How to Motivate Yourself Right at Your Desk

They say that one of the best tools that can motivate an employee is rest and relaxation. This applies to staff employees as well as to those who are in executive jobs such as top accounting jobs and managerial positions. But what if your vacation isn’t until next month, and already you’re running out of zest for work? Don’t fret my pet; there are ways for you to motivate yourself right in the comfort (or discomfort) of your own desk. Here are our suggestions on how you can be more productive and happier at work:

• Make your view stimulating. Is your desk a dull and blank workspace? Improve it by placing visual stimuli such as a calendar in your favorite colors, a photo of you and your family, or a print of your favorite quote.
• Clean your desk. If your desk is a clutter, you will most likely feel uninspired to work (unless you’re an artist or a writer who works best under a pile of mess). Not only does a clean desk help in clearing the mind for accomplishing tasks, but the act of cleaning is itself a practice of rest and relaxation. Arranging your books can be a therapeutic activity, something that you don’t do everyday at work that can do miracles in your disposition.

• Spoil yourself when it comes to tools. Are you more inspired when you have a pretty planner? Do you work better with a stash of scratch paper and six pens in different colors? You know yourself better than anybody else, so invest in tools that will help you concentrate and work better. It may even be a set of Lego blocks!
• Warm up. Who says it’s bad to surf the Web during work? The Internet is the best source of inspiration and ideas. Heck, even a banking executive can get an idea by pinning pins in Pinterest and reading up friends’ posts on Facebook. Just make sure that you don’t compromise your time for work as you browse through all the pretties you find in the Internet.
• Check on your mentor, or on somebody you look up to. Are you following your boss, or somebody you’d like to learn from, on Twitter? If not, follow them and see how they go through their day. Most likely you will find some form of inspiration, even just from a post that speaks of how hectic their day is. Since you look up to them, you would most likely feel inspired to work.
• Read the news. Reading through a news website such as CNN will help you have a good perspective at work. It takes you out of your desk without having to physically leave it, and gives you just enough reality check to help you appreciate your work more. Check out opinion columns too and participate in the discussions through comments.