18 Effective Tricks on How to Find Motivation at Work

I think it’s safe to say that each of us has fallen into a slump at some point in our lives. And I also think it’s safe to say that one of the biggest culprits is demotivation. Yes, you heard it right: demotivation–the drawback to every dream and aspiration. It’s what makes you feel as if making positive changes seems too difficult, making it feel like it’s the end-all-be-all of your career. But the good thing is, this is not a hopeless case for you. The fact that you’re here, curious about where and how to find motivation, is a sign that you’re actively taking action to stay motivated. Right now, you’re not making progress yet, but this is definitely a good start.

When you have no motivation at work, your output and productivity suffer. Sadly, in this economy that pretty much requires you to work hard to live comfortably, you can’t afford to be demotivated. So where do you go from here? How do you find motivation in times of trough?

18 Effective Tricks on How to Find Motivation at Work

When I fall out of love with the things I used to enjoy–especially work–I look back to these tricks on how to find motivation. If you are looking for the right answers on how to be motivated and break out of the slump, then I believe these could help you as well.

1. Chunking

Have you ever heard of the word chunking? In cognitive psychology, it’s a process of breaking things down into smaller parts. Originally, it’s a technique used to improve memory performance.

Unless you have a pictographic memory, it might be pretty rough to remember a long string of random numbers like 5456519026. But if you break it up into chunks (545-651-9026), it will be much easier for you to remember the long string of numbers.

Chunking applies to much more than remembering numbers. Heck, it’s one of the best strategies in just about any endeavor, including how to be motivated during dire times.

Here’s an example: suppose you have a 25-pages report to finish by the end of the week and you keep delaying it. The reason why you keep delaying it is that you see it as a giant, overwhelming task. Instead of seeing it that way, why not try to break it down into smaller chunks? Try to write at least 5 pages a day, and you’ll be done in no more than 6 days.

Chunking works like magic for anyone who needs motivation. It increases our self-efficacy or the feeling that we can successfully achieve a goal.

2. How to find motivation? Find inspiration!

For me, inspiration comes from others who have attained the goals I’ve been wanting to attain. Whether it’s a short-term or long-term goal, I rely on people who had gone through what I’m currently going through as my inspiration. Finding inspiration from all sorts of places is a good way to uplift me (and maybe even you), especially when I need motivation. Knowing that someone achieves the results I want to achieve makes me feel like your efforts are valid and that you will achieve the same results if you just keep trying.

3. Try the Ulysses Pact.

The Ulysses Pact is a technique for sticking with your goals and holding yourself accountable even when it gets hard. Its key ingredient is that we make a choice when things are easier (present) that connects us to act when things get harder (future). 

Suppose you have two deadlines this week. You could write your friend two checks, each for $5, and tell them to cash one and use the money if you don’t finish them by the end of the day. 

To keep it short, the Ulysses Pact is a good technique if you’re struggling with how to find motivation by locking in a future behavior ahead of time.

4. Post your goal publicly.

Honestly, no one likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile just to do something we’ve said publicly to save ourselves from possible humiliation. You don’t have to commit to your goal in your local newspaper. Instead, try to share your goals with friends, families, and bosses, or you can write a blog about it if you have one. Don’t forget to hold yourself accountable–try to commit to giving updates to everyone every day or so.

5. If you don’t know where and how to find motivation, try to have an artificial positive reinforcement.

We all get the idea and the power of positive reinforcement in our lives. Sadly, there are times when it doesn’t occur inherently or by default. But by building positive reinforcement mechanisms to our own goals and challenges, we can make it work the same way as receiving it from others.

Try to artificially set up a reward system and positive reinforcement for yourself. I know it seems silly at first, but if you want to know how to get motivated at work, this will do the trick.

6. One goal at a time.

Whenever you have no motivation, that’s often because you have too much going on in your life. When you have too much on your plate, it can sap your energy and motivation. One of the most common mistakes we make is taking on too much, trying to accomplish many goals at once. 

Remember that you can’t maintain your energy and focus on two or more things at once. For now, try to choose one goal and focus on it completely. 

7. How to find motivation? Paint the picture.

The art of visualization is a straightforward practice that can greatly boost motivation. It basically works on a simple principle of motivation: the more specific a goal is, the more we’ll feel inspired to achieve it.

No matter what your goal is, make time to visualize and paint the picture in your mind. Think about the benefits that come along with your goal. In this way, you’ll have a more sustained motivation to do the work needed to get there.

8. Think about it daily.

A goal is more likely to come true when you think about it every day. To this end, sticking your goal on the wall and sending yourself daily reminders will help a lot.  And it will even certainly come true if you can commit to doing one small thing to further your goal every single day.

9. The Seinfeld Strategy

The strategy itself is simple: for any goal, plan to do a little bit of it daily. Each time you complete the task, mark off that day on a calendar with a big red X. Try to keep your streak alive as long as possible. This will serve as a new goal to beat. 

The Seinfeld Strategy is a good answer on how to find motivation because it’s a Double Motivator (or the one that is motivating in two different ways simultaneously). In this case, crossing off each successful day gives you a feeling of satisfaction.

10. Realize the ebb and flow.

Always know that motivation is not a constant thing that is there for you. It comes and goes, and then comes and goes–it’s a cycle. But at the moment it goes away, remember that it will come back again. In the meantime, you can do some other things listed here and wait until your motivation comes back.

11. To find motivation, you need to get rid of your internal distractions.

It’s not just external distractions that can block our motivation–but also our internal distractions. It’s the thoughts that disrupt our plans causing us to sidetrack our goals. Worrying about the big meeting tomorrow, daydreaming about your future–that’s what internal goals are.

By implementing The Distractions List, you can manage internal distractions like these. To do this, always bring a small notebook and pencil with you. If you notice yourself getting distracted by a thought, quickly jot it down, then shift your focus back to your task. Quickly review your distractions list once your task is over. 

By briefly acknowledging your distractions, you can train yourself to become less reactive to them. It’s a great way to stay focused on your work.

12. Get support from people you trust–the right way.

Honestly, it’s hard to accomplish something by yourself. That’s why we always rely on “social support” to stay on track. While the idea of social support is a good idea, most people make big mistakes. They think that their social support person needs to check in on their progress. And they think of their social support person as someone who will stop them from messing up.

If you want to recruit a friend to help you find motivation, you can try this approach: don’t tell them your end goal. Instead, tell them that their entire job is to support and validate you.

Recruiting social support can be a powerful way to find motivation — as long as you set things up right from the start. 

13. To find motivation, you need to start small–really small.  

When you can’t find motivation for work and you are having a hard time getting started, perhaps it’s because you’re thinking big. While there’s nothing wrong with having big dreams, you need to be practical when making your progress. Just do small, tiny, baby steps. At first, you might have the urge to do more tasks per day. But when that motivation starts to droop, you’ll end up doing less and less until you end up doing nothing. Just start with two tasks a day and you can double it week by week. Remember, baby steps.

14. Productive procrastination: an effective solution on how to find motivation.

Did you know that you can turn your procrastination into something productive and constructive? I found out that the best way to combat procrastination is through a technique called Productive Procrastination.

The idea is simple: Suppose you’re working on staying motivated to create a to-do list every morning. Sadly, you always find yourself procrastinating on doing it. Instead of battling your procrastination, why not build in a little enjoyable activity before you create your to-do list?

By doing this, you are allowing yourself to procrastinate in a structured, deliberate way. In return, you’ll be less likely to procrastinate during the whole time you’re doing your tasks.

15. Replace the difficulties with benefits.

One reason why we have no motivation at work is that we always think about how hard something is. And that thought alone makes us feel tired. Instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about the end-results–the benefits you’ll get out of it. If you were promised a promotion by the end of a big project, use that as your motivator to keep pushing and striving. After all, what you reap is twice–if not more–than what you sow.

16. Give yourself a gentle talk.

If your self-talk tends to be negative and judgmental, it may cause you a lot of difficult emotions (guilt, frustration, and anxiety). Instead of doing this, create a new habit of gentle self-talk. 

Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemy. Our own negative self-talk saps us of our natural motivation to reach our goals. It prevents us from staying motivated and working through challenges. If you can learn to re-shape your self-talk to a more constructive and gentle one, you’ll be amazed at how much it will motivate you.

17.  Try The Bumpy Wagon Plan.

The Bumpy Wagon Plan is simply staying motivated more effectively by creating a concrete plan in case you slip up on the journey towards your goals. Some specific actions you can do include: avoiding negative self-talk no matter what, avoid over-analyzing failure, and texting your support buddy when you slip up. 

The simple act of having a bumpy wagon plan will not only help you recover from your slip-ups. What’s more, it will give you more confidence and inspiration as you attempt to reach your goals.

18. Find out what motivates you today.

If you want to know how to find motivation, you need to find out what motivates you first. Take some time today, go to a quiet spot, and do a quick reflection of where you’re at now. Then, take one aspect of your life that you feel like you lack motivation in.

In this case, it may be your work life. Write down your reasons for why you’re in the company that you’re in.  Then, think about your purpose within your job. Write down what gives you meaning and what helps you push forward in life.

Once you’re done, try to compare your progress and purpose. Take some time to realize how your job helps you make progress towards the purpose that you’ve written.

Oftentimes, our purpose tends to get sidetracked by distractions and challenges in life. We forget that the very sole reason why we’re here is because of our goals and visions. When this happens, the best thing to do is to remind yourself of your purpose. It could be your family, success, or dreams. Do your best to beat your demotivation with your purpose. If you’d like to take the first step to achieve your life purpose, you must learn where and how to find motivation. Use these techniques as your guide towards your goals and re-discovering your purpose.