There are days when it's impossible to make yourself work. You have to take on a new project, but instead you pour a new cup of tea, unfold a delicious candy and browse the social network with passion.
Don't worry, you're all right. Such a sudden procrastination is a consequence of the tangled work mentality of the inhabitants of the post-Soviet space.
How to defeat sudden laziness attacks, find motivation to work and develop an effective attitude to work, I will tell you in this article.
Which works, such as these, and the fruits
The Russian labor mentality has historically developed an attitude towards labor as heavy duty. Remember the serfdom and barrage when peasants from darkness to darkness ploughed in the fields of the landlord. Remember the collectivization and food rollout, dispossession and “expropriation of expropriators”. The work turned into a hard process, which did not bring any result.
People were comforted with folk wisdom: “poor, but honest”, “poverty is not a vice”. Work for material goods was not considered spiritual enough.
In the Soviet Union, labor enthusiasm was also low. Yes, there were a lot of factories, plants and research institutes in the country. There was stability, but there were no prospects. Therefore, the employees arranged endless breaks, drank tea, knitted and discussed vital topics.
How can we motivate ourselves to work effectively?
How to make yourself work?
There are five universal motivators to switch your brains to a work ethos.
1. Deadline
Nothing is as disciplined as the deadline approaching. I can indefinitely postpone writing an article or program for a new course, but at X hour all the brain resources are turned on, and the work is magically done once every five times faster than in the usual quiet mode.
In order not to put yourself under stress in vain, you can set up your own deadline before the real one and come up with a reward for its observance. The main thing is for your subconscious to believe that this X hour is real.
2. Commitments to other people
When I launch a new project, I commit myself to all the people involved in the project.
Think about it — not only your salary and reputation, but also other people depend on doing your job. These are people who trust you.
3. Interest in work
Interest in work motivates me much better than success, money or fear of losing my reputation. I enjoy not so much the money that comes into my account as the challenges that I face.
Think about it: you didn't just choose your job, did you? What makes you enjoy it? Why are you doing this job? What benefits do you bring to the world?
4. Inspiration
Don't wait for inspiration, just start doing something. It comes while working, like an appetite while eating.
At first, it may go slowly and sadly, but in 10-15 minutes you will be drawn in, your brain will accelerate and start to work as a well-oiled mechanism. And then you will feel the excitement and pleasure of your work.
I just act on the principle of “do what you have to do and be what you have to do”, and new ideas come in the process of work.
5. Your personal time management
One of the best techniques of motivation — you take two hours to work, turn off the phone and TV, close all the tabs in your browser, even turn on the control program for these two hours, prohibiting access to sites not needed for work.
You work as efficiently as possible, give your best to the full program, and then reward yourself.
Watch the show for an hour, go for a walk, do yoga or eat a delicious cake. So in the brain will appear new neural connections: effective work is a welcome reward.
There are two other useful techniques — Pomodoro and Fly lady.
The essence of the first technique is that you break the workflow into 25-minute segments. At the end of each of them you make a 5-minute break, and after four segments you arrange a half-hour rest.
To keep up with the time schedule, set a timer. During the rest as much as possible relax and distract yourself from work. So you won't overdo it and learn to take turns working with rest.
Fly lady's technique was invented by the American housewife Marla Sally to facilitate cleaning in the house. It can be used in other areas as well.
If your diary is broken from the list of things to do, try to spend on each not more than 15 minutes a day, but with maximum dedication, and you will be surprised how much can be done in this time.
This is how you can effectively allocate your day and do it all.
Fans of the “Fly lady” system claim: with its help you can even learn a foreign language!
The main thing in the techniques of time management — not to look with yearning for the unfulfilled tasks, and to break them into short achievable stages and reward themselves. Then any work will be within your power.