Work Motivation Tips for Greater Productivity
Enter any child's classroom and you are likely to find at least
a few boys and girls who are motivated to write the best story,
draw the best picture, do the most interesting dramatization in
the class play.
Classroom motivation seems so easy compared to work motivation.
With work motivation you are dealing with adults. Money isn't
always enough of a motivator for some adults.
What is motivation?
Think of motivation as an empty box. It sits in the corner, day
after day, not drawing attention as something that needs to be
filled. Then, a day comes along that a manager needs that
particular box. They need it now. They need it to be stuffed to
the point of overflowing with xyz.
With work motivation you are looking for that employee's empty
box. Why not just grab any box from the storeroom and get the
employee to start filling it? That describes the day-to-day
activity in most work places!
While the morale of the group can seem to affect everyone,
motivation can be a very personal thing. Like in the classroom,
there are going to be some children that like painting better
than writing stories.
So how do you motivate at work? Well, finding out what makes a
person want to fill their box is a start. You'll want to find
out what people do away from work, for that. Hobbies and
interests are where you'll often find the hidden talents
employees' have- talents that with the proper motivation can
make that person exceed everyone's expectations.
A great deal of the time, it's falls on management to keep
people motivated and to keep morale up. That's not always an
easy task. To be able to find a person's 'empty box', you need
to take care of your own box first.
As the saying goes: You can't give away something you don't have
to give. Here are some easy ways to work motivation into your
daily life:
1. Read books.
Don't just read a book that you think would be good. Find books
that are valuable to you and your company. One of the classics
in this genre is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by
Stephen Covey.
2. Watch good television programming.
Learning TV is becoming more popular in many areas. You are sure
to find something you can learn about. Movies are also a great
way to find ideas for self-motivation. Sometimes, the more
unlikely the place, the better the idea!
3. Take care of your health.
Let's face it, if you aren't feeling well, there is not much
that will thrill or motivate you. Find fun ways to exercise and
make sure to eat healthy foods and get enough rest.
Bring motivation into your everyday life by giving yourself lots
of fun projects to do! Remember, nobody can be motivated all of
the time. Accepting that about your own personal motivation will
make you a better motivator, overall.