capricorn Posted June 24, 2009 Report Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'm looking for advice on keeping my level of work ethic and motivation high. I work a desk job, 40 hours a week. It compensates me well, and it involves an area of expertise that I am glad I have. The work is not bad and I do not necessarily dislike it. However over the last few years my main interests and likes have changed, and there are other things that I find more pleasing to do. The other things can not compensate me as well, and my mortgage and family situation leave me in a place where I need to be compensated at a certain level. Unfortunately, lately it has not been uncommon for me to feel completely unmotivated to actively accomplish the tasks before me. I have been able to keep doing enough to get buy, but I often feel bad that I am not doing more, as I know I am capable of. I do find I am more motivated and accomplish more when I am more organized, so I can turn to that to help (clean the desk, clean the office, organize my papers, etc). What do other people do to keep their motivation at work high? I post a list of goals for the week on the wall in front of me. Sometimes this can help. Maybe I should do the same with my list of values? Sometimes music helps, I guess I should listen to it more while working.. What do you do to keep your level of work ethic and motivation high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl096 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 My suggesstion is to find out what you REALLY want to do, and do it. Period. You live once. Perhaps you can start it part-time and transition? Don't waste another minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capricorn Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 My suggesstion is to find out what you REALLY want to do, and do it. Period. You live once. Perhaps you can start it part-time and transition? Don't waste another minute. I agree with you in principle, and I have been working towards that goal. Recently I have created rough drafts of two different business plans that are more in line with what I would like to be doing. However I just don't see how 'doing what I really want to do' is going to pay the bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musenji Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Does your family situation involve a spouse? Have you had a discussion about your situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristotlejones Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 What do you do to keep your level of work ethic and motivation high? Short answer: Follow your passion. Long answer: If you don't know what your passion is, here's one way to find out. What Color is your Parachute is a long running series of annual employment market/advice/jobhunt/career change books, that you can likely find at any library. Don't worry about the date of the book, just look for a section that has an exercise related to a flower. Basically you take seven blank sheets of paper, and title each with one thing/job/experience/hobby/encounter that rocked your boat, made you happy, gave you energy, made a difference, gave you life... Then you are instructed to flesh out each experience in as much detail as you can, by descriptions, thoughts, interactions, feelings, etc. Then, you compare each event with each other by finding the common threads (the section in the book helps you do that), and now you start filling in the flower where each petal has a relevant career element such as income, work environment, kind of work, amount of commitment, etc. I tried this maybe 30 years ago and it told me that I should find something where I write about technology. At that time I didn't know enough about technology or writing and tried to fill in those gaps, mainly because I loved both areas. About 7 years ago I did the same exercise, and found it said the same thing, and this time I was ready. I currently operate a patent paralegal business where I write patents for inventors, lawyers and large companies. I truly love my work! The exercise works for anyone who does it honestly because the results are determined by the experiences that you already know float your boat. Cheers, <Φ>aj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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