How to boost your work motivation and get started

Building your momentum back up is a common challenge after any holiday period. The habits we create during a slowdown or break away from work can leave us feeling reluctant to get out of holiday mode – functioning outside your usual hours, staying up much later than usual and opting to sleep in. Therefore many return to work still struggling to find motivation.

Finding out what compels you to take action, plus implementing a few tricks, can help get you back into your work groove and daily routine.

1. Acknowledge early wins

A quick and easy way to build motivation levels is to break down larger or longer tasks into smaller activities. As you tick them off, you’ll become faster and get back to your normal pace. These little wins will collectively increase your enthusiasm for doing a job well done.

2. The power of rewards

Preparing a cup of tea or coffee before tackling your emails can help you get through this tedious task. Alternatively, promise yourself a treat once more challenging tasks are successfully completed.

3. Get planning

Utilise your calendar effectively by creating daily checklists. You’ll enjoy the feeling of satisfaction as you cross off each job, and get through the days and weeks.

4. What’s meaningful to you?

Whether you’ve held a long tenure or have started as a new employee, there’s always room to review where you can add meaningful methods, tasks or changes. If certain tasks feel more important to you than others, question why that is the case and apply that approach to other tasks where possible.

5. Just do it already

Some of us need tougher means to pull us out of our rut. It may be hard to hear but it’s time to get back to reality and get on with it.

6. Cut out distractions

If you find that work surroundings are constantly interrupting your workflow, find a meeting room and work from there until you start to focus better.

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7. Recognise bad habits

We’re usually working on several tasks at any given time so adding bad habits on top of your workload will only demotivate you and draw out the time it takes for you to finish. Refrain from constantly checking the time, playing with your phone and checking social media, or mulling about how tired you are. These habits will only put you in a more negative state about being back at work.

8. Don’t create additional pressure

Being too hard on yourself may only end up demotivating you more. Just visualise getting through the next two weeks, and think about what you can look forward to. Before you know it you’ll be back into swing of things and working more efficiently than ever.