Working smarter
The right attitude can turn the worst day into a working wonder.
It’s Monday morning, 10am and already your in-tray is overflowing and the calls haven’t stopped.
You are tired, grumpy and can’t bring yourself to tackle that list of 10 urgent jobs that need doing before 11am. You look over to your work colleague, who is irritatingly happy, fielding calls while filing reports and making the boss smile. And you wonder – how do they do it?
Before considering calling in sick tomorrow just to escape your in-tray, indulge in a little motivation training to turn those workplace mountains into fileable molehills.
Former Brisbane Lions AFL team co-captain Alistair Lynch, pictured right taking a mark, who is now general manager of sports management and consultancy firm Velocity Sports, says staying motivated is essential to success.
“I can’t honestly say I ever felt unmotivated – for an elite athlete to be unmotivated it’s almost a message that it’s time to give it away,” Lynch says.
“The most important thing is to set short-term targets that are achievable, (so you can) control the controllables and focus on what you can do to improve short-term performance. Don’t think too far ahead.
“You should always be setting goals and targets, ticking them off when they have been achieved, and then re-set goals to ensure you maintain appropriate focus.”
He says people can become unmotivated because of “a lack of challenge, opportunity, satisfaction, stimulation, feedback and appreciation – it all comes back to the environment in which you work”.
The results can be disastrous.
“Poor performance, or at least performance below optimum level. It can also lead to selfishness and, in a sporting sense, people breaking from team rules and guidelines to become more selfish. The same might apply in business and the workplace,” he says.
Success – you can make it author Michael Kuzilny, who is also a lawyer and a former police officer, says it is possible to train a mind to be motivated.
“The first thing is to stay healthy in mind and body — it is amazing what exercise does,” Kuzilny says.
“I suggest people train at least three times a week. And meditation is amazing. When I was in the police, I attended crazy jobs and over that 15 years I meditated, which keeps the mind pure and clear.
“I meditate by closing my eyes and listening to music and nature for about 30 minutes every day, and on the weekend for 90 minutes.
“It might take a few goes to achieve that meditative state, but when you do you will get hooked.”
At work, clean up your act.
“Clarify your goals for the day and get rid of all of the clutter off your desk,” he says.
“Be excited about the day and with everything you do. Do everything perfectly and efficiently and at the end of the day look back and say ‘wow, what a successful day, I am proud of myself’.
“Positive self-talk helps, too. Say on the way to work ‘I am feeling great today, something wonderful will happen, and all the conditions of my life are perfect’. You will feel so much enthusiasm, and that’s contagious so everyone around you will be more enthusiastic.”
If problems persist, it could be time for a career health check.
“A lot of people can get moulded (into a career),” he says.
“They might have a top corporate job but wanted to be an artist.
“I think that we should all find our areas of excellence and burn our bridges behind us and live a life full of purpose and passions.
“We are a long time working.”
