Some signs of demotivation

* Increased absenteeism/sickness.
* Incomplete or careless work.
* Lack of concentration.

Motivate yourself

Before you can inspire others to extend themselves, you need to develop your own sense of motivation. Here are some tips to help you.

* Build your confidence and develop self-belief. Success doesn’t always go to the strongest person, but to the person with the greatest conviction.
* If you work alone, identify an understanding person with whom you can talk through business issues and who will encourage you. A mentor can help here.
* If you feel overwhelmed by a daunting task, such as sorting out your tax or personal finances, it tends to affect the rest of your attitude. There are three ways you could deal with a large task:
o Divide it up into smaller chunks and start immediately on the first chunk.
o Use an independent specialist, who will have greater knowledge of the subject than you and can relieve you of the anxiety of dealing with the task.
o Delegate the task to a member of your staff. Delegation can be a great motivator – but dumping an unwanted job on someone isn’t.
* Assess, plan, act. Write a plan for yourself for the next year, both in business and personal terms. Set tough, but realistic objectives with timescales. We all react positively to these.
* Also write down why you want to do something, even if the reasons hardly seem important. Something as simple as: “I want a clear desk so I don’t have to start the day in a mess” is perfectly valid. Clean it up tonight and start tomorrow afresh.
* Use picture power or visualisation to fix your goals. Have you ever seen something in a shop window and longed for it? It is easier to visualise having something that you can see, so visualise the result you want. Savour the emotions you will feel when (not if) you land that order. Also, collect pictures that summarise these emotions – your dream house, boat, car or holiday – and pin these round your desk to remind yourself why you are doing it all.
* Tell people what you are going to do – it will make you feel more committed.
* Compile a record of past successes. When you feel you are achieving nothing, review your records to remind yourself what you have achieved already.
* Finally – give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it for having the strength of character to go out and make things happen.

Source: lloydstsbbusiness.com