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Mindset and motivation hacks to help stay on track and get things done

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Motivation and mindset are essential components of productivity. Motivation drives you to take action, while mindset refers to your attitude and perspective. Together, they play a crucial role in keeping you on track and helping you accomplish your goals. In today's fast-paced and demanding world, however, maintaining a positive attitude and high motivation can be challenging. Here are some mindset and motivational hacks you can use to stay focused and achieve your goals.

Set clear and specific goals

Setting clear and specific goals is one of the most effective ways to remain motivated. Focus and motivation are easier to maintain when you clearly understand what you wish to accomplish. In addition, there is evidence that setting specific and challenging goals can increase motivation and improve performance (Locke and Latham, 2002). Ensure that your goals are realistic, measurable, and time-bound to increase your chances of success.

Practice positive self-talk

It is your thoughts and beliefs that shape your mindset and determine your level of motivation. Negative thoughts, such as "I cannot do this," can result in low motivation and self-doubt. Conversely, positive self-talk, such as "I can do this," can boost your confidence and motivation. There is evidence that positive self-talk can improve performance and reduce stress (Meichenbaum, 1977).

Find your why

Motivation is often influenced by our why, or our purpose. Knowing why you are doing something makes it easier to remain motivated. Several studies have demonstrated that individuals with a strong sense of purpose are more likely to be motivated and achieve their goals (Emmons, 2007). Therefore, it is important to reflect on why you are working on a particular task or project and whether it is aligned with your values or goals.

Break tasks into smaller chunks

Breaking down large tasks into smaller portions can make them feel more manageable. Research has shown that chunking can increase motivation and improve performance (Azevedo and Aleven, 2008). It is easier to complete tasks by breaking them down into smaller steps and feeling a sense of accomplishment as you complete each step.

Reward yourself

You can increase your motivation by rewarding yourself for a job well done. Evidence shows that rewards can increase motivation and lead to better performance (Deci, Koestner, and Ryan, 1999). Take a moment to celebrate your accomplishment after completing a task or achieving a goal. It can be as simple as taking a short break or treating yourself to something you enjoy.

Conclusion

Keeping a positive attitude and high motivation levels is essential for staying on track and getting things done. You can increase your motivation and achieve your goals by setting clear and specific goals, practicing positive self-talk, finding your why, breaking tasks into smaller chunks and rewarding yourself.

References:

  • Azevedo, R., & Aleven, V. (2008). Learning from examples: An effective way to support self-explanation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(3), 715–730.

  • Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627–668.

  • Emmons, R. A. (2007). The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality. Guilford Press.

  • Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory

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How to Unlock the Power of Work Motivation for Your Employees

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay

In today’s competitive business landscape, motivating employees is essential for success. Work motivation can help increase productivity, morale, and engagement, but it can be difficult to unlock the power of work motivation in your employees. In this blog article, we will discuss how to identify and improve work motivation in employees, as well as strategies and techniques for keeping them motivated. We will also look at successful work motivation strategies and common challenges to work motivation. Let’s get started.

Introduction to Work Motivation

Work motivation is the drive that compels an employee to do their best work. It is the result of an internal or external stimulus that energizes individuals to take action and achieve their goals. Work motivation is an important factor in any workplace and can significantly impact an employee’s performance.

What is Work Motivation?

Work motivation is the passion and enthusiasm an employee has for their work. The intrinsic drive encourages an individual to work hard and achieve their goals. Work motivation is a key factor in employee engagement and satisfaction. The more motivated an employee is, the more likely they will be productive and successful.

Work motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is an internal drive, such as a desire to learn or gain recognition. Extrinsic motivation is an external stimulus, such as rewards and incentives. Both types of motivation are important for encouraging employees to do their best work.

Benefits of Work Motivation

Work motivation can have a significant impact on an organization’s performance. Employees motivated to do their best work are more productive, engaged, and likely to stay with the company. Motivated employees are also more likely to take the initiative, be creative, and develop innovative solutions.

Work motivation also has a positive effect on morale. Employees who feel motivated are more likely to enjoy their work and have a positive attitude toward their job. This can positively impact the workplace atmosphere, resulting in greater collaboration and teamwork.

Finally, motivated employees are more likely to be successful. When employees are driven to do their best work, they are more likely to achieve their goals and contribute to the organization’s success.

How to Identify Work Motivation in Employees

Identifying work motivation in employees can be difficult, as it is not always easy to tell if an employee is truly motivated. However, there are a few signs that can indicate whether an employee is motivated or not.

For starters, look for signs of the initiative. A motivated employee will take the initiative and devise creative solutions to problems. Additionally, look for signs of engagement. Motivated employees will be engaged in their work and eager to learn new things.

You can also look for signs of enthusiasm. Motivated employees will be enthusiastic about their work and eager to take on new challenges. Finally, look for signs of success. Motivated employees will take pride in their accomplishments and strive to achieve their goals.

How to Improve Work Motivation in Employees

Improving work motivation in employees can be done in a variety of ways. Here are a few tips to help improve work motivation in your employees.

First, provide clear goals and objectives. Employees with clearly defined goals and objectives are more likely to be motivated to do their best work. Additionally, provide feedback and recognition. When employees receive feedback and recognition for their achievements, they are more likely to be motivated to continue their success.

Next, provide opportunities for growth and development. Employees who feel like they are growing and developing in their careers are more likely to be motivated to do their best work. Finally, create an environment of trust and respect. Employees who feel trusted and respected are more likely to be motivated to work hard.

Strategies for Enhancing Work Motivation

A few strategies can be used to enhance work motivation in employees. Here are a few of the more popular strategies:

  1. Provide rewards and incentives. Rewarding employees for their efforts can be a great way to motivate them to work hard.

  2. Foster collaboration and teamwork. A strong team environment can help foster motivation and engagement.

  3. Offer training and development opportunities. Offering employees chances to learn and grow can help them stay motivated.

  4. Promote a culture of recognition and appreciation. Recognizing and appreciating employees for their efforts can help boost motivation.

  5. Encourage autonomy and flexibility. Giving employees autonomy and flexibility to manage their work can help motivate them.

Techniques for Keeping Employees Motivated

Keeping employees motivated is essential for a productive and successful workplace. Here are a few techniques for keeping employees motivated:

  1. Provide feedback and recognition. Regularly providing feedback and recognition can help keep employees motivated.

  2. Set achievable goals. Setting achievable goals will give employees something to strive for and help keep them motivated.

  3. Offer rewards and incentives. Offering rewards and incentives can be a great way to motivate employees.

  4. Encourage collaboration. Collaboration and teamwork can help keep employees motivated and engaged.

  5. Celebrate successes. Celebrating successes and achievements can help motivate employees to do their best work.

Recognizing and Rewarding Employee Motivation

Recognizing and rewarding employee motivation is important to any successful work motivation strategy. Recognizing employees for their efforts and achievements can show them that their work is valued and appreciated. It can also help motivate them to continue to do their best work.

Rewarding employees for their efforts can also be a great way to motivate them to do their best work. Rewards can include recognition, bonuses, promotions, or other incentives. Rewards can help show employees that their hard work is valued and appreciated.

Examples of Successful Work Motivation Strategies

There are a few examples of successful work motivation strategies that businesses have used. One example is Google’s “20% Time” policy, which allows employees to spend 20% of their time working on projects of their choosing. This policy has successfully motivated employees to be creative and take the initiative.

Finally, Amazon’s “Leadership Principles” have motivated employees to take the initiative and be creative. These principles focus on customer obsession, ownership, and continuous improvement.

Common Challenges to Work Motivation

There are a few common challenges that can hinder work motivation. These include non-competitive wages, lack of recognition, lack of resources, lack of training, and lack of growth opportunities.

Non-competitive wages can lead to demotivation, as employees may not feel valued. Lack of recognition can also lead to demotivation, as employees may not feel appreciated for their efforts. Lack of resources, training, and growth opportunities can also lead to demotivation, as employees may not feel challenged or have opportunities to develop their skills.

Best Practices for Maintaining Employee Motivation

Maintaining employee motivation is essential for a successful workplace. Here are a few best practices for maintaining employee motivation:

  1. Recognize and reward employees for their efforts.

  2. Provide clear goals and objectives.

  3. Offer training and development opportunities.

  4. Foster collaboration and teamwork.

  5. Encourage autonomy and flexibility.

  6. Promote a culture of recognition and appreciation.

  7. Set achievable goals.

  8. Offer rewards and incentives.

  9. Celebrate successes.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your employees remain motivated and engaged in their work.

Conclusion

Work motivation is essential in any workplace and can significantly impact an employee’s performance. Identifying and improving work motivation in employees can be challenging, but a few strategies and techniques can help. By providing clear goals and objectives, offering rewards and incentives, and fostering collaboration and teamwork, you can help unlock the power of work motivation in your employees. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your employees remain motivated and engaged in their work.

How to find what really matters in YOUR life.

ProductivityEdward Kiledjian

In January, I wrote an article entitled “Do Less, Accomplish More” where I stress the importance of asking “What’s most important to you about […]”. This is an extremely powerful question that will help you make the right decisions. I recently used this question to help a former colleague and wanted to share that experience.

Recently I had an interesting discussion with a former colleague who seemed exasperated and overwhelmed with life. He was so swamped he didn’t know what to do next. He felt was living an information overload life which meant he had lost his bearings and didn’t know how to navigate his life going forward. It was both his work and personal lives.

So after calming him down and bringing him back down to earth, I asked him “what’s most important to you in life?” The first couple of attempts, he went on tangents and started giving me form answers without taking the time to really think about my question. I had to reset the situation, explain the purpose of the exercise and asked it again. I prefaced the question by saying “If you knew tomorrow was your last day on earth, what would most important to you?” I asked him to “allow himself to play this game with me”. I asked him to “take the time and really think about the situation and his answer”.

After 5 minutes of calm and controlled reflection, he smiled and talked about his wife and children. He talked about how he had meet his wife many years ago and how much she helped him grow as a person. He then explained how his children were his single greatest accomplishment and joy. How a smile from either of his kids could make his entire soul smile.

Life often seems uncontrollably overwhelming. You may get the feeling that you are in the passenger seat of this car called life and don’t like where it is heading. The above exercise may seem simple but it is very powerful. It is a great way to periodically ground yourself and remember what really matters in your life. Everyone has a different answer and each person’s unique answer is the right one for them. The important result is to know what really matters in your life and encourage the activities that get you closer to those/them. 

Does productivity hurt creativity?

ProductivityEdward Kiledjian

I love the Chinese concept of yin and yang. It reminds us that all things in the universe must be in balance. Good with bad, positive with negative and productivity with creativity. What?? You heard right, productivity and creativity are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The part of your brain that handles organized productive thought is the opposite side of the one that comes up with the crazy out of the box thinking that creates revolutionary shifts.

I often hear comments like “I was on the plane and all of a sudden, I had this great idea”. People seem to be most productive when they are disconnected from the world and not working against a fixed timeline.

Productivity is a creativity killer!

A Silicon Valley startup even moved its operations (temporarily) to Hawaii to gain more creativity and come up with breakthrough ideas. 

We all have “dead time” in our lives. Time we spend waiting for the bus, subway. Waiting at a checkout counter or restaurant. Before the era of always connected smartphones, many of us used this time to think about issues that needed to be thought about. Today we spend that time trying to be more productive by responding to emails and conducting web research on the go. Smartphones are a great help but if you need creativity, you should learn to put it away once in a while and just ponder and day-dream.

There was an interested 2009 article about the benefits of ineficiency for creative thinking.

My approach

As the Chief Information Security Officer of a large multinational, my job demands efficiency and control [most of the time]. Yet to truly add value for my company, I need to come up with Big Hairy Audacious Goals that push everyone outside of their comfort zone but that deliver the real long term strategic wins.

When I want to be creative, I follow a flow:

It’s play time

I block out a 4 hour chunk to play with my ideas and often lock  myself in my office. I decide on my first main idea and then use mind mapping to develop and flow. Non-judgmental, honest and fast moving. I have tried mind mapping software but for truly creative thinking, nothing works better [for me] than an analog experience on a whiteboard.

Daydream          

Allow yourself to daydream. Whether it means starring out from a window, bouncing a ball on a nearby wall or taking a random walk, allow yourself to be “non productive”. This unproductive time has been shown to spark big-picture thinking. It allows your brain to process thousands of pieces of unrelated information and produce a masterpiece of original thought.

Some may feel like they are wasting time but this couldn’t be further from the truth. As mental activity decreases, valuable brain activity increases. This has been proven in countless research papers and is the main concept behind meditation. Give your brain a chance and it will amaze you. It will interconnect unrelated bits of information and then will bubble up wonderful ideas to your conscious mind.

Trust that it will happen and get out of the way. Allow yourself to daydream.

 

Do less, accomplish more

ProductivityEdward Kiledjian

We are in the tail end of January and many have already given up on their new year’s resolutions. In life just like in business, too many people “fail” at accomplishing the goals they set up for themselves.

This is a great time to remember one of my favorite questions “What’s most important to you about […]”

Doing less accomplishing more

This is a simple sentence that has been used to turn around dying companies and turn around marriages. Forget about trying to accomplish 500 things simultaneously and distill your commitments to the real value-add goals.  By doing what’s really important, you do less but achieve more. That is the essence of efficient time and goal management.

By making the number of goals more achievable, you set yourself up for success. Your subconscious will be more calm and relaxed because you will be tackling something it believes is achievable (10 goals instead of 100). Not only will this seem more achievable but it also means hundreds of less important distracting activities or decisions points are eliminated, which leads to clearer decision making.

You will do less but complete a lot more value add tasks. By concentrating on the elements that deliver the biggest bang for the buck, you’ll waste less time and receive many more rewards for the tasks you do accomplish.

By doing less, you free up time (which everyone needs more of anyway). You can then decide how to effectively spend this newfound time. It can be used for relaxation, education, spending time with loved ones or accomplishing other meaningful work.

How can I be lazy today?

When planning your schedule, take a minute and ask yourself “how can I be lazier today?” What activities can you get rid of without too much impact? Most people assume everything on their calendar is critical and must get done. Is that really true? Do you have to be in every one of those meetings ? Can they be delegated or refused?

I recommend building in YOU TIME into your calendar. This is time for you to just sit down and relax. Having meditated for over 15 years, with a couple simple breaths, I can put myself in a very calm and relaxed state.

Even if you don’t meditate, take a couple of minutes to sit still on your chair, close your eyes, take a deep invigorated breath, hold it for 10 seconds then slowly exhale. As you are doing this, concentrate on the inflating and deflating of your chest. With every breath, feel the muscles in your body relaxing and releasing all of their tension. Start at the bottom of your feet and work all the way up to the top of your head. This should take no more than 10 minutes (even for a newbies) but will yield hours of benefits in increased productivity.

If thoughts crawl in while you are relaxing, just acknowledge them and tell yourself there will be plenty of time to think about it later and get back to your breathing.