, and there is no amount of caffeine that can substitute for a good night’s sleep.
8. Stay Hydrated: Drink water regularly. You are already behind if you wait until you are thirsty to drink.
9. Forgive Yourself: We all make mistakes. Give yourself permission to let it go. Learn from what happened.
10. Celebrate Completing Goals: Celebrate even the smallest of goals being met. This will make you a happier person.
If you have questions about career pivots or want more guidance on how to build a motivation plan for work, Authentic Cadence® can help you find and keep your star work performance! Contact us today to find out how career coaching can help you be your best and find your rhythm.
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This article really helped me understand how to level up my performance at work. I used the recommendations for my annual review. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these valuable tips for improving performance at work. It helped me a lot.
Fantastic to know it helped you!