Guest Post: How to stay motivated during the worst days at work?

A tough day at work

Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2013/03/20/17/00/russia-95311_960_720.jpg

We all have seen tough days at work. They happen every now and then. Sometimes it is the presentation you worked very hard on that gets rejected or learning that you are not getting the promotion that was promised. Tough days simply can’t be avoided. While it is not always in our hands to stop a day from turning bad at work, it is totally in our control to sail through the day without letting it hamper our daily work and productivity. Though it is difficult to keep our motivation levels high on tough days, putting a little bit of effort to stay positive can really do wonders for you even when everything seems to be going against you.

Here are a few ways in which you can convince yourself to work through tough days even if you have run out of motivation:

1. Plan your day:
   One should make planning their day a daily practice. It works like magic, especially on tough days. Prepare a schedule for yourself and stick to it no matter what. Doing so will help you stay focused on the work that needs to be done rather than on things that are not going as planned. Start your day by completing the task that you dread as morning hours are believed to be the most productive time. Your energy and motivation levels start to dip as the day unfolds. That way even after you have a really bad meeting with your client or manager later during the day; it will be easier to complete the tasks that you enjoy.
2. Don’t take things personally:
   There are days when you are unable to crack a deal with your client, don’t have any new ideas to contribute to the project you are working on, or are repeatedly turned down by your boss. It is important to keep yourself detached from all the negativity coming your way. Become resilient to stop yourself from drowning into the spiral of negativity every time something negative happens at the work.
3. Take a break:
   When nothing seems to be working and you find it difficult to even stay at work, take a break. Go on a walk, order your favorite food, talk to a friend, meditate or sweat it out in your office gym. Distract your mind from the source of negativity for a while and try to cheer up yourself. You will find that your motivation is returning. Moreover, it is better to take a short break instead of keeping your work completely aside to make sure that you don’t carry the negativity to the next day.
4. Reward yourself:
   When the day doesn’t go as planned, bribe yourself to survive through it. Think of a reward that you will want to treat yourself to when the day comes to an end. It could be something as simple as going to a movie after work with a friend, taking a long bath or whatever makes you feel good. This will act as a motivation to work through the entire day as you will have something to look forward to once you are done with office hours.
5. Keep your eyes on the goal:
   It is easy to feel low when things don’t go well on a bad day. On such a day, if you keep your eyes on the ultimate goal, things can become a little easy. Revise your annual targets and think about ways to achieve them. This will take away your attention from petty issues and help you see the big picture. Your motivation to work will return and you will be able to work your way through the bad day.

The human mind is fickle. It is very easy to get demotivated by something, but it is equally easier to pull yourself back in the game motivated. You just have to want it really bad to turn your whole day around without giving into negativity.

Contributed by –
Megha Raizada is a professional writer working with the premium job portal Naukrigulf.com. She has a keen interest in the global job market, but also loves to keep a track of everything interesting happening around the globe. You can reach her at Twitter and Google+.