Motivation can make or break your day. It’s the difference between waking up at 6:00 am for that pre-paid yoga class or hitting the snooze button four times so you can get 7 minutes and 42 extra seconds of sleep. Motivation can be found at the bottom of a coffee cup, or it can be found in your pet’s paw that you gently stroke before leaving the house for work. Regardless, we all need to stay motivated and whatever one’s driving factor may be, we all have one or two that pushes us forward when trying to reach a goal. 

Our favorite series bobbers know best is back and this time, we’re getting real when it comes to getting motivated so we can make those moves needed to achieve professional and personal success on the daily grind.  

Tried and true tips 

Stay true to what gets you in the zone as early as possible. Ben Ellis, CS Implementation Manager at Hibob, takes advantage of morning hours as a motivation ritual that has evolved over time – “I find I’m the most motivated during the early mornings, because of those precious moments when the office is empty. It’s then that I have a few minutes to write down my goals for the rest of the day. Each morning I search for best practices that can lead me to maximum results in minimum time, continuously improving my intrinsic drive.” 

It’s tough to break a night owl habit, though. Nora Stark, Head of Communications even acknowledges, “I’m the first to admit that I’m not a morning person. To combat my sluggish feelings early, I workout in the morning before work (spinning or pilates) to keep my energy up. I also ease into the day by spending the first hour or so at the office sipping on my coffee while catching up on the latest industry news and researching competitors and partners. Scrolling through my Twitter and LinkedIn feeds helps get me motivated to start the day.” 

That “x” factor

For some people, team collaboration or the surge of a creative open pace fuels them. For others performance is affected by the option to take ownership of projects. James Roche, Hibob UK’s People Management Consultant, loves the environment he works in and the perks he receives, but also says, “knowing that I can sit away from my desk, somewhere quiet, allows me to manage my day better, and gives me a degree of autonomy in my work, which keeps me motivated because it shows Hibob cares about me as a person and has faith in my ability to perform.” 

Our Frontend Developer, Rinat Shemer’s driving factor comes from the people and the support bob provides – “When I dealt with a few personal events outside of the office, I knew that bob would have my back. Everyone here cares about you as a person outside of your role, and the level of respect you’re shown daily motivates me to do well in my position. When I came back from some time off, I had the chance to prove myself once again. I’m also able to sustain my intrinsic motivation because my tasks inspire me to do so. It’s a balance of interests and being surrounded by others who want to see you grow.” 

Stuck in a rut…

A daily ritual can be the perfect benchmark to segment a long day. When it comes to getting motivated, bobbers exercise self-awareness and perhaps, even their favorite vice, when feeling stuck. Ali Fazal, Senior US Marketing Director, likes to take a break the Ariana Huffington way – “When I’m stuck, I’ll go to VentureBeat or Techcrunch and read about innovating companies that are disrupting their industries and changing the world. That, plus a really good motivational anthem helps put into context that I can do the same if I put forth the effort. This usually gets me out of a funk.” 

Nora can empathize with lack of inspiration, sharing “writer’s block is real. “When I feel stuck at work, I take a break to either clean my desk (a clean space is a productive space!), take a walk, or chat with coworkers. Sometimes, quiet headphone time with motivational music or inspiring podcasts and looking away from the screen is the best way to go. I’m most motivated when I’m multitasking between short and long-term projects. I also try to check in on my people to make sure that they don’t spend too much time being stuck if I’m able to help them think out loud to move along.” 

H(elp me!) Resources

People leaders can always help better motivate you, using recognition, encouragement, and growth. Margarita, our Marketing Operations Coordinator, loves what she identifies as “combined recognition and needed compensation” but when it comes to encouragement, she explains, “it seems that bugs or glitches in the tech we use daily is what demotivates employees quickly. HR and management can help better motivate us by ensuring that we have access to quality products and software. Seamless digital tools without glitches motivate me personally, as I tend to feel more inspired and productive when I support the software I’m working with.”

From James’s perspective, “getting great feedback always goes a long way to keeping up confidence. I think that giving weekly shoutouts for great work not only helps an individual but also helps teams stay motivated when they see the good work happening. Everyone likes getting recognition for what they do, and working towards getting that level of recognition from people leaders can act as a great motivator for others too.”

Getting good #inspo

bobbers pump themselves up in different ways, regardless of time of day. For Rony Rosenberg, Frontend Developer, it’s a good run – “I start my morning around 4:30 – 4:45 am. Go for a good run. Grab my scooter and come to the office. There’s nothing like the office silence at 7:30 – 8: 00 am.” Ben takes a different start-to-day approach. He shares, “taking my son and dog to the park early in the morning is a win-win for everyone. My kid is happy and intrigued, the dog is running around happily, and I wander in my thoughts about the day’s tasks.” 

Our bobbers also love keepsakes on their desks that gives them a sudden burst of motivation. Rony says, “on my desk, you’ll find a couple of nerdy gadgets, my water bottle, headphones, and a small wooden statue my dad made for me. Each one of these has a special meaning or function.” Ali, on the other hand, has some functional objects to make the day cooler – “I have a USB fan at my desk. Sometimes when I’m short of inspiration, all I need is some cool air and a few seconds of quiet to get my creative juices flowing again.” 

Motivation comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes that shape is a Rubik’s cube next to your laptop and sometimes, that size is as large as the rooftop of your office building where you break to get fresh air and blue skies. People leaders looking to scale their businesses can take notice of the trinkets on their employee’s desks, the type of coffee they drink, and especially when they present mental or physical symptoms that indicate time off is needed. Doing this and more will help contribute to the motivations techniques they employ themselves.

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