A Guide to Motivating Yourself at Work

Sixty percent of employees feel emotionally detached from their jobs and 50% report feeling stressed on a daily basis, according to a recent global survey from Gallup. While your first instinct may be to quit your job, it might not be the most sustainable option. Know that you have the agency to create better working conditions for yourself.

• Understand the impact of your work. Take the time to learn how our work contributes to the larger mission of our organization can help us reenter a more positive state of mind.
• Once you know the impact of your work, pick one area or project and overdeliver. A better way to stay engaged and grow in your role is to identify and prioritize the tasks that will be most recognized by your manager and organization.
• Build habits that help you move through the stressful moments. Practice flourishing or connect to your sense of purpose in life and appreciate your accomplishments even during life’s challenging moments.
• Amplify the parts of your job that you do enjoy. Try job crafting. That is redesign your daily tasks to focus on your strengths.
• Figure out what gives you meaning outside work. Work is not the only place we should seek to thrive. Our interests, goals, and aspirations outside of our jobs can be just as meaningful.

My first job was a dream come true. I was working at a news organization, reporting on some of the most important stories in the world. In the beginning, my work gave me a real sense of purpose — I was reporting on stories that mattered. But slowly, my satisfaction faded. I started dreading the long hours. My pay barely covered my living expenses. The more time went by, the more my tasks began to feel monotonous. Six months in, I was entirely disillusioned and demotivated.