Monica: Phoebe, do you have a plan?
Phoebe: I don’t even have a pla..!
Are you in the same space as Phoebe, not having a plan and lack the motivation to actually get up and make one? If yes, welcome to the club – ones who have a lot amount of dreams but lack the energy/ motivation to have their dreams fulfilled. In times of crisis like these, it is even harder to get up every morning and look for things around us which helps us motivate ourselves to get going.
In simple words, motivation is defined as why we do what we do. What are the reasons or benefits of doing a particular action? There are a lot of theories which provide answers to this question. Some say that it is the personal need of the individual which motivates him/her to do things (intrinsic) while others say that it is the nature of the job which makes us work (extrinsic).
Another question asked is how are we motivated to do work? The answer to this lies in the expectations that we have for ourselves and also what others expect of us. For instance, you have group assignment due for the next week, you don’t want to do it but since other group members expect you to do your work responsibly, ultimately you are motivated to do it.
This leads us to the next question of- does the environment in which we work matter? Yes! It does. The social setting in which we work and more importantly how we see ourselves working in relation to others matters. Thus, motivation cannot occur in isolation.
With this blog, I intend to provide you with 9 simple things that you can do (not including extrinsic motivations like money or recognition) to increase your motivation, not only at work but also in daily lives. So let’s begin:
1. SUPERMAN/ WONDER WOMEN POSE:
This is like the easiest thing you can do to boost your confidence and in turn for increasing the motivation you need for the activity. Whenever you are feeling low or sad, get up from your seat; stand tall with your chest out and your hands on your hips. Continue this for 2-3 minutes. In addition, do some self-talk like ‘yes, I can do this’! I have been doing this for my viva and exams, I don’t know if it has increased my marks/performance or not but has definitely made me more confident about myself. And more often than not, it is the lack of confidence which usually accompanies the lack of motivation.
The researchers at the Harvard Universities have found that the body language can have an impact on the level of hormones. They found that practicing high-power pose lead to increased levels of testosterone (which is responsible for confidence) and lower level of cortisol (which is responsible for decreased anxiety and improved ability to deal with stress). So this also has a research backing if you wanted an answer for why it happens.
2. SET REALISTIC GOALS:
I am sure most of you might have heard about the ‘SMART’ goals (S-specific, M-manageable, A- achievable, R- relevant, T- time-bound). But knowing about it is not enough. Apply it daily in your life. For instance, to prepare for an exam if you set the goal of doing 4 chapters daily for 5 days, then the goal is not realistic, in the sense not feasible to study. Instead, expanding the 20 chapters for 10 days with 2 chapters daily is achievable as well as manageable.
Practising this daily not only for our work goals but also for our hobbies can help us maintain them and prevent procrastination. How many of you have joined a gym or a yoga class but have failed to continue it for a longer period of time? Me! Me! So maybe I’ll also try this hack of keeping a time-bound activity- of having a goal of doing some physical activity for at least a month.
3. GIVE YOURSELF BREAKS:
But not social media breaks (as the screen time will increase). After doing the work (it could be H.W or a presentation) for 1 hour- get up, take a tour of the house/office (depending on where you are working), sip water (very important) and stretch and get back to work. This could take 10 minutes.
Accompany these shorter breaks with one or two longer breaks for the entire day (excluding lunch and dinner breaks) which could be of half hour or so. During that time read something which is out of the text-books. You can also sketch at the back of your books.
Or if you want to watch- watch something which is funny or pleasant, something like a stand-up comedy or sit-coms as it could lead to release of happy hormone-oxytocin. Watching thrillers or crime-suspense will add to your stress. These kinds of distractions can also help us get motivated to do the remaining work (at least it works for me; see if it does for you).
Taking a day off and going for movies can also help in charging yourself for the next week. And also go on vacations (I am dying right now to go on one) at least twice a year. When you have something fun to look forward to, the work does not feel like work.
[PS: I wrote this paragraph after a break which helped me clear my mind and add something new]
4. GIVE YOURSELVES REWARDS:
Yes! Koi aur de na de, tum apne app ko rewards do. You should be your biggest appreciator because only you know how much efforts you have put in that work. It could be as small as checking the e-mails or notifications only after completing the presentation/chapter or as great as buying yourself an expensive piece of clothing.
I am reminded of one of the behaviour modification technique called token economy. What happens here is that for every change in behaviour the client gets a token. When these tokens reach a certain limit, they could be exchanged for something the client enjoys. It also works best with children to reinforce positive behaviours.
It could also be used here to increase the level of motivation. When you complete a day of workout, put aside 10 rupees. Continue this for 10 days and when you reach 100 rupees treat yourself with your favourite ice-cream.
5. TAKE UP ACTIVITIES THAT YOU THINK YOU CANNOT DO:
Because you are more capable than you think you are. We often have so many self-doubts about whether or not we will be able to do it or not. These self-doubts prevent us from even attempting such activities. I’ll share my small personal example, I was a bit sceptical to share something on my Instagram. But after I did, I got so many appreciation, gave such a boost to my self-confidence that it motivated me to do that activity more frequently.
But be careful about them being challenging and not impossible. For instance, if you decide that you want to pursue teaching as a profession don’t think that with one interview you will be selected for an HOD post. You will first have to be an assistant professor then an associate professor and then a professor. So your challenging goal has to be first pass the interview and be an assistant professor and then change the goals accordingly.
6. ASK FOR IT, IF YOU THINK YOU DESERVE IT:
The reason for our lack of motivation is many times because of not liking the work. And the reason for not liking the work is maybe we lose out on opportunities to work for things we like by shutting up. We conform (matching our beliefs, attitudes and behaviours to the group norm) because we fear to disagree. As a result lose out on some great opportunities.
Be it asking for more work (in terms of promotion, which would lead to an increase in motivation) or asking to reduce the work because it was causing fatigue and in turn leading to decreased level of motivation ask for taking a sabbatical so that you can recharge yourself and come back- ASK for it. I understand that the result is not in our hand, but it could open so many doors for us and relieve us from the unexciting work.
The second part of the statement is also important. Analyze the inputs. Analyze the outputs. And then see the ratio. Weigh the work you have done very efficiently for it to come across as fair. For instance, don’t go around asking for promotion with only six months of working.
7. FIND MEANING:
When we do something, we eagerly wait for its consequences. The consequence can be good or bad, depending on what our expectations were and how we interpret it. The interpretation plays a crucial role in how we see the world. So when we are not motivated to do work considering what benefits it hold for us, try to look for something that you can learn from the process of doing it.
8. BE ALTRUISTIC:
Doing something good for others is being selfish because it makes you feel good. As Joey (from F.R.I.E.N.D.S) says ‘there is no selfless act in this world’. Do those acts. Do help your friends out simply by filling the google forms for their assignments. It will make you feel good about yourselves and in turn make you motivated to do your own work because when the mood elevates it releases the endorphins and then everything starts making sense.
9. DON’T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF:
This is the most important out of all the eight other points. There are days where you don’t feel like doing anything. Take that day off. We all want a break from our daily routines. Imagine if a friend comes to us with such a challenge, one usually supports them by saying ‘take one day at a time’ or ‘everything will be alright, don’t worry’. But when we are facing the same challenge, thoughts of self-doubt, self-criticism, arises along with low self-esteem. Try to be that friend to yourself too. Remember this: Two steps forward, one step backward is still one step forward.
In conclusion, these are also very general points-some with research backing some without. So try them out and see if they work out for you. And congratulations for being motivated to read this till the end.
Do share your thoughts with me in the comment section below!
And, if you haven’t read my previous blog, click here.
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3 Responses
This one is really amazing! Definately will keep all this in my mind.
I am glad!! thank you!