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6 Ways to Utilize the Weekend to Prepare for the Work Week

By Calendar | Scheduling, Time Management | No Comments

The workweek can be tough. Life asks much of you, and it can feel like the important things are slipping away. While the weekends are traditionally a reprieve from the workweek, more and more, they seem to blend together. So it’s important to make sure you’re using your weekend wisely to prepare for the work week. Here are six ways to use your weekend time to make your next week a bit smoother.

1. Schedule the Week Ahead

Scheduling is one of the best ways to start making good use of your time. It’s easy to meander through the week with a vague idea of what you need to get done each day. You spend more mental power than you might expect when you need to reorient yourself every day.

By scheduling your week in advance, you increase your clarity and precision throughout the week. So start scheduling your week on the weekend if you aren’t already. Spend 30 minutes to an hour on your weekend, blocking out the most important items for every day.

Timeboxing is a skill where you limit the amount of time you allow yourself to spend on a certain task. By limiting the amount of time you allow yourself on a task, you’re more likely to end up finishing it faster. That way, you won’t allow scheduling itself to be another annoying part of your weekend.

2. Budget

A great way to make money is to save it. Budgeting may sound a bit tedious, especially as a weekend activity. But it enables you to be confident in your spending and stretch your money further.

Start by investigating your spending. Take a look through your most recent month of credit card transactions. Get a pen and paper or open up a spreadsheet and start tracking them. Then break them up by order of importance: essentials, need-to-haves, nice-to-haves.

The essentials are non-negotiable fees you have to pay like rent, utilities, and insurance. The need-to-haves are needs with potentially negotiable fees. Need-to-haves are things like groceries or your cell phone bill. These are basically necessities, but unlike your rent, you could find ways to cut down on their costs.

Finally, the nice-to-haves are things that do enhance the quality of your life, but you don’t really need. For example, Netflix is fun, but maybe it’s not exactly the most necessary thing you bought this month. Nice-to-haves are the easiest things to cut.

With a budget in mind, you can approach your week feeling confident about your spending. You’ll know whether you can really afford that extra candy bar while waiting in line.

3. Meal Prep

Feeding yourself can be incredibly time-consuming. You have to decide what you want to eat, go shopping, prepare the food, eat, and then clean up after. Do this three times a day every day, and the hours start to add up. Now, you could circumvent this issue with take-out or frozen meals. But these are often less nutritious and hurt your health in the long run. So why not try preparing your meals ahead of time?

Meal prep is a tried-and-true method of saving time that its enthusiasts swear by. Pick a weekend day, usually Sunday, to get the majority of the work out of the way. While you won’t be able to finish everything ahead of time, you’ll save yourself tons of time each week. The best part is you won’t sacrifice your nutrition while doing so. In fact, you might actually end up eating even healthier than before!

4. Tidy Life, Tidy Mind

An untidy space can hamper productivity. A cluttered desk, for example, is simply less functional than a tidy one. It’s also an indication and reflection of your internal mentality. The same goes for your living space. So if you’ve been meaning to clean up for a while but just haven’t gotten around to it, do it this weekend.

Laundry is also a big part of this equation. It’s one of the first elements of your household that can get out of hand. Make sure you have a dedicated space for collecting dirty laundry, like a closet hamper. Once you establish a routine, laundry can become a weekly or bi-weekly weekend habit, saving you time.

Now that you’ve got your laundry tidied up — apply the meal prep approach to your clothes. Go through your wardrobe and choose which clothes you’ll wear for the coming week. This cuts out the time you spend deliberating on it each morning. You can also go one step further and make cuts to simplify your wardrobe. Steve Jobs famously wore the same outfit to reduce “decision fatigue,” and you can do the same.

5. Take a Step Back

Scheduling, cleaning, meal, and clothing prep are all great ways to frontload work so your week goes smoother. But they’re largely task-based activities that require you to do active problem-solving. Simply put, if you’re always working, you’ll start experiencing burnout before too long. Preparing for the workweek isn’t just about completing tasks ahead of time. It’s also about making sure you’re prepared, and that includes resting.

Now, what’s restful for someone may not necessarily be restful for you. Some people need to charge up to wind down by playing sports or otherwise engaging in rigorous activity. Others may recuperate from the week by finding a quiet coffee shop and reading a new book. It’s important to find what works for you and then to make sure to actually do it.

In a world that values output, it can be easy to write off self-care as a waste of time. But if you’re too burnt out to do work, then you’ll end up wasting your time anyways. Self-care is essential to maximizing your output during the workweek. If you’re a workaholic and just can’t seem to relax, schedule time into your weekend to not work.

6. Connect with Loved Ones

Unfortunately, it’s too easy to let your connections with those you love most slip. Of course, you want to spend time with them, but the world is demanding, and so they’re pushed back endlessly.

Connecting with people who are important to you is crucial for your well-being. This is another form of self-care, but one that focuses on the longevity of your relationships. Humans are social creatures, and by neglecting your relationships, you effectively neglect yourself. Engaging in healthy social relationships boosts your physical chemistry in the short term. Robust relationships also increase your long-term resiliency and life expectancy.

So visit your parents. Go on that date you’ve been wanting for a while now. Text that friend you haven’t seen in years. Time spent with others is time well spent when it comes to your physical and mental health. And regularly scheduled social activity will help you prepare for the work week. It will give you something to look forward to when the workweek gets you down.

It’s Your Time

The traditional work weekend of Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday lends itself well to scheduling, prepping, and self-care. Friday and Saturday are great times to build relationships and take time for yourself. Sunday is perfect for scheduling, planning meals, and other workweek prep. Treating Sunday as the first day of the week with Saturday as the last is a framework for invigorating productivity.

Ultimately, find what works for you and stick to that schedule to cultivate habits that help you better prepare for the work week.

6 Ways to Utilize the Weekend to Prepare for the Work Week was originally published on Calendar. com on Sept. 29, 2022, by Matt Rowe. Featured Image: Ekaterina Belinskaya; Pexels.com. Thank you!

12 Ways to Motivate Yourself Every Morning

By Appointment LLC | Time Management | No Comments

It’s funny how morning motivation works. On some days, you wake up with so much energy and motivation that you’re ready to take on the world. Other times, it feels like you have just enough energy to crawl out of bed.

Even though motivation seems random, it’s not. It takes effort to feel motivated. More specifically, it comes when you’re passionate about something.

Don’t worry if you find it hard to get up and go to work every day. According to a Gallup study, 60% of people are emotionally detached from work and 19% are miserable at work. And, a mere 33% of respondents felt engaged.

Once again, motivation requires effort. Keeping yourself refreshed and renewed is something you need to do every day. In that light, here are 12 ways to get motivated every morning to get you through the day.

1. Get plenty of sleep.

Do you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning? Well, the culprit could be that you aren’t getting enough sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation suggests that most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night. If you’re falling behind on sleep, you might need to adjust your waking and sleeping times. Thankfully, to get more sleep, you can try the following methods:

Maintain a consistent circadian rhythm by rising at the same time every day — including weekends.
Take advantage of sunlight in the morning to help your body produce the right hormones for sleep and motivation in wakefulness.
Don’t rush through your evenings, including finishing your evening meal at least four hours before going to bed.
At least 30 minutes before you go to sleep, turn off your screens. After all, blue light from your TV and phone impairs your sleep.
Use sleep aid supplements, such as melatonin, if you have trouble falling asleep.
Strenuous exercise should be avoided within four hours of bedtime to prevent disruptions in sleep hormone production.
Keep your room like a cave. In other words, your bedroom should be dark and cool.

2. Don’t hit snooze.

Avoid hitting snooze in the morning. In addition to being bad for your psyche, it’s also bad for your motivation.

“After you hit snooze and drift off, your brain starts its sleep cycle all over again,” Alan Henry said on Lifehacker.com. “When the alarm goes off a second time, you’re likely at an even deeper, earlier part of your sleep cycle, which results in you feeling evenworse than you did the first time.”

Additionally, refrain from waking up surrounded by blaring alarms, radio static, or irritating talk news. Choose a soothing, upbeat alarm instead. Getting up will be much easier if you listen to your favorite song or listen to a funny podcast.

3. Pose a few positive questions to yourself.

According toHenrik Edberg on PositivityBlog.com, whenever you wake up, ask yourself five empowering three-part questions, as follows:

What am I ______ about in my life right now?
What about it makes me _______?
How does it make me feel?

“Put in your own value in the blank space,” he says. “For instance, a couple of my questions are:”

What am I happy about in my life right now?
What am I excited about in my life right now?

“It’s important that you really feel how it makes you feel,” Edberg adds. “When I think about the last part about what makes me happy right now I really feel it.”

Morning questions can fill you with motivation, appreciation and positivity based on the way they are framed.

4. Your biggest dreams should be visible to you as soon as you wake up.

In order to live a fulfilling life, our brains constantly need reminders of what we hope for. By writing it down, we become conscious that what was once a dream and thought suddenly becomes tangible and clearly visible.

As a result, it is no longer just a vivid imagination. But, instead, something that could actually come true.

5. Establish routines.

Getting yourself out of bed in the morning requires more than your morning routine. Just as important is what you do in the evenings before you hit the hay.

As an example, by picking up clutter and cleaning the mess around your house before you go to sleep, you can wake up to a clean home. In turn, this helps you feel energized and refreshed in the morning.

Before you sleep, take the time to read for a while. As a result, your brain will disengage from the day’s activities.

In the morning, your routine could consist of making your bed, watching a TED Talk, journaling, or decluttering your workspace. An efficient morning routine improves mental health, lowers stress levels, and increases energy levels.

Whatever consists of your morning routine, I also suggest that it includes at least one thing that you love.

As Tony Robbins says, “There are 2 different kinds of motivation: Push requires willpower, and willpower never lasts. What will last is pull – having something so exciting, so attractive, something you desire so much that you have a hard time going to sleep at night, you get up so early in the morning and take it to the next level. That’s what you’re looking to get.”

You can utilize pull motivation by incorporating at least one thing you enjoy into your morning routine. As I walk my dog, I listen to one of my favorite podcasts. It may sound corny. But, as I anticipate listening to a new episode, I am excited to start my day.

6. Map out your day.

Write down your goals for the following day before you go to bed. Also, organize your projects by priority. And, take note of any appointments you have coming up on your schedule.

It may seem like a lot of planning. But, this ensures that you’re in control of your day. As a result, you’ll stay motivated, on track, and won’t be distracted by other things. Also, since you know what needs to be done, you’re reducing the number of decisions you have to make. In turn, this preserves your energy throughout the day.

7. Wear something that makes you feel good.

The right outfit can make or break your day, even if you don’t realize it. The reason is that when you feel comfortable and look good, you project confidence. In most cases, that’s a big motivator for us.

It sounds simple. But, wearing a wardrobe that you are excited to wear can boost your motivation for the day.

8. Stretch and exercise.

Regular exercise releases dopamine, which is the chemical responsible for making us feel happy. To put it another way, this is our biology’s “feel good” pill which boosts our positivity.

Plus, you’ll stay fit, healthy, and in great shape if you do this frequently.

9. Make yourself accountable.

It’s more likely that you’ll follow through when you get someone else involved in your productivity. Furthermore, this can give you something to look forward to.

“Your motivation to get out of bed can be enhanced by planning with a friend that you will both work out in the morning from your own homes or follow an online exercise routine at the same time from your respective locations,” says licensed psychologist Selena Snow, PhD.

It is also possible to hold yourself responsible for helping someone else. For example, helping a colleague catch-up on an assignment because they were under the weather.

10. Have a morning mantra.

“Words hold a lot of meaning, so imagine the power of saying something motivating to yourself each and every day,” says holistic business coach Tiffany Napper. “A great mantra should incite a feeling inside you — a feeling that you don’t quite feel in your soul yet but you want to… a feeling of empowerment.” After one week, evaluate how you feel after repeating it 20 times every morning with heart and soul for the next 7 days.

Tiffany suggests the following morning mantras to brighten your day:

I am worthy just as I am.
I will achieve great things through small steps.
Everything I need is within me.
I am fulfilling my purpose in this world.
I am centered and at peace.

11. Surround yourself with inspiration.

Keeping something inspirational in your room, such as a favorite painting or framed photo, can provide inspiration. Another option is to create an inspiration board, a compilation of pictures, quotes, or anything else that makes you happy, and keep it in your room as a reminder. As a result, you will see happy, positive thoughts in the morning and at night, instilling motivation as soon as you wake up.

12. Shake things up.

While routines serve a purpose, there’s a danger of them becoming mundane very quickly. As a consequence, your motivation can diminish as you do the same thing every day.

To avoid getting stuck in a rut, do something different. Perhaps you could try a new route to work, visit a new café, or try something new from the menu. Adding variety to your life not only boosts your energy, but it also motivates you.

12 Ways to Motivate Yourself Every Morning was originally published on Calendar.com on Sept. 21, 2022 by Albert Costill. Image Credit: Aphiwat Chuangchoem; Pexels.com. Thank you!

5 Tips for Waking Up Earlier

By Calendar | Time Management | No Comments

Not everyone is a natural morning person. Some like to sleep in and get a few extra Z’s. Ever heard of “beauty sleep?” Getting some extra rest is definitely okay unless your schedule no longer allows for it and you need to start waking up earlier.

Maybe it’s a new job, or you’re returning to school after the summer break. Whatever the reason, if you’re not used to waking up early, making the switch can be difficult.

Most people don’t enjoy getting less sleep. Fortunately, there are ways to get around this that don’t involve missing out on much-needed rest. There’s more to it than just going to sleep earlier.

Making some simple changes to your mornings can make a significant difference. Starting to make these changes might seem daunting, but in reality, it’s not so tough. Here are some tips to help yourself wake up earlier and conquer the day.

1. Draft a schedule.

One way to feel more prepared for the next day? Utilizing a schedule should be your go-to move. Scheduling is the perfect way to lay out what you need to get done, then plan your day accordingly.

Simply write down what you know you need to do the next day, and assign the tasks to different times of the day. It can make your days easier because you can visualize what your day requires. Also, you won’t have to figure out what task to do next at the moment. If indecision rules your days, adding this form of structure can help keep you on course.

You don’t have to go crazy planning ahead. Some people aren’t big schedulers, and that’s okay. That can be enough if you want to think ahead only the day before. There are no rules to break here.

When making your schedule, remember to allow enough time for each task. Additionally, be realistic about how many things you do in a day. The point is not to overwhelm yourself; it’s to make your life easier. One thing you can schedule ahead is a morning routine (see #2). Seeing what you need to do in the mornings can help give a sense of order.

2. Create a morning routine.

One of the secrets of waking up earlier is to follow a routine. A morning routine can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. If you’re new to the concept, going easier on yourself is your best bet.

Making a routine is simple — have an order of the activities you need to accomplish in the morning.

For example, the first thing you might do when you wake up is brush your teeth. Then, you might shower. Basically, you’re mapping out what you’ll be doing and giving it some order.

There are different aspects of morning routines. What kind of morning do you want? That might seem like a loaded question, but give it some thought. Do you want to exercise? Make a nice breakfast? Time to journal or meditate? These are things to consider when planning a routine for your mornings.

Perhaps most importantly, remember to make your routine realistic. If you’re not used to going on morning runs and coming home to a green smoothie, don’t expect this by tomorrow. It can take a moment to get adjusted, so start small. For example, go on a short run your first day, and maybe pre-make your smoothie the night before.

Whatever you choose to include in your new routine, make sure it’s not too much to handle. A routine is all about simplifying your time, not adding extra stress. If you’re lying awake at night, dreading everything you have to do when you wake up — it won’t help you. Go easy on yourself!

3. Avoid the snooze button.

When trying to make yourself wake earlier, it can be so tempting to press “snooze.” The extra five or ten minutes might feel like it would do you some good. However, this way of thinking is actually the opposite of reality.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, hitting snooze can be harmful to your sleep health. You might condition your brain to expect those extra minutes, which would be counterintuitive. The short sleep period is not actually restful, so it’s a waste of time. You might even feel more sleepy afterwards.

So how do you stop relying on the snooze button? A little self-control can go a long way. Do all you can not to be tempted to get those extra few minutes. Additional minutes that are not beneficial, if you remember. Try counting 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 — and hop out of bed.

Get up and do some jumping jacks. Splash your face with cold water. Anything to get yourself out of bed and feel a bit more energized. It can be hard at first, but your body will thank you later.

4. Have something to look forward to.

It might seem silly, but anticipating something you enjoy is one of the simplest ways to get yourself up and at them. If you have an activity you’ve planned, and you’re looking forward to — it’s less tempting to stay in bed. It’s some simple psychology, but it works.

Think about something that would motivate you to get up. Is it a yummy breakfast? Maybe a refreshing run outside? Or, perhaps it’s a delicious cappuccino that helps give you that caffeine boost. Whatever it may be, having something that gets you out of bed is great.

If you haven’t used this method before, it could be a good one to try. First, however, think about how much time this rewarding activity will take. You’ll need to factor that into your morning schedule. Or, you might have to adjust your wake-up time.

If you think a mouthwatering breakfast sounds like it would get you up, try that. And, there are steps you can take to make the process easier on yourself in the morning. Having to make a complete breakfast from scratch could take some time. Instead, prepare some things in advance to make cooking a quicker task (see #5).

5. Prep the night before.

Another step you can take to help yourself wake up earlier is to prepare in advance for your morning routine. The less you have to do right out of bed, the easier it can be to get everything done. This can help you feel less stressed about the morning time.

For example, meal prepping for breakfast can free up your mornings. By cooking breakfast the night before, all you have to do is reheat. Or, if you don’t want to make all of it in advance, just prepare some parts of it beforehand.

Let’s say you want an omelet, but don’t like the taste of reheated eggs — prepare to have a fresh omelet by chopping up any vegetables you want to add to the omelet. If you want to add meat, like bacon or sausage, cook those the night before. Now all you have to do is throw it all in a pan in the morning.

How about a little less of an effort? Even just laying out products you’ll use or clothes you’ll wear the next day can help. Picking out your outfit the night before can cut down on time in the mornings, especially if you’re indecisive.

If you wear makeup, lay out what you’ll use on your dresser or vanity. You’ll have less reaching and searching to do when using everything. This can really help with fuzzy morning brain, too.

Don’t be hard on yourself.

It’s important to remind yourself that making adjustments can be hard. Especially if you’re not a morning person, changing the time you wake up can be extra difficult.

It might not be smooth sailing from the get-go, and that’s okay. Don’t put yourself down for any struggle you may feel during the process.

No one said being human is easy. Remember to give yourself some grace. Utilize the tools around you — make a schedule, have a reward ready, prep the night before. Whatever it takes to reach your goal, be sure to use it.

5 Tips for Waking Up Earlier was originally published on Calendar.com by Angela Ruth. Featured Image Credit: Los Muertos Crew; Pexels.com. Thank you!

How Not to Dread Returning to Work After Time Off

By Appointment LLC | Business Tips | No Comments

How did you spend your recent vacation? Did you soak up the sun at the beach or go hiking in the mountains? Maybe you backpacked through Europe, took a family road trip, or simply had a relaxing staycation. Everything seems to be going well until you realize that returning to work awaits you on the last day of vacation. And, it starts with a capital W.

No. Your mind isn’t playing tricks on you. We all hate going back to work after vacation. In fact, it’s a phenomenon that’s been studied numerous times. As an example, a Zapier / Harris Poll found that 87% of knowledge workers dread returning to work after taking a vacation.

But, why? The following tasks are among the most dreaded.

Reestablishing a routine – 37 percent.
Getting caught up with administrative tasks – 31 percent.
Feeling overwhelmed by busy work – 27 percent.
Post-vacation blues – 27 percent.
Dealing with piles of unread emails/messages – 26 percent.
Being overwhelmed by a busy schedule – 25 percent.
Not being in the loop about tasks – 23 percent.
Catching up on missed work while feeling unproductive – 20 percent.
Missing an important decision made while they were away – 18 percent.
A delay in a project caused by their absence – 18 percent.
Having trouble managing their projects – 17 percent.

Hanging On to Vacation Benefits Upon Return

Psychologist Jeroen Nawijn, who has studied how vacations affect the quality of life, tells Popular Science that people generally feel rejuvenated after a vacation. However, these benefits tend to disappear after they return home. “They most likely feel best during vacation because they have more freedom to do what they want,” he explains.

Suzanne Degges-White, a therapist at Northern Illinois University and chair of the department of counseling and higher education, agrees. “Once we get back into the work world, the majority of us have to answer to someone about what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and when we’ll be done,” she says.

In addition, she says that going on vacation doesn’t alleviate all of our responsibilities and quandaries. “Many people dread the return as they know that problems may have stacked up in their absence. There may be a pile of new requests of their time on top of the unfinished tasks they left behind,” Degges-White explains.

Additionally, she points out the impact of switching from a more flexible sleep schedule on vacation to a more rigid and regimented bedtime schedule during the week. Moreover, overeating (and drinking, if that is your thing) can lead to sluggishness. And, it can also negatively impact wellbeing.

At the same time, you don’t have to let the good times go after the vacation has ended.

1. Plan before you go.

Before leaving for vacation, prepare for returning to work.

As soon as you begin planning your vacation, you should consider what potential problems or events could distract you. Also, don’t wait until the last minute to start any big projects. Be sure to complete any urgent tasks before you depart if there are any deadlines during your absence.

If you’re going away, plan ahead and get your team to assist you while you’re away. I’d also suggest that you reciprocate while they are away.

Some other tips include:

Tackle your priorities ASAP.
- “How you identify your priorities is totally up to you,” writes Max Palmer in a previous Calendar article. “I would recommend reviewing your calendar and then composing a master list.” If you have an appointment scheduled already, consider rescheduling it. Also, the 80/20 rule or 1-3-5 scheduling rule can help you trim back your list.
Don’t burn yourself out before your vacation.
- There’s nothing like front-loading what you can. “But, you still need to take breaks to rest and recharge,” he advises. “If I know, I have an upcoming vacation, I might put in a couple more hours of work each day.”
Clean your plate, don’t add more.
- In Max’s case, this means not taking on any new assignments until he gets back home. “I also cut back on the number of meetings I accept so that I can focus mainly on my work.”

One final suggestion. Don’t forget to schedule your vacation days.

Let clients and coworkers know you’ll be away. If you’re on vacation, they should be respectful of your absence. It is unlikely that you will be bothered by people if they know you are on vacation — especially if you have given them several weeks’ notice.

2. Don’t disappear completely.

It may make more sense to be “largely” disconnected — even if the original idea is to completely disconnect.

That doesn’t mean you should scrap out-of-office messages altogether. Still, you might want to check your email periodically. In this way, you can stay up to date on what’s happening in the office. And, this also prevents your inbox from getting too cluttered.

Additionally, some messages may require your response. For example, as a freelancer, you may want to reply to potential clients about how long you are away. If you are available, let them know. Or, perhaps you can refer them to someone who can help.

3. Schedule a buffer day.

Whenever you are considering how many leave days to take off, consider a buffer day or two as well. It’s these days that give you a chance to reorient yourself at home after your vacation. For example, when you get home, you can unpack, do laundry, bond with your pets, and go shopping for essentials.

In short, having a buffer day gives you time to unpack your bags, do your laundry, go grocery shopping, and prep your meals for the week instead of doing so after work.

4. Check your calendar.

Make sure you check your calendar the day before you return to work so you are not surprised by unforeseen meetings or tasks. If you do encounter unexpected surprises, consider whether you can handle them without too much preparation.

And, if possible, postpone them until you can contribute meaningfully.

5. Stay in stealth mode.

Your boss, colleagues, clients, and immediate reports may be aware that you’ve returned. In any case, there is no harm in waiting a couple of days before broadcasting your return to the real world.

Why? With selective stealth, you can catch up and return to normal life without being rushed or distracted.

6. Divide your first day back into time blocks.

Break up your first day back at work after vacation into blocks of time. And, don’t forget to take regular breaks. One rule of thumb is the 52/17 Rule. Here you would work for 52-minutes and then take 17-minutes.

On your first day back at work, do not feel pressured to work hard. Once you’ve returned from vacation, it’s important to give your body and mind some time to adjust. And, time blocks can do just that while also helping you focus on your priorities.

7. Get organized.

Getting organized is the first thing you should do when you return to work. For some, this might mean putting yourself in a good physical or mental state. As such, you might want to engage in some physical activity to release endorphins.

Keeping your office or workspace tidy is another suggestion. This should also be done before you leave for vacation, so you’ll be able to return to a clean work environment. If not, use your post-vacation to clean and organize this area. Or, use this as an excuse to finally spruce up your workspace.

8. Make work fun.

Use your first week back to accomplish things you actually enjoy. Maybe this could be scheduling lunch with a coworker where you exchange vacation stories. Or, you could embrace gamification in the workplace.

You can also make work fun with these practices.

Start the day with a playlist that gets you pumped and motivated.
Review your past accomplishments and track the progress of your goals.
Decorate your workspace.
Put on clothes that will make you happier and more confident at work.
Bring your dog to work — or let them stay with you in your home office.
Whenever you complete a task on your to-do list, reward yourself with a healthy snack or victory lap outside.
Plan an out-of-work activity with coworkers.

9. Don’t go full throttle.

You shouldn’t be too rigid about what you expect for your return to work — whether you plan to take it easy or jump right into the fire. After all, there’s a possibility that your plan for a slow and easy return may turn out to be a lot faster than you expect.

Make time for self-care, pace yourself, and ask for extensions when necessary. You will be less stressed and less overwhelmed if you are kind to yourself during this transition.

10. Take a piece of your vacation with you to work.

When you return to work after vacation, bring a souvenir that is appropriate for the office, such as a coffee mug, mouse pad, pen, desk ornament, or framed picture of your trip. It has been found that recalling vacations and other adventures can provide great pleasure, according to UC Riverside psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book, Myths of Happiness.

A souvenir can bring back happy memories that can motivate you through the daily monotony of your work.

How Not to Dread Returning to Work After Time Off was originally published on Calendar.com by Albert Costill. Featured Image Credit: Karolina Grabowska; Pexels.com. Thank you!

Daily Ways to Build and Inspire Yourself and Others

By Deanna Ritchie | Business Tips | No Comments

We all have those days when we don’t feel like doing anything. ‌Mentally and physically, we are exhausted. ‌It’s tough getting out of bed in the morning.‌ And, it’s a challenge just to get out of bed, let alone seize the day.

As much as we wish we could stay in bed all day, we cannot. ‌So when you feel uninspired, you can overcome that emotional hurdle with these 20 daily techniques.

1. Don’t wait for inspiration to strike.

“Inspiration is for amateurs,” said painter and photographer Chuck Close. “The rest of us just show up and get to work.”

“If you’re sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens,” he further explains. “But if you just get to work, something will occur to you, and something else will occur to you, and something else that you reject will push you in another direction.”

Instead of wasting your time and energy waiting to feel inspired, tap into the power of a daily routine. And this is actually something that successful creatives and entrepreneurs have long known. ‌William James, the famous psychologist, once said that habits and schedules are necessary because they “free our minds to advance to really interesting fields of action.”

While there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to scheduling your calendar, here are some tips to get you started:

Schedule time for planning. For example, every evening, create and review your schedule for tomorrow.
Jumpstart your day with a morning ritual. Some ideas would be journaling, exercising, meditating, or reading.
Time block your calendar. Establish specific times for specific tasks throughout the day.
Designate a “most important task.” Always include the one absolute task that needs to get done for the day.
Leverage the power of breaks. Breaks are needed to help you refresh and recharge.
Give names to time slots and downtime. This ensures that you use this time purposefully, like s “Tuesday a.m., break 15 min walk,”
Be flexible. Even if you’re consistent, the unexpected is always lingering around the corner. So leave blank spaces to address the unanticipated.

2. Connect to your values.

“This is the ultimate secret,” notes author and Director of Innovation at Microsoft

J.D. Meier. “If you can connect the work you do to your values, even in small ways, you can change your game.”

It’s important to J.D. Meier to learn and grow as a person — a worthy goal for all people.

“I find ways to grow my skills in any situation,” he adds. For example, he just doesn’t “call back a customer.” Instead, he aims to “win a raving fan.” He doesn’t merely “do a task.” Instead, this is a chance to “master my craft.” ‌And, it’s more than “get something done.” Rather, it’s an opportunity to “learn something new.”

3. Add your goal to your calendar.

Did you know you can boost your internal motivation by setting‌ ‌a‌ ‌target‌ ‌date? It’s true.

As‌ ‌such,‌ ‌whatever‌ ‌your goal is, schedule it. ‌If you’re working toward a goal, you might have a deadline. For example, preparing for a meeting presentation or submission date for a project.

By establishing a realistic deadline, you can add structure to‌ ‌your‌ ‌goal. Target dates also help you stay motivated. And, when added to your calendar, it lets you keep track of your progress. ‌As a result, you are always aware of how far you need‌‌ ‌‌to‌‌ ‌‌go.

Also, once you’ve established your goals, share them with someone else, such as a mentor.

You’re more motivated if you share your goal with someone higher up because just caring what they think of you makes you accountable. ‌For example, you might be more motivated to get promoted if you tell a mentor or manager than if you merely tell a friend or peer.

4. Turn off distractions.

I think this is a no-brainer. ‌However, I’m talking about turning off distractions the entire day long instead of just during certain times. When you do, you’re taking your inspiration game to a whole new level.

It’s easy to lose track of time and focus constantly being glued to our phones, the internet, and social media. ‌It does not matter if you are reading a book on the subway or listening to a podcast or playlist while exercising. As a result, I’ve found myself instinctively reaching for my phone during periods of downtime, allowing myself to scroll mindlessly on Instagram or Facebook. ‌Despite how helpful and entertaining it is to be tuned in, tuning out can leave your mind wandering for hours.

5. Create a feeling of gratitude.

You may find it hard to motivate yourself when you’re stuck in a rut. ‌Think about how you feel before trying to motivate yourself.

Motivation comes much easier when you feel appreciated for who you are.

Gratitude is the quickest way to lift your spirits. After all, it’s almost impossible to be grateful and feel depressed ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌time.

Get in the habit of practicing gratitude by writing down three things you’re ‌grateful‌ ‌for. ‌From your morning coffee to your pet, or even your comfortable chair, there are many things you can appreciate.

To stay motivated, you should include this in your daily routine. Also, when your grateful for the people in your life, let them know that you appreciate them through thank you notes or social media shout outs.

6. Take advantage of others’ motivation.

There are always words or artwork from others to turn to when you need extra inspiration.

Making a playlist of songs that excite and inspire you can be a great place to start. After all, ‌music‌ ‌can‌ ‌elevate your mood and change your perspective. ‌I dare you not to get up and move when you listen to “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky.

In addition to music, books, movies, and Ted Talks can inspire and guide you. Also, you can search for tweets with the hashtag #inspiration or discover blogs of people who have overcome adversity.

Furthermore, hundreds of motivational quotes from successful people can make you more optimistic immediately by changing your mindset.

7. Ask, “What Would Dolly Parton Do?”

It doesn’t exactly have to be Dolly. But, come on. She’s a national treasure.

Anyway,‌ ‌looking through a different lens can be powerful. ‌After all, when imagining yourself seeing the situation from the perspective of someone else.

Consider your favorite role model, but use their perspective to gain insight. ‌It’s a great way to think outside the box and to gain a fresh perspective.

For example, if you want to improve your leadership skills, ask “What would Richard Branson or Barack Obama do?”

If you’re overcoming adversity, ask “What would Oprah, Nick Vujicic, or Bethany Hamilton do?”

8. Embrace and share vulnerability.

Nowadays, we’re all about Instagram likes and Instagram followers. ‌Being perceived as anything less than perfect is a daunting prospect. ‌A dangerous facade of success can be created by the glossy social media statuses of our lives.

However, sharing defeats‌ ‌and‌ ‌admitting‌ ‌failure is‌ ‌a‌ ‌powerful‌ ‌motivator for moving forward. ‌Do not let your emotions get the best of you. Instead, work through them. ‌Afterwards, move on to something more productive.

As a result of sharing these vulnerable moments, peer relationships are also deepened. And, it might just inspire them as well.

“Vulnerability is not winning or losing,” states Brené Brown, a research professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host. “It’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”

9. Get back to nature.

Our daily lives can be enriched by learning from nature’s lessons. ‌A hike or watching the water of a river pass by, for example, is said to calm one’s prefrontal cortex, allowing it to access other regions that might produce insights or‌ ‌new‌ ‌ideas.

The experience of being‌ ‌in‌ ‌nature‌ ‌also‌ ‌inspires‌ ‌a‌ ‌sense‌ ‌of‌ ‌awe. ‌”Expansive thinking” arises when we realize the world is much bigger than we can understand. It allows us to consider different perspectives and can result in innovative solutions.

It might be tough to do this daily. But, you could start by going on a walk with a coworker after lunch or with your family during the sunset

10. Put together a win list.

“I have exchanged my to-do list with a win list,” Ken Gosnell, CEO of Experience tells Forbes. “A win list is a list of actions and behaviors that I know will create momentum for me and my organization.”

“I focus on at least one win a day and then I record all the wins, big and small, at the end of the day, to review everything that I feel good about accomplishing that day, he adds. “Often, one win can lead to the next one and many other wins.”

You can also do this with your team. For example, kicking off a meeting with what everyone accomplished in the past week. Or, create a dedicated Slack channel where people can share their success stories.

11. Compete in a friendly way.

Try to finish a boring or routine task first with a coworker at work in a friendly competition. ‌A little gamification usually keeps things lively.

In addition, you can also add a small prize, like pizza or coffee the other person, to motivate the winner.

12. Embrace positive peer pressure.

Achieving your goals is ultimately up to you. ‌Other people, however, can motivate you in a very positive way.

It has been shown that teamwork can boost perseverance, engagement, and performance — even if you’re flying solo. What’s more, this can also keep you accountable or pus‌h you when you’re not in the zone. Depending‌ ‌on‌ ‌what you want to accomplish, this might mean a running team or joining a professional organization.

And, again, sharing your goals can strengthen your commitment to achieving them, according to another study. ‌If you have work goals, consider sharing them with your supervisor or mentor.

13. Reframe questions.

“Let’s say that you are demotivated by a problem that seems impossible to solve,” writes Scott H. Young over at Lifehack. “What you can do is invest a lot of time upfront framing the right questions.”

According to Timothy Ferriss’s Tribe of Mentors, readers should ask themselves, “How would it look if this [endeavor, goal, etc.] were easy?”

In The‌ ‌One‌ ‌Thing by Gary Keller asks, “What is one thing I can do that would make everything else less important or unnecessary?”

“Think about the problem you want to solve, and ensure you ask the right questions,” adds Young. “Also, consider if you have assumptions baked into your line of thinking.”

Asking (the right) questions is always better than assuming. ‌An inspiring solution can be found by using these methods.

14. Cut your to-do-list in half.

Our ability to achieve success is hindered by long lists. ‌These lists impede our progress instead of helping us advance. So, what’s the solution? ‌Focus on the most completing items first by cutting your to-do lists in half.

In some studies, people don’t accomplish any tasks if they have more than seven on their list. ‌Nevertheless, if you have only three items listed, there is a high likelihood of finishing them all.

15. Don’t be a critic, be a coach.

A person can either be their best coach or their‌ ‌worst‌ ‌critic. ‌It’s up to you what you choose.

Whether you beat yourself down or lift yourself up, you know best how to do it. ‌You can give constructive feedback to your inner coach, and give your inner critic a rest.

As soon as you choose to become your best coach, you will gain a fresh perspective on yourself. And, it can take your potential to levels you’ve never dreamed of.

Also, keep this in mind when sharing feedback with others. Instead of being too harsh, keep the feedback constructive.

16. Reflect on how far you’ve come.

When is the last time you paused to appreciate and refelct all you’ve accomplished? ‌It’s likely that you undervalue all your accomplishments in the face of all your growth.

Spend a few minutes daily reliving and feeling your successes, no matter how small. You could do this as a part of your morning routine. Or, even, when taking a break from work.

17. Declutter and tidy.

In the event of a messy desk, it’s impossible to inspire and motivate yourself. The same is true when you’re calendar is cluttered with useless tasks that prevent you from achieving your goals.

Now, that doesn’t mean you have to go on a daily cleaning spree. But, you could set aside 15-minutes at the end of the day to declutter and tidy your workspace. And, maybe this will inspire yourself and others to follow suit as well.

18. Do some mood-lifting.

The quality and quantity of work are both improved when a person is in a good mood. ‌Having a positive attitude every day isn’t realistic, though. ‌Mood lifts can get you going if you’re lacking in the inspiration department.

Looking for some mood-boosting ideas? ‌The following might be helpful:

Exercise
Chat with a supportive family member, friend, or college
Get outdoors and enjoy the scenery
Watch some cute animal videos or pictures
Stream funny YouTube videos
Feel empowered by adopting an alter ego, aka “The Batman Effect.”

19. Treat yourself.

“Biologically, rewards increase dopamine levels in your brain,” Elizabeth Perry for BetterUp. “Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps us feel happy and increases our memory retention, helps us sleep, and regulates our mood and appetite.” ‌When dopamine surges, specific behaviors are reinforced.

“Experiencing a rise in dopamine levels is addictive, and we physically and mentally crave that feeling again,” adds Perry. “When we’re content, we’re more productive.”

Don’t worry about getting hooked‌ ‌on‌ ‌rewards though. As you work hard, you train your mind to view it as‌ ‌a‌ ‌reward‌ ‌in‌ ‌itself.

Moreover, rewarding yourself reduces procrastination, sharpen your focus, and eliminate distractions.

But, when and how should you reward yourself? Well, you can treat yourself when you complete your to-do list for the day. If so, you can start rewarding a new book, watch a TV show, make plans with friends, or take the day off.

20. Shake up your routine.

While having a routine is key to inspiration, sometimes we get into a rut. So, occasionally mix things up.

Switch up your commute, rearrange your schedule, or work somewhere else. Experiment with different activities as well. ‌Simple changes these can make a big difference when you need inspiration.

Image Credit: Designecologist; Pexels

Daily Ways to Build and Inspire Yourself and Others was originally published on Calendar by Deanna Ritchie

How to Boost Your Productivity Game in 2022

By Max Palmer | Appointment | No Comments

If you are one of those people who make New Year’s resolutions, being more productive likely made the list. In fact, it probably makes the list for all people — year after year after year — because productivity can be elusive for all.

Even if you started 2022 with a constructive few months — by April, you may already be waning. The commitment to productivity in your job and personal life may be as unused as your gym membership. “Maybe tomorrow” turns into “maybe next week,” then “maybe next month,” and so on.

Before you allow your good intentions to pave that road to you-know-where, take note. There are ways you can restore that drive for productivity and make it a habit rather than a hope. Don’t just resolve to boost your productivity game in 2022; make it happen.

Establish Some Boundaries

If you don’t set limits on what you do and don’t want to do, you’ll keep landing out of bounds. Deciding what you’re not going to do in 2022 will keep you focused on what you do. Those limits will help you say “no” to wasting time and “yes” to getting things done.

Boundaries are rules used to guide interactions with others. Those interactions could be with family, friends, co-workers, or even the barista at your favorite coffee joint. That means they are personal, professional, and transactional.

You may decide this is the year to not indulge in office gossip. Or perhaps you’ll choose to not run to the bathroom and hide every time that annoying co-worker approaches you. Imagine what you could accomplish just by placing those two activities out of bounds.

Your productivity will rise if you are centered rather than lurking on the periphery. Obviously, you need to set some boundaries to know where they are. But once you do, you can focus on what matters and leave what doesn’t outside the lines.

Breathe Life Into That To-Do List

Now that you’ve set some rules for what you aren’t going to do, make a list of what you are. To-do lists come in all forms and lengths, so begin by deciding what format will work best for you. If you aren’t sure, don’t be afraid to try a few on for size.

Make sure your list doesn’t linger on your desk like the company’s last strategic plan that’s sitting on the shelf. A good list should be consulted and revised every single day, marking items off, and adding new ones. If that isn’t happening, adjust the way you’re doing the list or don’t bother having one.

You can add structure to your list by using your calendar instead of a series of sticky notes. It will force you to think realistically about the time it will take to accomplish a task. Moreover, you’re less likely to overschedule the volume of tasks on a day filled with meetings.

To-do lists may do more harm than good if they overwhelm rather than encourage. If your current method isn’t working, give it some oxygen. Done correctly, your list, (and that strategic plan), should be a living, breathing thing.

Free Up Your Prime Time

Everyone is more productive at some times than others. The time of day, day of the week, or month of the year are all variables. The trick is determining where your productivity sweet spot is and using it to your advantage.

If Monday morning at 11 with two cups of coffee down is your prime time, block it off your calendar. Schedule a task for that time instead, especially one that’s important, on a tight deadline, or difficult. It’s a great opportunity to check off a loitering assignment.

Freeing up those chunks of time when you are most productive also means eliminating corresponding distractions. Close your office door (if you have one) and hang up a “do not disturb” sign. Stick your phone in a drawer and silence those pesky notifications so you aren’t tempted to look.

If you can develop a habit of preserving your most productive times for actual production, even your coworkers will notice. That may help them avoid distracting you despite working in a cubicle or an open office space. You’ll be more than ready for prime time.

Employ Some Tools of the Productivity Trade

Productivity apps have become ubiquitous. They’re all designed to boost productivity at work, at home, among individuals, or teams. In fact, you can skewer your productivity by spending too much time figuring out which ones you want to use.

Nonetheless, if you find an app that makes you more focused, more organized, and more productive, use it. You may find some are handy for everything from working out to whittling down the honey-do list at home. Using productivity apps for more than your job will make you more adept at using them.

Employing apps and productivity hacks for more than one purpose at a time may make you more productive on multiple fronts. For example, kill two birds with one pomodoro technique that you’re using to maintain focus on tasks. During those five-minute breaks, do some squats or sit-ups and get your workout done too.

The fact is that productivity devices don’t work for everyone. But if you haven’t tried any because you don’t think they’re your thing, you should. Any job is always easier if you’re using the right tool to get it done.

Give Your Productivity a Leg Up

Everyone needs a little help sometimes to keep their resolutions going — or to start over. It’s okay to ask for help, stumble a bit, and restart when necessary. Abandoning the attempt to become more productive is the only real failure.

As you focus on your resolve to improve, celebrate your wins, and don’t beat yourself up over the losses. Productivity is, after all, work. Boost yours even a little this year, and you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

How to Boost Your Productivity Game in 2022 was originally published on Calendar by Max Palmer.

Image Credit: Olia Danilevich; Pexels; Thank you!

How to Stay Motivated in the Winter

By Hunter Meine | Knowledge Base | No Comments

For many of us, it has felt like winter for a couple of months. Unfortunately, not everyone experiences a winter wonderland during the chilly months of the year. For many, winter is the most challenging time to stay motivated and productive. Regardless, work carries on as usual, and workers need to keep on top of their game no matter the season.

Staying motivated throughout the winter will take a little extra effort on your part. Luckily, winter only lasts so long. With the following tips, you should be able to maintain your productivity until spring without an issue:

Make Light a Priority

One of the biggest triggers of seasonal depression is the lack of sunshine. The presence of light subconsciously lifts up your spirits and boosts your motivation. Unfortunately, with fewer hours of sunlight in the winter, it’s more difficult for many people to remain positive and productive throughout the entire season.

To help yourself stay motivated in the winter, try to take advantage of those few hours of sunlight that are available. Pull back the drapes, face the window, and brave the cold for the occasional walk. Even a little bit of natural sunlight will make a massive difference in your winter motivation.

If getting natural sunlight proves to be difficult, try some artificial light. For example, you can purchase a small desk lamp that works as an artificial sun. It might not seem like much, but the additional light will help you start each day off on the right foot.

Manage Your Temperature

In addition to the amount of light you get during the winter, regulating your temperature is part of your environment you need to stay on top of. If your body is shivering in the cold, you’ll have a hard time focusing on your daily to-do list. In addition, being cold has been proven to stunt productivity.

On the opposite end, being too warm can make you feel sluggish and work just as slowly as if you were battling the cold. So make sure that by keeping warm, you’re not so cozy that productivity is too far out of reach. Otherwise, you’re just replacing one extreme with the other.

Managing your temperature goes beyond adjusting the thermostat. For example, you might love cuddling up at your desk with a warm blanket, but is that making you feel productive or snoozy? You might need to opt for a nice sweater and some cozy socks to stay warm without falling into a trance.

Create Plans and Goals for Summer

If winter keeps bringing you down, create some plans and set some goals for the following summer. This will give you many exciting things to look forward to, which should boost your morale, even if only temporarily. Your summer plans will also make for a nice reward for making it through the winter to the best of your abilities.

Let’s use the classic example of summer vacation. To make this vacation happen, you need to save up money and build up your vacation hours to get the time off. This should give your work ethic a significant boost through the winter months as you dream of sunny beaches and piña coladas.

Schedule Time for What You Love

What are some activities that you just love to do? Use your Calendar to ensure you’re making time for them. Participating in your favorite activities is sure to reinvigorate you even after a long and cold week.

If you’re fighting the winter blues, it’s also unfortunately easy to lose motivation, even when it comes to your favorite hobbies and passions. Scheduling time for these activities will add to your to-do list and help you stop making excuses and procrastinating.

For example, you might love painting but have put away your easel in favor of wrapping yourself in multiple blankets while binge-watching TV throughout the afternoon. Add some time slots for painting in your Calendar to break out of your cocoon and do some painting. Even if it’s only for a few minutes a day, you’ll get the variation and enjoyment from doing something that actually interests you. Keeping up with your hobbies are a great way to stay motivated in the winter.

Remember to Exercise

Another activity you might lose motivation for during the winter is regular exercise. Not only is exercise good for perking you up, but it’s also a great way to stay warm. Exercise improves blood circulation and gets your heart pumping, allowing your body to regulate its temperature more effectively. Not to mention, a good sweat is bound to warm you up on even the coldest of days.

You don’t necessarily have to brave the cold to get your exercise in. Going to a local gym provides access to all kinds of indoor workouts, including stationery bikes, indoor tracks, and sometimes even a heated pool. You’ll build up healthy habits and warm up your body while only needing to walk to and from the parking lot.

If you don’t have access to a nice, friendly gym or simply don’t have the time, try some at-home workouts. You can accomplish a lot by following video guides using simple exercise methods. You don’t even need any equipment to get a good workout in; just follow the steps provided by your instructor and feel the burn.

Not all of us can say, “the cold never bothered me anyway.” However, that doesn’t mean that winter has to deprive you of all energy and enjoyment until you thaw out in the spring. Start making an effort to stay motivated by tackling winter head-on, and you won’t be bothered by the freezing temperatures even one bit.

Image Credit: Pixabay; Pexels; Thank you!

How to Stay Motivated in the Winter

By Hunter Meine | Knowledge Base | No Comments

For many of us, it has felt like Winter for a couple of months. Unfortunately, not everyone experiences a winter wonderland during the chilly months of the year. For many, winter is a challenging time to stay motivated and productive. Regardless, workers need to keep on top of their game no matter the season.

Make Light a Priority

Take advantage of those few hours of sunlight that are available. Pull back the drapes, face the window, and brave the cold for the occasional walk. Even a little bit of natural sunlight will make a massive difference in your winter motivation.

Manage Your Temperature

Create Plans and Goals for Summer

Schedule Time for What You Love

Remember to Exercise

Not all of us can say, “the cold never bothered me anyway.” However, that doesn’t mean that winter has to deprive you of all energy and enjoyment until you thaw out in the spring. Start making an effort to tackle winter head-on, and you won’t be bothered by the freezing temperatures even one bit.

Image Credit: Pixabay; Pexels; Thank you!

How to Stay Motivated in the Winter was originally published on Calendar by Hunter Meine.

How a ‘Back to School’ Mindset Can Boost Your Team’s Motivation

By Jon Bradshaw | Business Tips | No Comments

Fall means going back to school, as you’re sure to have noticed with all the August and September sales that took place at retail stores across the country. Those first couple of months back can be exciting for kids as they move up a grade or even change schools entirely.

Now that we’re further into the academic year, some of that excitement may have faded, but that doesn’t make school any less important. Maintaining that excitement throughout the school year often leads to better grades, a fuller social life, and less stress.

There are a lot of parallels between the classroom and the workplace. We can get excited when starting a new job or getting a promotion, but that enthusiasm can quickly fade into a case of the Mondays. These feelings can really bog a team down, so here’s why and how a “back to school” mindset can kickstart your team’s motivation.

Starting Fresh

Entering a new school year is all about starting fresh. Unless you’re beginning a new job, getting that feeling at work is a little more challenging. However, there are still ways you can bring that fresh-start vibe to your workplace and reenergize even your longest-tenured employees.

Getting a renewed start might be as simple as rearranging seating in the office, adding some different amenities, or giving everyone a potted plant for their desk. Small changes like these can make a considerable impact on productivity just by injecting novel elements into the regular routine.

Try not to get too carried away and change everything up, though. A complete revamp of your office space or work approach introduces a lot of variables that can be unpredictable. It’s often better to begin with one thing at a time to see how your team responds to each change.

Looking to Learn

Some people outgrow the learning mindset they developed during their school years. Even though there are no homework assignments or lectures to stay on top of, learning should remain an integral part of your life. It will help you become better at your job or even open up new career opportunities.

Encourage your employees to keep learning and enable them to do so. Some companies offer tuition reimbursements to their workers who want to take college or grad school courses. While you don’t have to go as far as paying off student loans, you should at least look for ways to help your team continue to learn and grow.

For example, you can pay your team members’ way to a conference in your industry. They’ll get some great new ideas from industry experts, network with other professionals, and bond together as a squad. Assisting team members in obtaining new certifications is another way to help them and your business grow simultaneously.

Making New Friends

A new school year means new friends to meet in classes, at lunch, and on sports teams. Camaraderie with teammates sure makes school more enjoyable, and the same can be said for the office. After all, you spend a significant percentage of your time among co-workers, so it makes sense that being friends with them would make the workplace a more pleasant place to be.

Team-building activities will help even longtime co-workers share a laugh and learn something new about each other. Take your team out for dinner, host a poker tournament in the break room, or make time for some speed meeting (i.e., workplace speed dating) during lunchtime. Teams that play hard together work even harder together.

These activities are just as important for remote teams. Employees who work from home often feel detached from their team, which can cause motivation and company identity to deteriorate. Start planning biweekly Zoom happy hours to bring your virtual team together and give remote workers something to look forward to.

Pay Attention to Deadlines

School is all about juggling different class schedules and making sure you don’t miss a single due date. At work, deadlines are still an important factor in maintaining productivity and motivation. When deadlines loom, people naturally tend to work harder to get things done.

Talk with your team about how to implement more effective deadlines and use them to boost motivation. They might be feeling overwhelmed by the number of deadlines you set and need you to cut back a little. Other individuals might ask for more granular deadlines to help them focus their attention on intermediate checkpoints.

A rewards system is also worth considering. Schools have used incentives for many years, be they end-of-year pizza parties or upcoming field trips for students who turn in all their assignments on time. You can use a similar approach to give your team members the motivation they need even on the most difficult of days.

Just as a teacher is responsible for making learning effective and enjoyable, as a leader, you are expected to keep team motivation high all year round. So follow these tips to rekindle the back-to-school flame in your team. The results will speak for themselves as your newly motivated team moves your business further forward.

Over Everything? 11 Ways to Regain Motivation

By John Rampton | Knowledge Base | No Comments

We’ve all been there at one point or another — saggy-baggy motivation. You just lose your drive to achieve the goals that you’ve set. And, that’s a problem that can hold you back from solving problems, exploring new opportunities, and breaking unhealthy habits.

Over Everything? 11 Ways to Regain Motivation

If you find yourself in this rut, don’t lose hope — just don’t. You can still get back on track even if you feel like you’re in charge of, or — worse — you’re done and “over” everything. Getting your zip back will involve doing the following 11 strategies.

1. Motivate yourself with one goal.

“Whenever I’ve been in a slump, I’ve discovered that it’s often because I have too much going on in my life,” writes Zen Habits’ Leo Babauta. “I’m trying to do too much.” As a result, “it saps my energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make: they try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once.”

It’s impossible to “maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once,” he adds. “You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely.”

“I know, that’s hard,” Leo says. “Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.”

2. Go back to square one.

Do you feel like throwing in the proverbial towel? I think we all have at some point. But, when this becomes too unbearable, it’s often best to give yourself a time out and remember your “why.”

For me, this involves having some “me” time. Usually, it’s a really long walk with my dog and without my phone. During this time, I ask questions like;

Why did I choose this work in the first place?
What were the initial goals?
Is what I’m doing helping my pushing me closer to my long-term goals?
Do I enjoy working with my current team?
What’s the reason I get out of bed every morning?

You don’t have to ask these exact questions. The idea is to carve out some alone time in order to remember why you started.

3. Give yourself a fresh start for motivation.

At the same time, you might just need to turn over a new leaf. I get that this can be tough. But, sometimes you just have to be proactive and move on to something else.

But, did you know that you can do this at any time? Well, that’s what a study from the Wharton School of Business discovered. Researchers found that “intertemporal markers” encourage us by;

Forcing people to disconnect from their past failures.
Promoting a big-picture view of life.

In short, talk yourself up and contrive a fresh start when you need a shot of motivation.

4. Make a Ulysses Pact.

“Named for the clever hero of the Trojan war, the Ulysses Pact is a technique for holding yourself accountable to stick with a goal even when it’s hard,” explains Nick Wignall.

What’s the key ingredient in a Ulysses Pact? It’s “that we make a choice in the present (when things are relatively easy) that binds us to perform an action in the future (when things are hard).”

“For example, suppose you want to stick to a plan of going for a run two times per week in the morning with a friend,” adds Wignall. “You could write your friend a series of checks, each for $20, and instruct them to cash one and use the money on whatever they want if you miss a workout with them.”

“In short, the Ulysses Pact helps you maintain high motivation when things get tough by locking in a future behavior ahead of time.”

Why do commitment devices work? They’re “a way to overcome the discrepancy between an individual’s short-term and long-term preferences,” clarifies economist Jodi Beggs. “In other words, they are a way for self-aware people to modify their incentives or set of possible choices in order to overcome impatience or other irrational behavior.”

5. Go on mini-sprints.

“Our brains are wired to focus on the short term versus the long term,” explains high-performance coach Shefali Raina. “So mini-sprints help us get focused, energetic, and motivated to complete shorter-term tasks and feel good afterward.”

Keep that in mind whenever you perceive a task as too big too long, overwhelming, or tedious. Instead of forcing yourself to get into the zone, break these tasks down into min-sprints or shorter blocks of time.

How you go about this is ultimately up to you. For me, I’m all about eating an elephant one bite at a time. For instance, when writing this article, I focus on one point at a time instead of “Oh man, I have to a 1,000 word plus article!”

Another suggestion would be to tap into your ultradian rhythms. For most of us that means, we can work for around an hour before taking a break. One study found that the ideal formula is working for 52-minutes followed by a 17-minute break.

6. Limit wishes.

“You begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights.” — Brian Tracy

It’s true. Limiting beliefs hold us hostage from pursuing our goals and desires. For example, they prevent us from asking someone out on a date or starting a new business.

What do we do next? We make limiting wishes, such as “If I were thinner I would be attractive to others” or “If I had a million dollars I could launch my startup.”

While there are times they can be useful, like protecting us from breaking the law, they’re often barriers. Overcome this by challenging limiting beliefs. Some suggestions are asking “What if I’m wrong” and “How this belief is serving me?”

7. Set goals that are intrinsically rewarding.

“In my research, I find that immediate rewards when pursuing long-term goals increase goal persistence and that this occurs by increasing intrinsic motivation — the desire to pursue the activity for its own sake,” says Kaitlin Woolley, assistant professor of marketing at Johnson College of Business. “For example, focusing on the positive taste of healthy food, or the fun in working out, can increase healthy food consumption and persistence with an exercise.”

Immediate rewards are also an effective motivator when developing new habits as well. “A large part of the problem stems from the fact that people are focusing too much on the delayed reward — the outcome of their workout or healthy eating,” notes Woolley. “But when people are in the middle of something, they care a lot about the experience and having fun, more so than the delayed outcome.”

Woolley’s research has also found that fun is key when pursuing long-term goals. “People often get wrapped up in the outcome of their actions,” she says. “And it’s not that the outcome isn’t important, but having fun along the way is the key to persisting with goals.”

8. Change your scenery for motivation.

If you’ve properly set up your workspace, it can be inspiring and motivating. I would dare say that it’s somewhere that you actually enjoy being. And, the comfort and routine you’ve established can reduce anxiety and the number of decisions to make.

However, it can get boring. It’s like if your favorite meal is spaghetti and meatballs. If you have this for dinner every night, you’re going to get sick of it. To avoid this, you need to have a variety of meals.

If you feel like you’re getting tired of your routine, shake things up. Instead of going to work in your office, work from a coffee shop, coworking space, or local library. Better yet, get yourself outside as the color green has been proven to boost energy and motivation.

9. Place the negatives out on the curb.

“The brain is a complex muscle that solves complex mathematical problems, creates innovative ideas that have put humans on the moon, invented the internet which changed the way we live and the mind gave us the intelligence to cure serious diseases saving countless lives,” writes Chris Delaney for Addicted2Success. Despite all that, it can still be tricked.

Delaney suggests that you say “I Love London In The Summer Time” out loud.

Your eyes didn’t deceive — and no one made a grammatical error. But, did you spot the double use of the word “the?” Don’t worry, most people didn’t.

What’s the point of this? The “same psychology can be used to trick the mind into Motivation,” says Delaney.

First, “Think of a task that you need to complete but procrastination has stopped you in your tracks,” he adds. “When thinking about this goal, do you imagine how hard this task is, the number of steps you have to take and do you second guess how you will fail?”

“With a focus on the problems and pain of the goal, your mind magically deletes the positives, the potential fun, and your optimistic outcome.” Instead, focus on the positives.

One strategy you can try is imagining that you’re watching a small black-and-white TV. Visualize any negative thoughts or bad memories getting smaller and dimmer. Next, replace “this image by imagining a large, colored film” that’s full of fun and laughter.

10. Hang out with the right crowd.

There’s a popular adage that goes, positivity breeds positivity. Believe it or not, that’s pretty sound advice. The reason being that this type of energy is contagious.

Think about this for a second. When you’re surrounded by positive-minded people who are go-getters, it’s more motivating than hanging out with naysayers and people without ambition.

11. You are your motivation.

Finally, create routines and rituals that get you amped. For instance, before getting into your most important task for the day, psych yourself up by listening to a playlist, leveling up with gamification, or tapping into the power of nostalgia.

Over Everything? 11 Ways to Regain Motivation was originally published on Calendar by John Rampton.