By: Larry Castro
How often have you finally had a chance to look up from your desk only to realize that you’re still at work and its almost 8pm? You look around and think to yourself, where did the day go? You got up early, arrived at work on time, went through the hundreds of emails that you get bombarded with, daily, processed some data on a spreadsheet and went to lunch. “I will get more done when I get back” you say, just to get back and get a last-minute report out on time for your bosses meeting later that day. Yet, here it is almost 8pm and you have not done much or at least in our minds, we have not. This occurs more often than we would like, and you are not alone. When the time comes to get your yearly evaluation, you are met with a quarter raise or less, in some cases. You go to work with the best of intentions and check off all your to-do list. What went wrong? Management? You could be stressed, bored, or under-appreciated. Exercise, setting personal goals, and finding the right motivator could be your answer.
The Problem
First, we need to acknowledge that we are not lazy, the simple fact that you are able to carry out what you do in the short amount of time allotted to you is proof of that. I noticed this issue when I started hating my job. I would ask myself for permission to get out of bed in the morning and it was harder and harder to just wake up because I did not want to face reality. I had gone several years without a raise and continually having more and more work piled on my desk. I just did not have the energy to fight for myself. The problem is that many of us, including myself at that point in my life, refuse to change ourselves. We blame everyone else but ourselves. And sometimes, we need to take some responsibility. We resist change because we get comfortable. Comfortable with our coworkers, how we set up our cubicle, the distance we travel to and from work, or any other number of reasons. But change is what we need sometimes. Not making a change can result in stress, boredom and the sense of feeling under-appreciated.
The Symptoms
Let’s go through some of the symptoms related to the problems listed above that can affect your productivity and well-being at work.
First, we will begin with the most obvious, Stress! Can you answer Yes to one or more of the following questions:
- Are you having trouble sleeping?
- Is your mind always racing with thoughts?
- Are you unable to focus or lack energy?
- Do you have frequent headaches or muscle tension?
- Do you use any type of drug/alcohol to make you feel better?
The questions are not intended to point a finger and blame anyone. These are just signs of stress that we need to recognize. One of the first things that must be done is to find a way to reduce stress and get your work life back in balance.
Second, Boredom, it’s a real thing! If you are not engaged or stimulated by your job, you will become bored by it. Repetitive work, not challenging enough, too much free time on your hands are all the reasons that can contribute to this fact.
Third, we need to find purpose in what we do. When we don’t, we tend to feel underappreciated. This motivation could be from internal or external forces. Finding the right motivator can help to find that purpose and ultimately, make you feel appreciated because you will reflect that change.
The Solution
To begin, let’s try looking at some solutions to the stress. Some of the most effective methods to reduce stress are:
- Exercising
- Eating Healthy
- Meditating
- Deep Breathing Exercises
- Laughing
Easier said than done, right? Well, that might be the case, but you have to start somewhere and affecting any type of change will lead to positive results in the long run. Same can be said for finding what gives you purpose. Here are somethings to motivators to consider.
Internal (Intrinsic) forces take the form of:
- Pursuit of personal goals – By setting some personal goals, you might be able to better utilize your current situation for betterment in this regard.
- Curiosity for learning something new – There is always something new to learn. Why be close-minded and not take advantage of the opportunity you have?
- Personal Beliefs, Values or Interests – Faith and your personal values can help you in getting past some of this bad mojo.
External (Extrinsic) motivators on the other hand could be:
- Tangible rewards such as money, status or recognition – What else can motivate you more than money sometimes. Once you get past all the positive thinking, sometimes money, status and power/recognition can get you where you need to be. This should not be your primary focus, but it can help.
- Social pressures or expectations (Family, Bosses, etc.) – This is the worst kind of motivator but until you find something better, or you learn to stick up for yourself, it might have to make do.
Conclusion
Blaming others can sometimes be easy but learning to change and adapt to oneself to be more productive can go a long way. Often, we think that our managers alone are what must change, that they are inconsiderate and emotionless. Sometimes, we need to step back and reconsider our own responsibility in the matter. We can bring undue stress on ourselves, become bored to the point where we are then underappreciated because we have become our own worst enemy. People then perceive us as being unproductive, not being a team player and so on. By taking small steps towards changing our behavior, we might in turn find what we are looking for. Be the change you want to be!
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