Ways to Motivate Yourself At Work

To succeed in the workplace, you need to be at your best, and you can only truly be at your best when you are motivated to work. With the proper inner drive, everything can seamlessly fall into place. So how can you motivate yourself at the office day in and day out? Here are 6 ways to do just that:

Create early momentum

The way that you start your day will dictate the pace of the rest of your day. So it is crucial to start with a “bang”, so to speak. You need to mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead as soon as you are out of bed. Then, you can ride that wave of momentum all the way to the afternoon. It makes a huge difference, no question about it. Psyche yourself up, go over everything that you plan on doing on that day and remind yourself that you are not only capable, you are doing it, period.

Think about your salary

It’s no surprise that money is a great motivator. However, after some time at the same job, we tend to forget that big motivator and what it brings to us. Remind yourself of the money you are getting for the work you are doing, and think about all the things that you want to do with the money. Whether it’s to buy that new car you want, or pay for your home, or save up for that great vacation you are looking forward to, never let it slip your mind that you are working for money that can help you achieve things in your life that are of great importance to you. If you work in an environment where you can actually affect your salary, such as being an entrepreneur or a salesperson, then money should be one of your biggest reasons to motivate yourself to work harder than anyone else. As a matter of fact, even if you are salaried and your income is not dependent on how hard you work, you should always work at the best of your abilities and this brings me to my next point.

Focus on long term growth

Whatever your current position, there is most certainly room for advancement. There is always some other position that you can work towards, and this can be one of the best ways to motivate yourself at work. I remember at a job I used to work at a long time ago, they had announced that they were looking for a new manager, and told everyone that they would assess everyone’s credentials and abilities over the next two months. You wouldn’t believe how this helped turn around the work ethic of certain people. The ones that really wanted the position had a huge motivator pushing them to reach for that goal. You should approach your work thinking that the higher ups are always looking for someone to promote. Trust me, that usually is the case, even if it is not said in public. So concentrating on your potential career growth can definitely increase your motivation to do stellar work and be at your very best to ensure that you do get the recognition that you deserve, and get promoted to a higher position.

Only positive talk

In a recent article about the advantage of working from home, I talked about how one of the main negatives of the office is the fact that you have employees and co-workers always badmouthing the company and bringing everyone around them down mentally. Needless to say, it is incredibly difficult to remain motivated when you keep hearing about the negatives of the workplace. There is good and bad in every office. Focus on the positive, surround yourself with like-minded people that enjoy their work and are there for a reason (such as the ones listed above), and you will be guaranteed to always be in a frame of mind where your motivation is pristine. When you allow negative discussions at work to enter your mind, you subconsciously start doubting your reason for even being there, so you think you will possess the right motivation to work properly? Definitely not, so at all costs, always be positive when it comes to your discussions about your job.
Compete with your peers


When I used to work on a sales floor, I would walk around the room looking at each other’s numbers and performance during breaks and lunches, as a way to motivate myself to do better than they were. I even remember working closely with a colleague where we would always try to out-do each other. We shattered sales records because of this. Even if you are not in a position where your work dictates your salary, you should always strive to perform better than everyone else around. Such things like being more professional, quicker at answering questions, quicker at resolving issues…these are ways that you can compete with your co-workers within your own mind in a way to motivate yourself to increase the quality of your work. Competition can lead to great accomplishments.

Personal pride & accomplishments
At the end of the day, do you want to go back home and be proud of what you have done? The way I see it, if you are somewhere for 7+ hours per day, shouldn’t this be pretty clear that this is an important part of your day and your life? Treat your job, whatever it may be, with pride and witness your motivate & your success soar! I remember once, I crossed this garbage man on the street that was just having a blast, he was singing along, smiling to people, and doing a fantastic job. That’s how we should all approach what we do. Even if what you do is not your ideal job, there is a reason why you are doing it…focus on that reason, and while you are at it, might as well make it a joyful, pleasant experience. When you can go home and be proud of what you have accomplished during that day, when you can be satisfied with your work ethic and attitude, then you are truly living life the way it was meant to be lived.

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Ross Galan, NLP Spiritual Life Coach