Being able to rev your engine at 100% all the time while working is something that everyone wants to do. It feels pretty good to know that you’re working hard and doing a good job. Not everyone is going to notice that you are doing a good job though. Western society is extremely critical of those that can’t self motivate and people are quick to judge if you are having a bad day. Since western society focuses on negative memories more then positive ones it’s easy to get stuck in a work rut and not be motivated to do what you need to do.

Stopping yourself from daydreaming about the future is the first thing you need to do before you can fully concentrate on your work. Daydreaming has a place but when you need to bring your A game to the workplace you need to be in the present. Force yourself to concentrate on the task at hand and nothing else. Don’t think of that movie you are going to go see this weekend or that girl/guy you gave a phone number to. By being present you’ll be able to spot small mistakes and blemishes that you usually would not have been able to see.

Motivation In The Workplace

Remember to be gentle with yourself, western society has develop a dangerous critical voice that can choke out creativity and motivation. Motivation doesn’t come from forcing yourself to do a task or from the reward afterwards. Motivation comes from being good AS you are doing the task. Think of doing everything as trying to get better at it. Don’t complete something and think “I’m done with that” think of every task you do in your workplace as bettering yourself at that task.

If you constantly can’t bring yourself to finding motivation in your work then you may have to remember why you are doing this work in the first place. Don’t spend to much time wondering why you do what you do as you could completely drain yourself of motivation. If the reason you are not motivated at work is because you are depressed or because of money issues then decide right now to go seek help from a professional.

What is motivation? There are many theories on motivation and how people get themselves to do the things they want/need to do. The more uncomfortable a task seems to someone, the more motivation that person would essentially need to complete the task. Lots of people don’t like to do the dishes and they really have to build up their motivation to get the job done. Some people don’t see anything wrong with doing dishes and just do them instantly. Motivation is not a have or have not quantity that lays in peoples psyche, it’s the way that we look at a situation and what it will provide for us.

In context of this website and the Motivational Academy Techniques there are 2 kinds of motivation you have to get to know:

Intrinsic Motivation:

Intrinsic Motivation is the motivation you get by getting better at a task. You could spend 8 hours working followed by school but somehow you find the time to play that instrument or make art. What motivates you isn’t that you will get a reward for doing the task but that you will become BETTER at the task. Science and research proves that this is the best form of motivation as it gives infinite fuel to human desire. Striving to become BETTER at something is much more motivation then trying to burn through a task to get to the end.

Extrinsic Motivation:

Extrinsic Motivation is based on an if-when reward system. If you do the dishes you will get one dollar. This is the lesser of the 2 kinds of motivation as science shows that it can actually decrease your enjoyment of life and reduce your ability to concentrate. In the book Drive! the author goes well over why Extrinsic motivation is good for some tasks but definitely not for all. Extrinsic motivation is best used in high performing SHORT situations such as if you are behind on a deadline or you are playing a sports match.

The worst way to think of motivation is that it allows you to grind through all the tough spots of life. Perseverance is NOT motivation. Motivation will serve you better if you think of it as an infinite fuel. Don’t think of how you can become rich with a business idea for instance, searching to become a better business individual is much more mentally sustainable. Always strive to become better at something nda really forget about the rest.