Conventional Wisdom and Motivation

Good article here that talks about Dan Pink and Dan Ariely along with how we need to look at the big picture.

Article: Conventional Wisdom We Have to Break

Motivation Magic: The Motivation Emergency Kit

It is 2:00pm and you are stumped, lethargic, and deer in the headlights frozen in place. What has happened? It is the time of the day when productivity slumps and your brain seems to be frozen because the motivation magic seems to have dissipated into thin air.

Each of us has a certain time of the day when we are the least productive, for me it typically shows up from 2 – 4pm. I get work done but some days it feels like I am sloshing through wet, sticky mud instead of gliding down the river with ease.  The loss of motivation magic prompted me to do a little study. I started to notice what time of day I was the most creative, when I was able to create, produce, and feel even a bit giddy. This time usually occurs in the early morning 7 – 10am.  I know now that if I have any creative writing to do, detail work, or product development on my schedule that my best time to work on it is early in the morning vs. the afternoon.  But sometimes I do not have the luxury of picking when I get to work on things so I have come up with a few things that I know kick up the motivation magic.

My Motivation Magic Emergency Kit:

MUSIC: The top contender for kicking up the motivation during the drag times is definitely music and not quiet lullabies but hard kicking alternative rock or dance music.  I tap into my music library on my computer or go out and visit Pandora a great online music site.

ENVIRONMENT CHANGE: If the music is not making a dent in my energy level then I pack up my computer and head towards one of my favorite coffee shops with WiFi access. I have found that sometimes I work best surrounded by noise and people. The afternoon lull is a great time for me to change-up my environment and mingle with the world around me. Many times being in a different environment provides inspiration to my work.

COFFEE: Ok this one may seem obvious but caffeinated beverages are a great pick me up and there is nothing like a great coffee on a cool fall day. The benefit of the caffeine jolt and getting out of the office to get to the coffee treat are a great pair. Caffeine and fresh air a perfect match to bring on some motivation magic.

MOVEMENT: Sometimes getting up from my desk and moving helps wake up my senses. If I have the luxury of 15 minutes I may even go outside and go for a quick walk or if not just taking in some fresh air can help.  Many of us spend a crazy amount of time sitting down and our bodies seem to fall asleep the longer we sit.  So I try and step away from my desk throughout the day to either stretch or take a quick walk which helps wake up my brain and my body.

These are a few examples of what I use for my motivation magic emergency kit.

What do you do when you feel the productivity dip during your day?

 We would love to hear your tips, leave a comment or send us a tweet @WhatMotivates.

Susan

Employee Motivation in 3 Steps (or maybe a few more)

This is a great video that highlights some key things that companies can do to engage their employees. Love its fun presentation. I would add in there are some other aspects beyond the three that this video talks about that can help engage participants (look to enhance bonding, building challenge and comprehension into the work environment, and creating an organizational culture that you would want to defend) – but these suggestions are a great start!

Today I’m Inspired by…

All the people making a difference in the world.

I realize it is not about waiting for some great solution or grand change.  Change is happening everyday.  It is being brought about in little ways by thousands and millions of people.  People going out of their way to help others.  By people dropping off food at a food shelf.   People sharing their ideas and discussing their hopes with others.  We are making a difference in the world by helping others achieve their potential.  By turning out a light or using less gas.  We are making a difference when we smile at others on the street for no good reason.  When we allow that car in front of us to merge in.  It is all the little things that we do and that we need to continue to do that will make this world a better place.

Motivation and Attitude: Half Full or Half Empty

So how do you perceive the world?  Attitude has a lot to do with motivation – or is it that motivation has a lot to do with attitude? 

Half Full Perception

We have officially hit our high season at The Lantern Group.  The media may be talking about gloom and doom in the economy but our high season has returned like summer turning into fall.  We are busy.  Our funnel is full.  We are grateful and appreciative for the work that we are engaged in and the clients we are working with during a time of uncertainty in our world. 

Half Empty Perception

We have officially hit our high season at The Lantern Group.  We are busy.  Time is too short and our clients want things faster and cheaper than ever before.   It is going to mean late nights and long hours to get everything done.  Plus we have more projects in the pipeline.  How are we ever going to get through this and stay sane?

When opportunities arrive at your doorstep, which lens do you look through, the lens of half full or half empty? 

Some factors that might influence your perspective include:

• how do you set goals and drive toward achievement
• do you work as a team to reach the goal line
• do you try to learn new skills and add new products to fulfill customer needs
•  do you focus on the big picture and look towards the future
• have you spent time upfront looking at how to streamline your work and focus in on what you do better than anybody else and get rid of the fluff
• have you asked your employees what would they do if they were running the company and then listen

How do you perceive the world today half full or half empty?

We would love to hear from you, let us know how you perceive the world by adding a comment below.

Susan

Social vs Economic Contracts

Ariely talks about the difference between a social and economic contract.  Very important to understand when we are thinking about motivation and how we drive this at work.

One more trick to stay motivated

Here is one more trick that I’ve learned to help keep myself motivated. I have an index card (actually two stapled together) where I’ve listed out both big and little things that drive me or that I want to do more often. For instance, the first item listed is “go outside and play with the dog.” This relates to what I said yesterday about get moving – getting up and getting myself going. Another one listed is “Notice the little things.” Too often I think we miss (or dismiss) those little things as trivial or not important – when they are very important. For instance, the nice thank you e-mail that you should send someone, recognizing someones insight in a meeting or realizing that they just stepped out of their comfort zone. These are important.

This list keeps growing and it is a nice way to remind myself of things I should focus on or keep top of mind. I always get energized after reading it.