Motivation (or lack thereof)

kdouglas

Hey, not exactly a life threatening problem, but i find myself having very little motivation recently. When im in work, i find myself losing interesting in whatever im working on after about half an hour, then browsing the internet for a while before having to force myself to get back to what i was doing.

Not only that but i seem to have very little motivation to do anything when i get home in the evening, i used to work on personal projects in my own time but now i cant really be bothered.

Anyone have any suggestions/ideas on ways to solve this little problem? Im going on holidays for a couple of weeks so im hoping maybe the break away will help too.

Cheers

whiskeyman

I can get like this a lot.
I think the best thing to solve it is routine.
For work, I'm very much task orientated and need a good list of stuff to plough through. This keeps the mind ticking over and time should go much faster.
In relation to outside work, try something like joining a sports club that you'll enjoy. Get into the routine of getting ready / travelling to it etc.. and you wont need much motivation per se to do it, as it'll become part of your lifestyle.

On a side note, are you happy with work and your life at the moment? I went through a bit of a bad patch last year and my motivation levels hit rock bottom.

smash

kdouglas wrote:

Hey, not exactly a life threatening problem, but i find myself having very little motivation recently. When im in work, i find myself losing interesting in whatever im working on after about half an hour, then browsing the internet for a while before having to force myself to get back to what i was doing.

Not only that but i seem to have very little motivation to do anything when i get home in the evening, i used to work on personal projects in my own time but now i cant really be bothered.

Anyone have any suggestions/ideas on ways to solve this little problem? Im going on holidays for a couple of weeks so im hoping maybe the break away will help too.

Cheers

There must be something in the air, I'm the same. Find myself on boards all the time cos the IT industry is slowing down a bit with people going away and less people wanting stuff done!

Funsterdelux

Im not alone so, god yeah, I find myself working in spits and splurts, I work inbetween surfing the net. I think Im less motivated coz the fellow who I started with got the sack and so theres not as much competition, none really, even though Im just here a few months, but theres a few new people starting soon, which will keep me busy, I hope.
I think you need some competition to get motivated, similar to the previous posts.
Looking out at the beautiful weather doesnt help too.

J.S. Pill

You're certainly not alone. Since I left college I've really let myself go intellectually. I don't read near as much as I used to and I'm finding myself becoming more apathetic towards events in the outside world. In a way this is a good thing as I don't get as worked up about things I have no control over.

As for work, I've been working temp office jobs for a year now, My motivation to perform well at work is very low. There's some sort of a rational basis for this; I work short term contracts so I'm not looking to move up and therefore I don't have to kiss arse all the time and also, the jobs I do have no relation to any future career. I know some people I've worked with resent me for my laid back, 'I don't give a f**k' attitude but...I don't give a f**k. Having said that I know that there's a deeper lack of general motivation influencing my work ethic aswell.

I suppose we all work harder when we have a goal in mind. When I get a proper job I'm sure i'll start taking pride in it. As for reading? Well I could say cosmic enlightment is my goal but I know better than that. There's no goal really...perhaps I'll pop into waterstones tomorrow and see if I can find something that can hold my interest for a few weeks

Nevyn

It is the oppressive heat, bring on autumn.

5starpool

I have been like this for the last couple of years mostly, apart from fits and starts. I think it is because a lot of people realise they only have to keep up a certain level of consistency to not endanger their jobs. I had a very well received first year in my current job, but all motivation has drained away even though I am still well thought of because I know how to give the impression of hard work. That's the key, I try to work smarter now, not harder. It is very much like my approach to college, only do the things you need to.

Funsterdelux

Thaedydal wrote:

It is the oppressive heat, bring on autumn.

I agree wholeheartedly, its just not natural, we are animals not machines/robots.

galah

Move to Ireland - it's freezing here! :mad: Maybe it's just me, but I really envy all the people "on the mainland", where it's nice and toasty...

Back on topic - I do get motivation slumps as well, sometimes it helps to switch tasks, or just admit that it's a slump and bum around for a while (if it's only a day we're talking about) - as long as you make up the time the next day/within the week...People simply can't be motivated to the max and perform 100 % all the time!

Otherwise, as the OP said, maybe a holiday will solve the problem!

bringitdown

OP - did you take a 'gap' year at any stage by any chance? ... myself and most of my mates all find/found it hard to get back in the swing of things following a year out having the 'good' life. Still haven;t regained the same levels of concentration and commitment I had before I left....

I find booking 'exciting' holidays for a not to distant time in the future provides a bit of focus and distraction from general malaise.

kdouglas

well, ive basically been like this for the last week or two so its not just a one day thing that i can say ill finish whatever im working on tomorrow....

i think the weather/humidity definately does not help, and coupled with the fact that the aircon in work keeps breaking and doesnt work very well even when its not broken.

In relation to outside work, try something like joining a sports club that you'll enjoy. Get into the routine of getting ready / travelling to it etc.. and you wont need much motivation per se to do it, as it'll become part of your lifestyle.

outside of work ive a fair few hobbies etc...but i just dont seem to be interested in any of them when i get home in the evening after a day of doing nothing in work

On a side note, are you happy with work and your life at the moment? I went through a bit of a bad patch last year and my motivation levels hit rock bottom.

yea, i like my job, and life in general is good, just broke up with my gf, but that was my decision and i prefer being single.

maybe its the heat, or maybe i just need a break, hopefully i can get away with doing nothing until this weekend when im going away.