We’ve all probably started at a less than ideal job out of college. You have a few interviews, the phone finally rings, and you accept a job offering far less than what your college career coaches suggested an entry level career would pay. You might even be excited about it and probably neglected to negotiate in case they might take the offer away right then and there. Let’s face it, eventually after a year or two, when you’re still not doing something you love, it becomes more and more difficult to wake up and go to work in the morning. More and more difficult to get the job done. So here’s a list of helpful tips to get you motivated until you find your dream job.
1. Too much on your plate?: Make a list of everything that needs to get done and order them by priority. This seems like a no brainer but you’d be surprised, sometimes what was once thought to be an overwhelming amount of work suddenly seems feasibly when it’s prioritized and laid out in front of you. There’s also no better feeling then crossing out a completed task on that list.
2. Organize your tasks on your calendar: This follows up on the list you created in #1. Whenever you have free time (no meetings) place your tasks on your calendar and take them off once they’ve been completed. That way your allotting time to accomplish them and you're gettin reminders each time one is due. If you don’t get to a task, move it to the next day so it doesn’t fall off the map and you know it still needs to get done.
3. Look your biggest task in the eye. Have something on your calendar that moves from one day to the next day to the next? Just do it. It’ll be a weight off your shoulders and you won’t have that procrastination excuse any longer.
4. Listen to music: If your workplace allows headphones, it can’t hurt to play a few jams throughout the day. It will boost your attitude and it will cancel out any other distractions of surrounding conversations that might be cutting down on your attention span.
5. Take a walk: Sometimes the best thing to do is walk away from your laptop for a few minutes. Take a lap or two around the office building or visit a cube neighbor. When you’re too close to the project it can become the last thing you want to work on.
6. Skip Meetings: If you know you don’t have to be in a meeting, skip it. Chances are you’ll read everything that happened in the minutes and you’ll have a half hour of your day back to get your work done. Nobody likes to stay at work late when they feel like most of their day has been spent listening to people talk about things that may not pertain to them. It’s terrible for morale.
7. Bring your Laptop to meetings: If you have to be in the meeting because it’s absolutely expected of you, bring your laptop and do your work until you’re required to provide your input. At least that way you’re not falling behind on what really has to get done.
8. Take Lunch: It’s so easy to skip lunch when you’re not an hourly employee punching out. Lunch is so important to recharge your batteries so get out there and socialize. Eating over your laptop is not only unhygienic (when’s the last time you Lysol wiped that thing?) but it’s also not even the least bit relaxing. Lunch is part of the deal so make sure you take it, they’re not paying you extra to work through it.
9. Don’t work at night: If you’re doing this now then I can tell you exactly why you don’t want to come to work in the morning. You’ve already been working around the clock! Use your nights to unwind, yes the work will still be there in the morning but if you’re using steps 1-8 correctly, you should be able to get it done during work hours.
10. Work from home: Ask your manager if you can work from home 1 day a week. It’s a huge boost to morale and it’s something to look forward to with far less distractions. If they need a reason let them know it means you’ll be working longer because you won’t have the commute and you can get everything done without people walking up to your desk midday to ask questions. Obviously only do this if you’re the type of person who can get your work done at home.
These tips should certainly help motivate you in an otherwise stagnant job. If you picture yourself staying with that company for a long period of time you can always ask to switch roles or add more engaging responsibilities to your position. Do what suits you!
