Unless your name is Gary Vee, you probably occasionally find it hard to find the motivation to get to work sometimes. Wednesday can be a real chore for those of you who don’t work for yourself. Obviously, hump-day is often associated with Wednesday.
However, we all have our own version. For some, the last day of the work week is the hardest to get through. Or, the start of a week when you have a two-week vacation starting at week’s end. I’ve come up with a few of strategies to counter-act this problematic mindset. By no means am I saying they’re all originals, but it’s my personal formula for getting the work day done.
Focus on personal development.
I always start the day with some good old fashioned reading on my tablet. This is done after looking through a few important emails. Some would recommend avoiding work email first thing, but I like to get an idea of how the day is going to shape up, then get to reading something that improves my brain. Right now, it’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. This is a book I paid a pretty penny for, which is rare, but it’s good and written by a psychologist who’s studied success for decades.
Don’t think about it.
Listen, the fact is that you have to get to work. For those of you who are parents, the fact you have to work is no different than having to get up and tend to a crying infant at 2:00 am. The real problem with the idea we need motivation to get to work is nonsensical. Just get started and block out all thoughts that you’d rather be doing something else.
Don’t look outside.
Some of you aren’t going to get this. However, almost everyone I’ve ever talked to about this admits the window is a huge motivation killer at work. I live and work in a pretty bustling housing complex and there’s always something going on, like kids screaming and playing or pretty girls walking by. Looking out the window is just inviting the outside work to suck you in — if you’re an outdoorsy type like me — you’ll likely literally be drawn out of the office.
Avoid clickbait at all costs.
I don’t give a crap what Kim K and her sisters are up to. However, when work motivation is lacking, it’s just so easy to get caught up in those silly clickbait feeds and leave important things sitting idle. To snap out of it when clickbait lures me in, I remind myself how stupid it is to focus on dumb facts and the lives of people I could care less about. If you truly like reading up on the love lives of celebs, schedule a reasonable amount of time (to waste), and find a way to commit to avoiding it when work needs to get done.
Schedule actual start and stop times.
The only breaks I take are to grab a coffee or snack during my work day. I personally work on client stuff from 6 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon — usually. Any other work I do is for my own brand, and after at least a few hours of exercise. Knowing that I’m basically done at 4 every day keeps me on task, as things need to get done and if that schedule is interrupted I’ll have to work later and lose out on my personal time. Maybe you need a break or two but when motivation is lacking, you’re just inviting the hump-day devil into your life!
Don’t let anger and complaining into the picture.
Literally, don’t let people bother you while you’re working. Getting angry can motivate you to push yourself physically, but it’s hard to stay motivated after letting anger in the door to close a sale, write, film, talk to people professionally, etc. I don’t hold grudges, in particular. Holding on to how others have wronged you just takes up too much space in your head, and can make it very tempting to hold off on an important blogpost. This is likely one of the hardest things to change, if it’s a problem for you, but will pay off in spades once mastered. Anger and complaining are also intertwined, so…
Hope this post helps you.
Leave a comment with your best hump-day motivation tips.
