9 How to get the fun back at work: Here are five practical ways to motivate yourself and start enjoying your work again: Stop focusing on what is wrong "You can focus on what's wrong with your life, or you can focus on what's right." Marianne Williamson. You may be experiencing a lot wrong with your work. You may be working harder, with less support from the company. You may be angry with your organization for the way in which they treated you and those close to you. You may feel betrayed and want to lash out at the organization that caused you so much pain. Constantly focusing on how you have been hurt in the past prevents you from enjoying the good you have now. While you have a right to feel the way you do, you need to ensure you don't get into a habit of only looking at what is wrong with your organization. Think about what is right with your job. There must be some good reasons why you have chosen not to resign. Perhaps you receive a monthly salary that allows you to maintain a lifestyle? Or your work provides you with a sense of structure. Maybe you enjoy the camaraderie of the people in your team. Write a list of the positive things that your work gives you. Change your habit to focus on the good side of your job. Stop doing too much "Often he who does too much does too little." Italian proverb. Do you feel you're doing too much? Do you rush from one activity to another? Do you skip breakfast or eat lunch at your desk to fit in everything you need to do? Does your 'to do list' grow longer each day? Are you exhausted by the time you stop work? Being busy doesn't mean you are achieving any more than someone who is relaxed and focused. Sometimes doing too much simply causes you and those around you unnecessary stress. If your diary controls you, rather than the other way round, you need to get back in control of your life. You can do this by: • Doing a value for time analysis - to determine what time management habits you need to change; • Setting some personal boundaries; • Getting the focus back. Create a vision for your job and identify core focus areas. Then create a time budget to manage your diary better. One that puts you back in control of your job and your life.
will find that you achieve more than you did by simply being busy. You will also create more time for yourself and reduce both your stress and the stress of others. Use the time you have saved by being focused on exercise, laughter, having fun or learning, and you will find yourself becoming more creative, more productive. You will have found a way to motivate yourself. Ask for, and offer help Work smarter, not harder by helping each other. The wonderful thing about working with a team of people is that everyone is different. What you may find difficult to do - may be as natural as breathing to someone else. What you hate doing, may be someone else's passion. Someone else may have already been through the learning curve of something you are struggling to master. Trade tasks with one another, so you all do more of what you enjoy. Try this in your team. Have a meeting where everyone makes a list of the tasks they like and hate doing in their jobs. Try to trade a task you hate, with someone who likes doing that type of work. In turn, take over a task that makes someone else feel sick to their stomach, but is something you don't mind doing. Take time out Are you struggling to complete a task? Maybe you are wrestling with compiling a report, writing a proposal or preparing a presentation. When you are motivated and in the zone, difficult tasks become easier. When you have to force yourself to achieve something, it often has the opposite result. Your creative muse flies out the window. You will struggle to achieve anything at all. Writers call this 'writers block'. The best cure for unblocking your brain is to take a short break. Do something totally different. Play with some fun stuff. Move away from your desk. Walk. Talk to someone who will make you laugh. Listen to some music. Dance. Do something out of the ordinary. Tell people around you what you appreciate about them. Thank them for something they did for you in the past, and what their kind action may have meant to you. This ten minute investment in time will allow your creative muse to return, and when you go back to work, you will complete your task much faster. Inspire yourself Many employee satisfaction surveys show that people enjoy their jobs more when they feel they are doing something meaningful, or they are learning new skills that relates to a passion or personal vision they have. So the starting point is to get back in touch with your passion. Create new horizons for yourself. Look at what inspires you. Once you know what makes you feel happy, excited or inspired, you can think creatively about how to incorporate these elements into your job.
Positive energy can be infectious. Which do you prefer to spread - a virus of stress or positive energy? Get the fun back into your working world. You could make a big difference to those around you, if you and your team start having fun at work.
By focusing on the 20% of tasks that really matter, you issue
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