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How to Stay Motivated, Even on Your Worst Day

Some days, you just don’t feel like working. Whether it’s a beautiful day and all you can think about is a picnic in the park or everything seems to be going wrong, even the best of us can have an off day. When these days come and you just can’t seem to focus on your work you only have a few options: take one of your few precious vacation or personal days, slide under the radar and watch the clock slowly tick until quitting time, or actually accomplish something by getting motivated. You are the only person who can keep yourself motivated if you don’t want to fall behind on your work, so here are a few tips to help you stay motivated on the job.

1. Take a break – Even the most efficient workers should take a break every now and then. You need time to rest your mind and maybe give your eyes a break from your work. Schedule breaks throughout your day to break it up into pieces. Promise yourself that you will work hard until the time of your break. I like to take a 20 minute break after an hour and 40 minutes of work. I find that, with my job, I can get quite a bit accomplished in that short time when I have my break to look forward to. However, you may be more productive working for 50 minutes and taking a 10 minute break. Find what works best for you and stick to the schedule.
2. Set realistic goals – Setting a goal to accomplish could make your day go by much faster, but if the goal is unrealistic, you will be frustrated and much less motivated when you aren’t able to accomplish that goal. If something can’t be done today, break it up into segments. If possible, set a goal for each work period in between your breaks. That way, there is a place to stop when your scheduled break comes.
3. Stay organized – A disorganized work area is not going to help you stay motivated. Quite the opposite actually, so take some time to make your work space more presentable. You don’t want the distraction of mess or clutter when you are trying to motivate yourself, and when you know exactly where everything is, you will be less frustrated later.
4. Reward yourself – If you find that the reward of a break isn’t enough, give yourself other rewards for accomplishing goals. You could use food, a movie, or a date night at the end of the week. There are lots of ways you could motivate yourself with rewards, but the important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t reward yourself no matter how much work you do. It will defeat the purpose if you reward yourself after a day or a week when you haven’t reached your work goals.
5. Think positive thoughts – This might be a little cheesy, but thinking happy thoughts really will help you stay motivated. Happy people tend to be more enthusiastic about life and excited about work. They get much more accomplished than people who are pessimistic because negativity will only bring them down. Try listening to an upbeat song or a motivational speech. Surround yourself with positive people. Do anything you can to remember that this is the only life you get, so you need to live it well.

Kristin Mullen is an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about  Debt Consolidation Programs