5 strategies to renew motivation and passion for work

Many people are losing enthusiasm for careers they once loved, but techniques are available to boost motivation.

I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I first borrowed my parents’ antique typewriter when I was six years old. To my frustration, I still couldn’t log into the family computer.

When I saw my thoughts take shape on the blank page, I was immediately fascinated.

As a writer and journalist, I recognize how lucky I am to realize these childhood ambitions, but I’d be lying if I said there are no periods when that passion fades.

This is especially true in the damp and dull London of January when my spirits are already low and the repetition of weekly deadlines can start to get boring.

In those moments, I feel like I’m walking on a treadmill, in place, and I feel like jumping out.

And I’m not alone. As the recent trend of “quiet resignations” has revealed, many people are losing enthusiasm for the careers they once loved. You may have done everything in your power to land your dream job, yet the daily grind sometimes takes away your enthusiasm.

“In my experience as a coach, I would say this is a serious and growing problem,” says British personal coach Anna K. Schaffner, who specializes in burnout. burnt and resilience. She is the author of the book The art of self-improvement (“The art of self-improvement”, in free translation).

For some people, the loss of passion may be a sign that they need to make a career change, but this drastic change isn’t always possible.

Fortunately, recent studies show that some people naturally adopt “cultivation strategies” to rekindle that passion and motivation, and we can all apply these techniques in many different ways.

mentality issue

The first study is by psychology professor Patricia Chen, of the University of Texas at Austin, in the United States.

He analyzed the influence of two different mentalities on passion. So-called “adequacy theorists” often agree with statements such as:

I believe that there is a perfect and suitable job for every individual, and finding the right profession will determine one’s professional happiness and success.

“Development theorists” are more likely to agree with statements like this:

I believe that passion develops through a learning process in any chosen profession. The better you get at one type of job, the more you’ll start to love the profession.

Using detailed questionnaires assessing people’s mindsets and various workplace outcomes, Chen concluded that these beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Suitability theorists will struggle to find happiness in a job that doesn’t meet their specific criteria. Meanwhile, developmental theorists can learn to find pleasure and interest in different tasks, so that their satisfaction grows over time, even if the job initially doesn’t meet all the desired requirements.

Chen’s new study aims to explore how development theorists handle their passion this way. What strategies do they use to keep the flame of job desire burning?

To find out, she began by interviewing 316 college students from a variety of academic disciplines about how their passion for their majors has changed over time. The study essentially included an open-ended questionnaire about what had caused this change of passion.

Among the hundreds of responses, the researchers identified five common strategies that students cited to increase their motivation. Are they:

– Recognize personal relevance: an economics student, for example, might try to think about how theoretical knowledge helps him found a start-up.

– Recognize the social relevance: a student may wonder how the content of studies can help him understand the world and how that knowledge can end up benefiting others.

– Get familiar with: acquiring new knowledge can pique someone’s curiosity to learn more as it identifies new points of interest. And the very fact of being able to advance and master difficult tasks, in itself, can be a reward. Thus, someone who is feeling demotivated may look for new ways to expand their knowledge.

– Get hands-on experience: many students have found that internships have increased their enthusiasm for academic study.

– Find mentors and change the environment: students can actively seek out teachers to inspire them or friends to help make work more enjoyable.

Overall, Chen confirmed that developmentally minded students were more likely to see positive increases in their passion for learning over time. This change is related to the amount of passion cultivation strategies they use.

Students with the appropriate mindset don’t seem to use these strategies as effectively.

generate motivation

Chen’s findings align with broader psychological research examining the ways people regulate their interests and motivation at work.

In addition to confirming the use of strategies that Chen had already identified (such as identifying the personal or social relevance of work), these studies suggest other ways to spice up its appeal.

Two of the most useful methods are “almost goal setting” and “automatic consequence”. They’re especially helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed with a new project, where the challenge is so great and the reward so far away, that you’re having a hard time mustering the enthusiasm you need to get started.

To apply the closure method, you need to break your project into smaller tasks that are faster to complete. This allows you to experience that pleasant feeling of satisfaction when you finish each step.

“This can be especially effective if you use small rewards to achieve these goals, like watching Netflix, after completing a task,” says Maike Trautner, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Münster in Germany. This is the automatic consequences part.

Again, mindset matters. In a recent study in collaboration with Malte Schwinger, a professor at Philipps University in Marburg, also in Germany, Trautner interviewed more than 700 students to find out how they deal with motivation.

As Chen noted in his work on passion, the two professors found that some students believe their motivation for a task is fixed and unchanging, while others believe it can be cultivated.

And it is the latter who look for ways to increase motivation using practical strategies, while those who believe that motivation is beyond their control are the least proactive.

Leaving for the action

For people who already have a development mindset, these strategies may seem obvious. But Chen’s work suggests they are in the minority. In his champions, most have demonstrated an appropriate mindset and therefore could benefit from being reminded of their potential to develop passion and drive.

Taking more time to reflect on our overall goals, looking for the benefits our work brings to others, connecting with inspiring colleagues, and establishing a plan with small rewards—these are all simple strategies we can follow to boost our enthusiasm.

But you don’t have to take full responsibility. Schaffner suggests talking to your boss about ways you can change your job to better align with your values ​​and interests, a process she describes as work processing (which would be something like a “reconfiguration or resignification of work”)

“Good employers should be interested in this and support the idea,” she says.

“It makes perfect sense that your employees are given more suitable tasks so they can perform better.”

If you still feel like nothing has changed, perhaps you’re simply asking too much of your career.

Just as we sometimes expect our romantic partners to be the source of all the emotions in our lives (which puts a strain on the relationship), we can sometimes have unrealistic expectations about our jobs, as if they provide meaning to our lives. .

For this reason, Schaffner suggests taking up a hobby that can also provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, so your job isn’t the only place you’ll find fulfillment in life.

“Ironically, with a little detachment and perspective, we tend to work better and lighter,” he says.

I myself am trying to apply this philosophy. In these dark winter days in the northern hemisphere, I’ve tried to recharge my energy by reminding myself of all the reasons that prompted me to pursue a career as a journalist in the first place and by spending more time reading people’s comments on what I write — an activity that is often on the back burner due to the pressure of pressing deadlines.

But following Schaffner’s advice, I’m also making an effort to spend more time on other activities I love.

In his words, “It can be incredibly healing and therapeutic when work is just work.”

Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Worklife website.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.