9 Ways On Finding Motivation After The Lockdown
- Updated on: June 12, 2024
We have been living in this pandemic, which has majorly affected the whole world, for more than a year. Home offices were built, our pets became our best co-workers and the life we once knew is probably never going to be the same as it once was.
So, as we are transitioning out of the lockdown back to working in normal workplaces with other people around, it’s only understandable that somewhere along the way we might have lost our motivation.
The loss of motivation can quite clearly affect our productivity and goal achievement, but we, the Luxafor team, are all about making the most out of your workday, so here are 9 useful ways on how you can, too, find motivation after being in the lockdown for way too long!
1. Practise self-care
Yes, it is important that you do everything to the best of your ability at work, but you also have to remember that there is nothing more important than taking care of yourself first. If your mind and body aren’t going to be in their best shape, you won’t be able to do your work properly as well.
There are five types of self-care practices – physical, mental, social, spiritual, and emotional self-care. By definition, self-care is a complex process of mindful participation in techniques that promote healthy living and increase well-being. So you have to ensure that you’re still doing things for yourself – either doing yoga, going for a run, practicing breathing exercises, or going out after work.
2. Find and consume content that inspires you
If you want to get the motivation you once had back, one of the most important things is to look for inspiration. Fortunately for us, living in a digital era has its bonuses – we can get access to all sorts of inspirational content: from books to videos and podcasts.
All you have to do is find content that not only motivates you but educates on ways to achieve your goals as well. Once you find an idol or a story that inspired you, start creating your success model, based on those stories.
The way this works is simple – practicing the consumption of motivational and inspirational content every day can lead to you being able to delve into that source. Just try following real-life success stories and don’t fall for the false images of it.
You can also find motivational quotes that inspire you to keep going and keep them in a place where you would often see them. For example, you can set them as your screensaver, write them down in your notebook, or even print them out and frame them next to your work station. This will help you stay in the right frame of mind and remind keep your motivation levels topped up through the day.
3. Give yourself a reward (but at the right time)
You may have already known the fact that the little metaphorical pat on your back, also called reward, can actually increase your desire to do an activity. But did you know that the timing of giving yourself that reward is what matters even more?
That’s right, there is research that states as follows – to make the activity more pleasurable, you need to combine it with something you really enjoy either during or right after the activity.
For example, if you have to write a whole bunch of report papers, treat yourself with a cup of your favorite coffee or some of your beloved snacks as you do the work.
4. Make some time for moments of positivity
Sometimes doing some type of work can make us feel quite miserable. But we can’t let ourselves dwell in that dark pit of sadness and anger that can have a toll on our productivity in the long run.
To avoid it at all costs, you have to make some time for moments of positivity and happiness every day. It can be as little as watching a funny cat video or maybe sending a meme to your colleague.
Cultivating happiness and joyful moments every day can increase your productivity at work, your overall health both physically and mentally, as well as improve your relationships with people around you.
5. Set small, easy-to-reach goals each day weekly
To keep your motivation levels somewhat high, you have to set small and realistic goals for yourself every day. That way you always have something to look forward to and can look back in the evenings at things you accomplished.
Just sit down every Sunday, take your notepad or journal and map out some kind of plan for the next week. The goal isn’t to write down an action for every hour of the day, but you have to set your little day-to-day goals.
It might be helpful to use the “Don’t break the chain” technique, where you have a calendar of 365 days. The idea is that you make a simple goal for yourself, and every day when you’ve reached the goal mark it out on the calendar without breaking the chain. That way you can look back at your past accomplishments and stay motivated because you know – you CAN do it!
6. Don't put too much pressure on yourself
You can stay motivated in two ways – one is doing something you really enjoy without focusing on the outcome, and the other type of motivation is caused by the recognition and rewards from other people and fear of punishments.
So the one matter that quite often gets in between you and the motivation, is linking your achievements and abilities to your self-esteem. In other words, you can get demotivated by just building your self-worth on your abilities to do some kind of activity or task.
The key is to understand the place you feel the pressure coming from and letting go of the need to always be perfect without making any mistakes. Just don’t be too hard on yourself – we all know you’re already doing your best!
7. Design a proper and healthy morning schedule
The motivation comes from a healthy body and a calm, collected mind, that’s why you should always start your day with a proper morning routine. It is advised to wake up before 9 AM, take a shower to wake up not only your mind but body as well, and eat nutritious breakfast to keep you energized throughout the day until lunch.
This should be your daily morning base for starting the day on a good note, but additionally, you can try doing some 20-40 minute morning exercise – a simple stretching, going for a short run, or just dancing in front of the mirror to boost up your energy and set your mood for the day.
8. Start journaling
You may have already heard about journaling – the trend was blowing up a few years ago all around the world. But for good reasons actually! Journaling is a high-performance habit that can help you gain focus, becoming more productive, and reflecting on your actions and development.
You can start your journaling process electronically in notes or some kind of note-taking app, or ideally writing things down with your hand, sharpening your mind and memory. The aim is to write down your everyday event, goals, and accomplishments, also analyzing any downfalls you can learn from.
9. Remember to take breaks
We know that sometimes it’s hard to remember to take a break and let your mind loose for a second, letting your body and brain breathe. But it is necessary that you don’t let yourself burn out.
Set a reminder on your phone every once in a while during the day to stop what you’re doing, rest your eyes, breathe for a minute, maybe even make a short meditation session. Having a routine with pauses from work can help you productively manage your time at work, do your tasks with a much more clear mind and improve your work-life balance.
Final thoughts
During these stressful times when we all have been forced to change our routines and build our lives all over again, it can be really difficult to look forward to something and keep ourselves motivated.
But we can’t just let everything go – we have to find new ways to motivate ourselves and keep our lives going. Try at least some of the tips above and keep up the good work! We are all rooting for you!
LUXAFOR HELPS PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF OFFICE PRODUCTS. LET’S BE PRODUCTIVE TOGETHER!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Do you want to build and maintain new habits? Get your free PDF version of the Don't Break The Chain calendar and start today!
Author's Bio
Jessica Chapman is a writing editor from Chicago who enjoys traveling. She works with Australian Writings, and if you need programming assignment help, she is the best person you can ask. She is also into politics and sports.
