How To Stay Motivated
You walk into your office and groan inwardly. The stack of work in front of you is overwhelming. You aren't even sure where to begin. Sighing, you sit down, and assess the situation. There is so much that needs to get done, but you just don't have the extra time. It's not like you would get paid overtime anyway. However you know if you can get a handle on what is sitting in front of you, you will feel so much better, less stressed. You might even have an evening when you can sit and relax knowing that there isn't a mountain of work to get done. Time to figure out an attack plan!
How do you keep yourself from throwing up your hands and giving up? There are several strategies that people can employ to stay motivated. After all, if you give up the first time, it makes it easier to give up the second time, and so on. Pretty soon you have no motivation left, to do anything.
The first thing you need to do is set both long term and short term goals. Long term goals are the goals you set that take into consideration the whole project you are working on. In the case of the piles of backlogged work, your long term goal could be to get the backlog caught up by period end, without falling behind your current work.
Now it is time to set some short term goals. The benefit of having short term goals is it allows you to celebrate minor successes along the way. Everyone knows how great it feels when you accomplish something, so give yourself that pat on the back. So set the goal that every day, you will spend an extra half an hour working on the backlog. Celebrate when you finish the backlog for each week.
Take out an old calendar. As each day gets caught up, cross it off. This will give you a visual representation of your work. The days will add up, and pretty soon you see how far along you are getting. Even keep track of the current days. As all the tasks you need to do each day are finished, cross off that day. Pretty soon, your calendar will be full of marks, making you feel like you are accomplishing things bit by bit.
Celebrate each success. You have finished the backlog for the first week, celebrate with a little something. This can be something simple, like taking a five minute break with a cup of tea. Or, if the goal is more substantial, take a night out, buy yourself something new, or get a massage. Plan to celebrate when the long term goal is finished. Make it something that you have depriving yourself of, or something special. Celebrate with family and friends. Make the plans early, and when you find yourself struggling, remind yourself of the rewards.
Staying motivated can be difficult, and sometimes we all feel overwhelmed. When this happens, and the little things you have planned aren't enough, sometimes it is better to walk away for a few minutes, and shake out the cobwebs. Keep small mementos close by. Keep a picture of your family, friends, even pets close by. The smallest things can make all the difference in the world.