Reasons Affecting your Productivity and How to Be Motivated
It’s Monday again!
Most of us are having a hard time starting our week by going to work. It feels like a burden to visualize another five days of sitting the whole shift in the office while waiting for Friday night. Some of us are even tired of waking up early in the morning.
Well, it’s actually normal. We all get tired at some points of our lives. But it doesn’t mean we need to stop. We just need to find our motivation. Without motivation, we will not be able to work efficiently. It will also affect our productivity and the outcome of our work.
What affects your productivity at work?
Absence of growth opportunities
Employees will get tired working if they know that they are limited to doing the same thing every day for the rest of their career. According to Robinson, Ph.D., from Advanced Leadership Consulting, every employee needs growth opportunities to fuel them to be productive at work. If they don’t feel challenged and there are no avenues for them to develop their skills, more likely the employees will leave the company.
Lack of recognition
One of the factors why employees are not motivated to work is the lack of recognition. This also includes awards, benefits, and privileges in line with accomplishments and achievements. According to the analysis of Gallup organization, employees who do not feel recognized are twice likely to quit their job in the next year. Recognition motivates employees to work harder.
Outdated systems
Another factor why employees are becoming unproductive because of outdated systems. Some companies still do not automate most of their operations which leads to burned out employees. Every thriving business should consider purchasing computers and software that will make employees more productive and efficient.
Unfriendly colleagues
The relationship between employees is a crucial factor towards work productivity. If employees do not practice teamwork and cooperation, then they are not united in achieving the company goals. They work in separate ways and in varied concepts. According to the research of Gallup organization, one of the factors why employees stay is because of their “best friend” in the organization. Good relationships in the workplace retain employees.
Health problems
Of course, you cannot be motivated to work if you are sick or ill. Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed 94,000 employees across 14 major occupations in the United States. They have found out that 77% of the workers that have chronic health conditions (asthma, diabetes, cancer, and obesity, among others) contributed to the $84 billion total costs related to loss of productivity.
No work-life balance
Lastly, employees will likely be unmotivated if they find no more time for their personal and social life. If the company itself does not promote work-life balance, it will be a threat to their employees. Every worker should work at least 40 hours per week. No more calls after the shift. The employees should be given their respective freedom to attend to personal concerns or engage in various social activities.
How to motivate yourself?
According to science, a neurotransmitter called dopamine is not just related to providing your pleasure or the sense of satisfaction, it is also strongly linked to motivation. According to a research, “go-getters” or those who worked harder than others are found to have higher levels of dopamine compared to the slackers.
So you may find yourself losing all your inspirations in life, making it difficult for you to find your determination. Well, do not lose hope. Keep the fire burning and motivate yourself to work harder towards the achievement of your goals.
Get rid of excuses
Excuses may be your best friend, but most of the time, it is the greatest enemy of your productivity. Ask yourself, do you really want to stop working because you just want to do nothing and earn nothing as well? Get rid of all your excuses and get back to the track.
Put your goals in mind
Always remember the reason why you started on the first hand. Put all your goals in mind. Of course, everybody wants to succeed. But if we lose focus into what we are doing, we might delay the achievement of our goals. Let our goals fuel us and motivate us to work harder.
Make a to-do list
Every day, we have a lot of tasks and duties to fulfill. We might stress ourselves thinking about how to get these things done. First, take a deep breath. Relax. You’ll finish them on time. Organize a list with all the things you have to do. Make a deadline for each task so that you can utilize your time properly.
Get started
The hardest thing to do is to get started. Sometimes, when we sit in our chair, we tend to do a lot of irrelevant things. This includes checking our social media accounts, eating, watching YouTube videos and stressing our mind with all the things we should do. STOP! You are wasting time. Get started and finish on time.
Take a break
If you think you are really burned out, then take a break. You can leave your desk, Stretch for 10 to 20 minutes. Go outside and take a look at your environment. If you are ready to resume working, then simply go back to your desk and get started again.
Stay healthy
According to a study by Monster.com in 2014, 42% of 1,000 workers said they left their job because of a stressful environment. 46% said they lacked sleep due to work-related stress. Plus, 61% of them believed lack of sleep caused them illness. Take care of yourself. If it is impossible for you to achieve 9 hours of sleep, then aim for at least 7 hours. If you are healthy, you are happy to work.
Be with hardworking people
Another effective way to motivate yourself is to surround yourself with hardworking people. Be in an environment where everyone wants to finish all their tasks and obligations on time. Be inspired by these people who have goals in their minds.
Be positive
Lastly, be positive. Know that all your hard work will soon pay off. You are working for a reason, and that is for your goals. Do not lose hope. Stay optimistic in life.
