4 answers
Charlcie
Student
1
Question
Updated
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How do you stay motivated to keep going when days get repetitive?
I am an accounting major, and days are already pretty repetitive. How do I find adventure in my field and keep from getting burned out?
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4 answers
Jared Chung
Executive Director at CareerVillage.org
284
Answers
Palo Alto, California
Updated
Jared’s Answer
I love this question. I've felt this so many times in my life. You've already taken the most important step, which is being introspective enough to discover that you're at risk of burnout!
It's definitely a lifelong practice that I can fall in or out of, but generally what I do when I come to the realization you've come to:
1. I try to stay in that introspective mode to think about what brings me joy. Sometimes I find a lot, but I just need to spend more time on it. Other times I come up empty, and have to start spending time trying new things (intentionally!)
2. I start to get very focused on how I spend my time. Usually that means using my calendar to "time block" for the parts of my life that make me more fullfilled and motivated. For example, I might start blocking off time for exercise, for entertainment, for work, for socializing. Then I try my best to hold to it. Obviously, things come up that are unexpected, and then I have to move stuff around. But I try to keep the mix generally stable over time. In some cases, I've even done time tracking to see if I'm mixed right. But usually I can "feel" when my mix is wrong.
3. This might not work the same for everyone, but in my case, I'm highly motivated by listening to other motivated people. So for example, I might listen to a podcast from a motivational speaker (Eric Thomas is my personal speaker of choice but that's really just a personal preference). Or I might hang out with a friend who I think is highly motivated, and try to absorb some of their enthusiasm. Of course, this might resonate for you or might not, but I wanted to share it because I've found that for ME it's so effective, especially when I'm closest to giving up on something or another.
And of course, it can be really hard to fix sometimes, and take time. So be kind to yourself. And if it ever gets too far, seek a professional -- in the past if I've ever gotten to a place where I feel my emotional or mental health isn't strong enough, I've just gone to visit a professional therapist or other mental health pro and that can really make all the difference.
As a parting thought, one thing I'm really excited about right now: working out! I never really got into working out much in my earlier life, but recently I've started getting more into it and I have to say it's really improving my overall energy and motivation levels. But your mileage may vary of course -- I'm just sharing what's driving me right now in case you find something there that speaks to you.
Book yourself a 30 minute meeting WITH YOURSELF to go for a walk and think about what you enjoy and what you're working toward
It's definitely a lifelong practice that I can fall in or out of, but generally what I do when I come to the realization you've come to:
1. I try to stay in that introspective mode to think about what brings me joy. Sometimes I find a lot, but I just need to spend more time on it. Other times I come up empty, and have to start spending time trying new things (intentionally!)
2. I start to get very focused on how I spend my time. Usually that means using my calendar to "time block" for the parts of my life that make me more fullfilled and motivated. For example, I might start blocking off time for exercise, for entertainment, for work, for socializing. Then I try my best to hold to it. Obviously, things come up that are unexpected, and then I have to move stuff around. But I try to keep the mix generally stable over time. In some cases, I've even done time tracking to see if I'm mixed right. But usually I can "feel" when my mix is wrong.
3. This might not work the same for everyone, but in my case, I'm highly motivated by listening to other motivated people. So for example, I might listen to a podcast from a motivational speaker (Eric Thomas is my personal speaker of choice but that's really just a personal preference). Or I might hang out with a friend who I think is highly motivated, and try to absorb some of their enthusiasm. Of course, this might resonate for you or might not, but I wanted to share it because I've found that for ME it's so effective, especially when I'm closest to giving up on something or another.
And of course, it can be really hard to fix sometimes, and take time. So be kind to yourself. And if it ever gets too far, seek a professional -- in the past if I've ever gotten to a place where I feel my emotional or mental health isn't strong enough, I've just gone to visit a professional therapist or other mental health pro and that can really make all the difference.
As a parting thought, one thing I'm really excited about right now: working out! I never really got into working out much in my earlier life, but recently I've started getting more into it and I have to say it's really improving my overall energy and motivation levels. But your mileage may vary of course -- I'm just sharing what's driving me right now in case you find something there that speaks to you.
Jared recommends the following next steps:
Andrea Mazie
consulting
8
Answers
Providence, Rhode Island
Updated
Andrea’s Answer
In my experience it's a lot about the relationships you develop - they help to keep you engaged, growing and finding joy. It's easy to feel like job satisfaction comes from doing interesting things every day. But often it comes from helping others succeed, and making connections across teams. When things are feel like they are dragging, it's a good time to reach out to a work friend and see what they are up to, what's getting them motivated, or, honestly vent if that's what you need.
Lots and lots of research tells us that happiness and satisfaction in life come from strong relationships - and that's as true in the work world as it outside of work.
Join an affinity group in your company - a group of people with a shared interest or experience, e.g. Parent network, volunteer group, etc.
Identify someone who can be an informal mentor - doesn't have to be a structured experience, just a person who can make the experience at work human and relatable.
Lots and lots of research tells us that happiness and satisfaction in life come from strong relationships - and that's as true in the work world as it outside of work.
Andrea recommends the following next steps:
julian infante
sales
8
Answers
Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile
Updated
julian’s Answer
You are the one that makes thing different, so the way you face day by day makes your day
Navalayo Osembo
Business Manager
4
Answers
West Orange, New Jersey
Updated
Navalayo’s Answer
You are more than your field :)
A general approach to life is to always make time for the things that interest you rather than focusing solely on the things that build your career. You will be surprised, over time, to discover that your life at work/school and outside of work/school merge and create the most interesting opportunities. For example, if cycling, running, reading, gaming, gives you joy, make time to do that and most importantly, connect with other people or communities in those areas so that you make friends and grow your network (it is much easier to work with or recommend someone you know, and the best way people get to know each other is through social settings, which sometimes become business or job opportunities). Even if no networking or job opportunity comes out of it, having joy makes life fun, which in turn makes you a fun/interesting person to hang out with, and also gives you a chance to tap into things that spark your interest. Someone with spark is generally way better in any aspect of life. So in short, to beat the monotony, avoid burnout, improve your social skills/life, develop networks, develop yourself outside work.....just to name a few, turn to your hobbies/things you enjoy doing, find similar people or communities in those shared interests, and the magic will flow.
A general approach to life is to always make time for the things that interest you rather than focusing solely on the things that build your career. You will be surprised, over time, to discover that your life at work/school and outside of work/school merge and create the most interesting opportunities. For example, if cycling, running, reading, gaming, gives you joy, make time to do that and most importantly, connect with other people or communities in those areas so that you make friends and grow your network (it is much easier to work with or recommend someone you know, and the best way people get to know each other is through social settings, which sometimes become business or job opportunities). Even if no networking or job opportunity comes out of it, having joy makes life fun, which in turn makes you a fun/interesting person to hang out with, and also gives you a chance to tap into things that spark your interest. Someone with spark is generally way better in any aspect of life. So in short, to beat the monotony, avoid burnout, improve your social skills/life, develop networks, develop yourself outside work.....just to name a few, turn to your hobbies/things you enjoy doing, find similar people or communities in those shared interests, and the magic will flow.