Defining Work Motivation
The definition of motivation is the process where people are driven to commit actions to complete their goals. The important key to motivation is to have the will to do the necessary work to achieve the goal. To maintain motivation is to experience the satisfaction of completing the goal. The feeling of accomplishment will result in a boost of confidence which will bring more motivation.
In a working environment, having motivation is very important to employee performance and to the company wellbeing. It is important for a team leader to provide a reachable and clear goal to the team members. Through understanding the goal, the team members may develop motivation. With proper encouragement from the team leader, the team members will find satisfaction in their work. This satisfaction will lead to feeling more motivated.
Current Motivation Problems At Work
It is important to understand that there are different types of motivation. Motivation can derive from sources like free will and coercion. Free will usually come from wanting to gain personal satisfaction through completing goals that the individual wants to attain. As for coercion, it could be an order from an authoritarian figure or pressure and expectations from society. Each individual has separate ways of gaining motivation and handling difficult situations.
For instance, in this current pandemic time, the business environment is not doing well. A lot of companies experience financial troubles and may perform badly unlike the pre-pandemic days. Employee pay cuts apply to all sorts of companies in different industries. Worse, companies are forced to minimize employees to save costs.
This difficult situation and the uncertainties of their future may impact employee motivation negatively. Employees might find it discouraging to work as their hard work cannot be paid in full amount. Thus, the work performance decreases. However, being demotivated is not helping anyone. In fact, it only adds fuel to the fire.
Gaining Motivation
Regardless of the less than ideal situation, employees must work to maintain their motivation. Why so? It is important to note that when a ship rocks, the crews do not leave the ship. The crew gets into positions, man the ship, and continues to sail through the hard waters into a calmer sea. Thus, employees must remember that solid teamwork will drive the company out of difficult waters.
It is all in the mindset. Employees must find ways to stay motivated. There are several ways that can be done through the little things in daily life to gain motivation.
1. Organize Little Things
This may sound a little confusing. ‘Why should I organize things when I am too demotivated to do anything?’. The answer is because we need to focus on the feeling of satisfaction. To do that, we must find small goals, very easily attainable ones with instant result. Organizing things you see in daily life like your office desk, your bedroom, your pantry, or even your desktop can be helpful. You will be surprised at how satisfied you will feel when the paper clips are easily visible on your table. This small satisfaction will drive you to seek larger ones.
This so-called drive is otherwise known as motivation. Moreover, being organized also allows you to work with minimum distractions. Distractions will hinder anyone from working efficiently. While working efficiently correlates directly to good performance and satisfaction.
More reads: How to Set Up a Private Office
2. Staying Fit and Healthy
A healthy body will most likely support a healthy mind through chemicals in the body. When a person exercises, their body will produce endorphins. This hormone is known to relieve stress and reduce pain. In other words, it is known as the happy hormone. It is also why runners experience the so-called runners high. By staying healthy and positive will also bring motivation to your daily life.
For those who haven’t had a regular exercise schedule, it is good to start small. To get the motivation to exercise, do not aim for a 60 minutes exercise session but start with shorter goals. Ten to fifteen minutes of short exercise at home would do. Once you create and carry out an exercise routine, you will unknowingly gain motivation.
3. Controlled Procrastination
Procrastination isn’t always bad. Contrary to most beliefs, controlled procrastination can be advantageous for both work performance and an individual’s mental health. Procrastination allows the individual to take a breather in the otherwise busy lifestyle. By having that work-life balance, it will allow the individual to keep their motivation.
However, it is important to underline the word controlled. Procrastination, if unbridled, may result in bad habit development. For instance, scrolling social media feeds or online shopping endlessly during work time. This bad habit will not only affect work performance badly but will also contribute to demotivation. To prevent this, self-awareness and schedules are important.
Summary
Motivation which is the driving force that is needed to accomplish a goal is important during work. The current unfavourable economic condition may negatively affect employee motivation. For instance, pay cut and uncertain company future. To avoid that, each individual must work on maintaining their motivation. This can be done by organizing little things, staying fit and healthy, as well as controlling procrastination. It is important to maintain a work-life balance and do things moderately.
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