Career coach Becca Carnahan, who specializes in helping early to mid-career professionals create careers and lives they love as parents and professionals, told Bored Panda people might feel unmotivated at work for any number of reasons. "You've outgrown your role and aren't being challenged. You aren't inspired by the mission of your company or your boss. You don't see how your work impacts the bigger picture. Deep down, you want to do something completely different for work but don’t know how to make that move. Something outside of work isn't going well—life and career don't exist in separate boxes. Or maybe you’re simply exhausted!" Carnahan listed some of the possibilities.
She said regaining motivation is all about figuring out WHY you're feeling unmotivated and then tackling that problem head-on. "For example, if you aren't being challenged, have you asked to take on a new project or raised your hand for a stretch assignment? Your boss and colleagues can't read your mind, so you need to speak up," Becca highlighted. "Or, is there something you can change on the homefront that will improve your outlook? It seems simple, but sometimes turning off the compare-my-life o’meter (social media) and getting some more sleep instead can make a big difference."
However, if you've tried all sorts of different ways to regain your motivation at work and it’s just not working, Carnahan advises looking outside of your current job. "Start by doing some self-assessment to figure out what is it you do want to do, and then reverse engineer your goals," she said.
"Break it down! Who does that thing you really want to do? What steps did they take to get there? Could you learn new skills or start something on the side while you’re in your current job? Having a clear goal and a plan to get there can help with your day-to-day motivation and mood, and help you make some moves into a new role that will keep you motivated and energized."
Ayanna E. Jackson, a career coach, trainer, speaker, and HR professional from Maryland, told Bored Panda people have to learn to get comfortable with change and uncertainty when they feel lose motivation for work. "We get so comfortable in our roles, even if they aren’t healthy for us," Jackson said. "We receive a regular salary, we have work friends and relationships we don't want to lose and we can't visualize how to go about getting a role that will be better for us."
According to her, you start to regain your motivation for work by assessing your skills and strengths. "What are you really good at? What do others call on you to do all the time? Think about what it is what you want to learn and how you want to contribute to helping others. You have everything you need to motivate yourself, you just need a plan of action to follow to get started. How badly do you want a career change?"
But even if your job is meaningful to you, given the circumstances, it's quite normal if you're finding it hard to stay motivated or even don't care that much about it. After all, there's a virus ravaging the world, and it has already killed 3 million people.
"The sudden reminders of our mortality, and the suddenness with which people are dying can conjure existential crises, can inevitably make us wonder what our legacies are as we are seeing so many people's lives cut short," Kristin Bianchi, a Maryland-based licensed psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Behavior Change, told Huff Post. So if you think you're on the verge of making this list, it's not the end of the world.
Bianchi said her therapist colleagues have reported that their patients feel apathy, restlessness, and futility toward their jobs.
Emily, a New York City-based digital marketer for an airline, transitioned to working from home in March 2020. Eventually, she noticed that her job, which used to bring her satisfaction, started to feel “a little bit pointless.”
Emily said she still feels some satisfaction from helping to answer travel questions, but feels terrible when she doesn't have answers for customers who want to know when they are going to be able to travel again. "I go right back to feeling like I'm not doing anything for society," she explained.
She is not alone in feeling this way. Patrick O'Malley, a grief and trauma psychotherapist based in Texas, pointed out that a lot of people are missing out on the things that usually energize their lives, like exercise, family, church, you name it. This leads to an energy imbalance that can impact their work.
If you feel this way, recognize that these feelings won't last forever. "As your energy comes back, you can do more, but part of managing this energy is to try to not get compromised," O'Malley said. "I think it's very reasonable to say, 'I'm going to be real clear about what I can do and be intentional about it. It may not be at the level I functioned before, but I will fulfill what I have to get done.'"
Try to reframe your self-critical thoughts into more compassionate phrases like, 'I am having to adapt to circumstances that are so unique and unusual, and it's not a character issue' or 'I don't have a bad character because I've got low energy, I've got low energy because of all these things I am thinking about, worried about, trying to take care of, and I don't have my usual resources to gain energy.'
We've got this!
"Don’t stay in a place that’s toxic or doesn't have a path for your career development and aspirations," Ayanna E. Jackson stressed. "If you're not contributing because of your lack of motivation, don’t stick around and be a drain on others. Don't let comfort be your motivator. Let the knowledge of knowing there is a better, greater role for you be the driver to get to where you should be."
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