There’s always so much work that could be done, and sometimes getting started is difficult, but I always think that maintaining is the hardest. Here are some thoughts I am having, as I try to motivate myself through my own afternoon humps.
Motivations
Digging deep to find why I’m doing something is always helpful. It makes me think harder about why I’m doing something, and I try to develop a bit more value to the task at hand. It needs to outweigh the value of the distraction, which is usually quite easily discarded as distractions.
Breaks
But sometimes the distractions help you to find the value of the task at hand. Like having some mediocre coffee always reminds me that there’s better coffee elsewhere. That gives me some energy to try and wake up earlier the next day so that I can actually make better coffee.
Similarly for work, sometimes the breaks are seen and perceived as a waste of time. This might work positively, because I wouldn’t want to waste my time would I? Instead, I might want to focus more on the work I have, and making that more valuable.
Friends and Workmates
The social aspect to work is always key. I find that days when my colleagues are also working hard, it is easier to remind myself to keep on at it. But on other days, especially after big meals, everyone might distract each other not to work. So the friends around also play a part on how we feel about doing the work.
Most of the time, having someone around that is willing to work, and to keep with the work, that makes for a good experience of working. I also find it a bit more motivating when there’s a clear time of play after. For example, sometimes I would go work with friends, and we would go bouldering after that. I would intentionally try to finish my work quicker, or with a lot more focus, so that the play later is more stress free.
The Audience
Close to motivations; I find that meeting the people who would be receiving my work is always a good reason to keep my focus on the work. Sometimes it might be a client, other times it might be students or people I am mentoring. Meeting them straight would also give me a bit more alignment, and even help with my own ideas and how I generate them.
The To Do List
This one always works. Breaking down the day into small tasks that I can mark off as the day goes on. For some reason, having clear indicators of what I am doing and what is done helps me to get more work done faster. Psychological maybe.
Just a short post today, with some short points. I’m just really distracted with my own work and decided to make something positive out of my distractions. Clearing off my daily blog post 🙂