15 ways on how to...

When you start a new job everything is fun and refreshing as you take in your new surroundings and take on tasks you have not done before. You are learning new processes, learning how to interact with different people, you are alert and aware of the space around you and it fuels your passion to take in new information easily. The excitement of being in a job you’ve worked so hard to get flows through your body and the energy in you is like a kid with a new toy.

However, eventually you will settle right in and perhaps you will feel yourself start to relax into a bored state. You will find it hard to stay motivated to do the same thing each week day in and day out and as such your performance may start to slip. You don’t mean to do this – sometimes it just happens – and it’s happened to me. My attention and focus is easily distracted – there are 101 things I wish I could be doing (fun things like art, eating, watching Netflix) other than my work.

That said, I love my job and I love that every contribution to every task that I do is worthwhile and important to the company. I love how I can be flexible with my tasks and how some days are more hectic than others – but then there are the slow days where I find it hard to even move a limb! To combat this, I have to create ways in which I can keep on top of tasks and my daily job.

Today I have decided to write up my methods on how I stay organised and motivated at work and share it with all my readers – a lot of you of whom are in their first/second jobs.

• Write down your days tasks – do this either as soon as you get in the morning or after looking at your emails from overnight – or the evening before. Sometimes I like doing it the night before I leave for home, so when I get to work the next day I feel more at ease knowing what I’ve got to work on!

• Separate/allocate your tasks into morning and afternoon (or before lunch and after lunch) – setting this timeline really helps you to get a move on to complete your tasks within schedule.

• Use a code or colour system to highlight urgent tasks – this will jump out from the page and will help you navigate between big and small tasks.

• Leave enough space on your to-do list page or keep a separate notepad to jot down ideas or to further break down tasks into easier segments throughout the day. I use a separate notebook to write meeting minutes, and if I need to plan a blog post or social media campaign I will jot down ideas on a free page or a separate notebook – don’t jumble everything into one space!

• Make or desk as tidy and aesthetically pleasing as you can before you start your day. The open space will give you freedom to breathe and assess your day ahead. Neat desks will also help to keep you calm.

• Be colourful and creative – use coloured pens and highlighters to brighten up your task list! Not everything has to be grey and boring.

• Keep all your files in a neat folder system with appropriate names so you can retrieve things quickly and efficiently when needed.

• Know and be aware of your surroundings – whos who and where do they sit?

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• Allow short breaks in-between tasks – especially big ones! Drink water, go for a quick walk to clear your head, have a hot/cold drink, eat something – your lunch break shouldn’t be your only break!

• Set monthly and weekly goals – this is so you can keep track of what is ahead and you can plan and spread out tasks evenly. I have set monthly and weekly tasks to complete and take care off – and I have a printed spreadsheet task tracker so I can tick off as I go along!

• Big tasks are scary and intimidating sometimes especially when you’ve got a large, varied work load. Break them into smaller tasks – it will not seem so scary then!

• Make sure stationary and everything you need is within reach – saves time having to go searching for these things and wasting your time – plus you end up getting distracted.

• Waiting for things to load on your PC between tasks? Doodle! Or use this time to stretch your body and mind/ take a break. Doodling is my heaven though.

• Hide away your mobile phone (unless you really really need it as part of your job) – its so tempting to want to keep checking your phone every so often and this can be a huge distraction.

• Create things to look forward to… perhaps a joint break time between colleagues or leaving the house early to have a quiet coffee in the morning (I love doing this!) Being calm and prepared before work will help you be ready for the busy day ahead!

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Thank you for reading my top 15 tips on how to stay organised and motivated at work. It can get repetitive and boring – but you gotta hang in there or reconsider your options…

If you have any of own pieces of advice to add – please leave a comment below!