Staying/Getting Motivated for Work or Other Projects
 

What are some tricks you guys use to stay motivated at work or when working on projects. I've been doing the same job for the last 15 years and frankly I feel disinterested now. I've been feeling this way for a few years now but in the passed I had projects that I work on outside of work just to keep myself sharp. But now it seems I can't even get into my projects anymore. I even have some ideas with potential to make me some money (so my close friends say) but when I sit down to actually start it my mind goes another direction and I find myself watching videos of Newfoundland's playing in the snow LOL.

So any tricks to stay focused? Am I just burned out?

Sometimes I create some enthusiasm about the project or just the idea of getting it accomplished.
Having a to do list bugs me. But it's tough get started sometimes.
Oh! yeah coffee helps.

Interviewing people helps - makes me appreciate having a job - and a good one at that! Lots of people out there would love to have my problems (busy, too much to do, etc.) it's nice to consider the alternative. Having to job hunt sucks ass. It's an utterly unenjoyable experience and after volunteering to sit on a few interview committees it reminds me I'd FAR rather be in this side of the table!

I make lists and knock out the easier things first, it gives me "wins" and keeps me moving forward.

Talk to your doctor. Could be depression.

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I have a picture of both of my kids. They depend on my being employed. How I feel about the deal is irrelevant. I, too, was once very bored by work. I didn't care, and it started becoming evident to everyone. I got the word from above ' "Hey, we like you here, but if there's a problem, we need to hear about it, or you need to move on." I moved on. And the job hunt after sucked so hard I don't want to do it again.

I have a great job. I make really good money and I swear I work no more than 30 hours a week with minimal stress. I have really good benefits, I have an awesome team and I have one of the best managers anyone can ask for. I have my seniority and am pretty secure and set to retire in 7 years and I can go on vacation whenever I want (I'm taking 20 days in December!). I seemingly have it all but nevertheless I can't get motivated. I'm doing my work but it's because I have to and not because I want to - like I have no more passion for my job as I used to. The same with my projects outside of work.

The only way to get ahead is to train someone to replace you. Try mentoring someone

This!!!!!!!!
As a self-employed business owner with several (sometimes 10) employees, I suffered through 3 "burnouts" in my last 8 years of a 34 yr. business.
A burn out, so I learned, is a second cousin to depression.
There was a time that I didn't leave my house for 2 weeks.
Good news for me was that I had an excellent field boss and I'd talk to him via phone every night re: next day's work.
.
Talk to someone...get some advice/help.
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My tennis buddy at the time was a psychiatrist and he advised me to just charge more for my services. If I lost a contract because of that, so what.
But that only worked for a year or so. The additional $ didn't help.
I got hooked on wine, cigarettes, and booze. Nothing gave relief.
I sucked it up and finally retired in '08 and I'm now a happy camper.
.
Good luck, brother!

If you figure it out, let me know. I'm currently doing small business accounting/QuickBooks consulting and eBay/Craigslist resale. Not because I wanted to do those things, but because they work with my wife's travel schedule and my daughter's school schedule.

I have trouble making myself sit at the computer for the number of hours it takes to do bookkeeping work. Resale can actually be fun, but very hit or miss. I'm at the mercy of folks having garage sales, auctions, or thrift stores to find stuff to sell. Sometimes it's great. Other times there just isn't anything. Hanging out at Goodwill for 3 hours with nothing to show for it isn't much fun. Also tired of having a 3 car garage that holds one car and a lot of inventory.

Finding a real job or business to start/buy that works with my wife's unpredictable travel schedule has me stumped.

+1 on investigating the depression angle. I'd be a bit suspicious about it pervading your life outside of work. I'd also be a bit apprehensive about it possibly worsening. At the least if that's not the problem, you'd eliminate it & might talk to the doc about alternatives.

I'll share a little here:
.
I went 6 months w/o billing clients...that's how much I hated paperwork.
But I was doing everything.
Getting the contracts, managing the employees, servicing the equipment, doing the billing, the taxes, etc.
I finally went crazy, really. And then I hit a wall.
I had calls from clients' bookkeepers asking if I was "independently wealthy" because they hadn't had an invoice for 6 months.
.
I was fortunate that I had $$$$$$$$$$ stacked up and could go forever w/o income.
Then there came a time when I just had to force myself to sit at the computer and do the invoices.
Either that or I'd risk the loss of everything I had built...including my house.
It was an absolute personal confrontation - life was presenting its bill to me.
I had tears running off my nose sitting at the computer...it was so painful.
Those were the worst days of my life. And I've seen some bad sh_t in my days!

I'm going through the same thing right now. After 38 years of putting out other peoples fires I am burnt out once again, but now I'm 59 yrs old. I've been through depression and came out fine but I still have periods of "no interest". Yesterday I started a countdown of days until I can retire, I do not think that is a healthy way to go to work every day.

If I do not have a challenge in front of me I feel bored. I'm the old man here and frankly I do not like the way the younger guys conduct themselves nor the fact that most of them lack the urgency or attention to detail that I possess.

I've been letting people take enough rope to hang themselves in certain situations, just to teach them a lesson. I'm a partner and have no fear of being fired.

Sorry for the rant....930addict, I think you have to find motivation in the satisfaction of completing tasks with pride. The more you can bring back caring and taking pride in your work, no matter how grand or mundane then you can attack the day and come away satisfied which will lead to happiness and more motivation. Good Luck

You have several possibilities. Take a leave of absence. Your unhappiness with your job may be affecting your life outside of work hence no enthusiasm for projects.

You might consider a different kind of work but with only seven years to go can't you just suck it up and complete those seven years? Conversely a job in another field might make you happier.

Don't be afraid to talk to a qualified counsellor. Be up front with your wife(presuming you have one) and run ideas by her. By reaching out for help on this forum gives you a leg up
and a place to recover. Don't think that you are the only one feeling like this. I would think that it is quite common.

Hang in there bud.

Cheers, Guy. :)

Talk to your boss about either taking on some additional responsibilities or perhaps cross-training on another type of work within your company. Do not tell him you're having trouble staying motivated. Instead tell him you think you feel that you could be more valuable to the company and you'd like to stretch yourself. See if he's interested in helping you explore some possibilities to help you grow and help the company too.

I get this bill every month that wakes me up and keeps me motivated. Yeah, lame but a mortgage isnt just a tax deduction.

Thanks for all of the replies. Even though my job is cushy now it was five year of pure hell to get here and I thought I was just burnt out. I never even thought of depression as this has been my norm for the last couple of years. So I looked at the depression symptoms and burn out symptoms and they are very close - I really can't tell them apart. I went through a bottle of scotch in 3 days last week. The thing is I don't crave it. At least I don't think I crave it. It's more out of boredom. But when I attempt to work on something I can't get motivated and drink a bottle of scotch. It's a cycle. I think a call to the doc is in order. Thanks again for the suggestions.

Hope you get resolution. Please update here if you find anything. Your situation sounds just like me. I also use to be an avid DIY guy afternoons and weekends, now I couldn't give a crap less about work or projects... No Scotch for me but bottles of wine a week; if I manage to push through a project and complete it I hit the wine.

I take pride in the work and the many complements I usually get but had rather not do them.

Sometimes I think maybe it's my age, at 42 I'm kinda tired of running 6-7 days a week.

During a performance review at work after 20 years at Boeing, An old supervisor told me to "Lower my expectations in order to get along better with others".



Sigh,



yup.



Ever since then it's been working for me.



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