The definition of motivation is to have an incentive or a reason for doing something. What is the reason you’re doing your job? Are you enjoying what you do? Or are you in it solely for the money? The best case scenario is that you love what you do and you are being adequately compensated for it. However that is not the case for most people. Most people are in jobs that they don’t really enjoy, and that are just a means of livelihood for them. So how do you break free of this negative spiral?
- Getting clear – Here are a few questions to begin with: Do I enjoy my job? Is this fun for me? Am I doing it just for the money?
- Follow your passion – Do you enjoy your work? If your answer is no then ask further questions. What part of your work do you not enjoy? What part of your work is fun for you? People are rarely bored of their whole job. They enjoy some activities, and are bored of others.
- How can you have more of what is fun for you? Identify the activities that are enjoyable and start doing more of those. When you follow your passion, the creative juices start to flow and you get more satisfaction out of life.
- Delegate – Who can you delegate the tasks you don’t find fun? Who would find those tasks fun? An “Aha!” moment for me was when I delegated the task for email correspondences which I find boring – to my assistant who surprisingly enjoyed doing it!
- Are you adequately compensated? There is a direct correlation between your compensation and motivational levels at your job. I had been working as a freelancer for about three years when I started to get bored with what I was doing. I just didn’t want to do it any more. One of my colleagues asked me, “What hourly rate can you charge that will make this fun for you?” This question just turned around everything for me and I raised my hourly rate. If this is what is going on for you then it is time to ask for a raise or look for a new job that will pay you more.
- Are you doing enough? Do you have enough projects going on which excite you? For most people to be highly productive they require 15 – 20 projects going on at the same time. If you are one of those people you may get bored. Find what else you can add to your plate, and out of those try to delegate the bits that are boring for you.
- Acknowledge your wins – A lot of people look for appreciation from their boss or their colleagues for their achievements. And when they don’t receive it, they get disheartened. Acknowledge your own wins. Ask yourself, “What did I contribute to my organization today?” When you do this everyday, you will start to see all the places where you are making a difference in your organization and you will get a sense of your own worth within the workplace.
- What next – Most people are just living one day at a time. What is your vision for the future? Where would you like to go in your career? Once you have a clear idea of where you would like to go, it’s easier to work towards it.
By Nilofer Safdar
