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Motivation at Work
12

Motivation at Work

Motivation at Work

(OP)
I have been engineering for a few years now, and for about the past six months I have not been able to focus and work well.  I have switched jobs in the past four months and I like everyone at my new job, but I still can't seem to concentrate and work.

I will spend hours at my desk just looking at the work I need to do, and not doing anything.

I like engineering, shoot I will talk all day about anything related to engineering, but when it comes time to get moving I just stop.

Does anyone have any ideas about what I can do to make me become more focused.

RE: Motivation at Work

2
Well, I've been in a similar situation since I took a week off in May, can't seem to get going on all cylinders but:

1.  I find a tight deadline will focus the mind.  If you don't have any real deadlines set your own.  

2.  Sometimes I feel this way because I'm swamped with no prospect of it coming to an end soon so... Prioritize, Delegate and set yourself achievable goals (with a deadline leading you back to 1.)

3.  A lot of my problem at the moment is all the politics etc going on, especially involving layoffs we've just had and possibly moving work to another site, picking up the laid of guys duties etc.  So try and put it to the back of your mind while actually working and remember, at the end of the day they pay you X amount, so they deserve at least the corresponding level of work, even if they don't do much to make it enjoyable.

4.  I'd suggest a new position (either same company or a different job altogether) but it seems you've already tried this.

5.  Keep off the internet, especially Eng tips smile.  Seriously though as useful/interesting as I find this site I sometimes spend more time here than I should (I'm on lunch right now so get off my backsmile)

6.  Remember what your Dad/Coach/Drill instructor used to say "Pull your finger out, Slacker!"winky smile

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

ash060,

I can definately relate to that.  My main cause for this exact same tendancy was lack of any immediate deadlines.  I had 4 different projects assigned to me that were each worth a few million dollars but were 2-3 year lead times.  While I had items I could do on each none were that important due to the un-imposing due date.  This caused a severe case of boredome on the job until I started finding small projects for myself.  By accomplishing some smaller tasks each day/week I was able to feel more useful in the immediate future and concentrate more on completing future tasks.

Hope this helps.

RE: Motivation at Work

Could be clinical depression.  You don't necessarily have to feel sad to be depressed.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: Motivation at Work

2
You can only be motivated by someone else for short periods of time.  True or lasting motivation is an internal attitude.  Something is holding you back (not necessarily within your work environment).  Find out what it is.

In the meantime, take a look at what tasks that you have that you can complete relatively quickly.  Start with these and build on that feeling of success that you (hopefully) get when you achieve something.  Small victories can be important too.

Regards,

RE: Motivation at Work

Write yourself a list of the tasks that you need to do.

Set yourself a goal to achieve a certain number each day and strive towards it.

Dont log onto eng-tips until you have achieved half of this days goals (blaspemy I know!).

Treat it as a personal challenge (like winning a race or bench pressing a certain weight).

As far as motivation is concerned, try and put yourself in the clients perspective, that of what you can do to make your output more tuned to their requirements and strive every day to achieve that. If you do this, it will help to make even the most mundane tasks a little more interesting.

csd

RE: Motivation at Work

Could be general tiredness. Try and get plenty of sleep, and preferably not at work!

As with others I feel the same when there's not much to do and generally leave things til late so then I have to do the work to a tighter deadline than I've been given. Of course if nobody is interested in your work or no one is reliant on you doing the work then it can be difficult to motivate yourself unless you yourself have real interest in the work and some pride in what you've done. It has happened that I just can't be pestered and other times have took work home as it was of some real interest, and secondly it's easier to think away from the office distractions.

corus

RE: Motivation at Work

(OP)
Thanks for all the replies at least I am not the only one who has a little trouble be focused. Just finding that out helps a lot. I have been a little more productive since I have read some of your posts.

RE: Motivation at Work

I don't want to sound like your mother, but I find it easier to focus when I have had a good breakfast.  If I skip it, I often find my mind wandering more than it should, and occasionally have to fight of heavy eyelids.

RE: Motivation at Work

You know ewh, beer at lunchtime used to have the same effect on me.  It would only take one, maybe 2 and by the time I got back to work I was ready to snooze.

(I'd like to point out this was in Britain where taking the client out for lunch and a beer was standard practice, I'm not some kind of alcholic, well maybe by US standards, but it was work related.)

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

I get the same way if I have beer at lunch, but much worse than missing breakfast.  Concentrating on the task in front of me becomes the last thing I want to do!

RE: Motivation at Work

I find that the best solution to the whole beer issue (morning, lunchtime, etc) can be quite simply solved by having a constant supply at your work station so that no matter what time it is you can overcome any effects of tiredness with the minimal amount of effort

Kevin

“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown

"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown

RE: Motivation at Work

Why is it that beer at lunch makes you sleepy, beer in the evening, party all night.

I guess it's the stopping drinking is the problem.

A colleague used to work in a brewery/bottling plant and it was standard practice to have a beer on hand.  Common in Bavaria too apparantly, that or popping out for one on your break.

Back to the OP.

Another thing is occasionally taking a mental health day (or morning or afternoon).

Sometimes if I'm stuck doing something really monotonous I just need a break.  So I’ll find a work activity that may not be high priority but is of use that is more interesting and do it for a while.  For instance sometimes if I need a break I’ll find something that needs modeling with CAD and spend a while doing that.  It’s a nice break from project admin or the like.  

Obviously take care it’s not going to delay some critical project that you’ll get in trouble for.

With my new duties as Checker I’m not sure how often I’ll get to do this though.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

ash060-

I'm in a similar situation.  I'm starting to think engineering work just isn't very rewarding (to me personally anyway).  The only reason I can see to stay in it is for the money, and that's never a good reason.

Basically, I'm coming to the conclusion that it's too boring, too stressful as you get more experience, and unrewarding.  Not to mention the lack of time off.

Guess it's time for me to change professions....something with a little more fresh air, me thinks.

ice


RE: Motivation at Work

Your inner hunter gatherer may have surfaced.

You better dig deep down inside and kill that dude or your natural impulses for happiness will render you unfit for employment.

I've always harbored a fantasy for chucking the whole bit, moving to Key West and opening a souvenir T-Shirt shop for tourists.

It's a fantasy I struggle to keep suppressed.

RE: Motivation at Work

I'd be quite surprised if all but a few people didn't experience this at several times in our lives.  Here's a thread that I started three years ago, albeit under different circumstances, but some of the feelings (and I presume responses) will be similar. thread732-94653: Staying motivated at work with understaffing and work overloads.

Since in my current situation I'm having some of the same feelings, here's the quick update: I'm at the 2nd new job since that posting.  The 1st started well enough, but the 30+ year old company failed in the next year. I'm now in year two of being a sanitary process engineer for a food/beverage OEM.

My largest 'beef' is the inherent inefficiencies within our system.  One way to combat wasting time is to start my own projects to improve my divisions efficiency.  From  standardizing drawings/P&IDs, to creating a library of knowledge, to product testing, it gives me something well within my control and completely define.  Working on these gives me a well defined sense of accomplishment, and they can be furthered with just a few hours work each week.

Perhaps you fear starting work due to a factor within the  process that represents a challenge (or obstruction) to your success.  If so, can you engineer a better path around, or through it?

--
Erik
MO P.E.

RE: Motivation at Work

Well,

I just finished (the first round) of a fairly large checking job that's been urgent for the last week and half so I'm feeling a little better.

Now all the urgent drawings needed for tomorrows ECO meeting...

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

2
ash060

As said before, first try dividing the work in "edible" pieces, then divide those further in weekly and daily objectives, to obtain an effort-reward cycle short enough for the donkey to clearly see the carrot, if you like.

If you're still not motivated, that means there is something funny with the carrot. Ask yourself why exactly you are doing what you are doing, will your project or product make 2 M$ a year, will it save 50 lives, what will it do?

If you can't answer the question, ask your boss. If he can't answer it, quit and join Unicef or equivalent.

@kontiki99
"I've always harbored a fantasy for chucking the whole bit, moving to Key West and opening a souvenir T-Shirt shop for tourists."
Sure... and I bet you will be bored again 2 weeks later! smile

RE: Motivation at Work

When I find I've got lots of things to do and no desire to do any of them, I actually find it better to keep flitting between tasks and pecking away getting them finished a bit at a time. I might mark up the changes I need to make to a set of P&IDs and then get all the reference drawings together that I'll need for a calculation, then make that phone call to the client that I just don't want to make and so on. Then, when I next look around, updating the P&IDs is easy because all the changes are highlighted, I know where to start on the calculation so that's an easy job now, I know what it is the client is trying to get me to do, etc. By walking away from each task after a small amount is done, it becomes a definite "finished that bit" moment rather than letting things drift. And if the "bit" that is left suddenly looks easy - well there's the motivation to carry on and get the whole thing finished earlier than I expected to finish it.

RE: Motivation at Work

kchayfie,

I used to do what you describe, but I always found that in the end I was left with the least desirable tasks because I had subconsciously avoided them.

I find it easier to write a list, start at the top, and do each one as far as I can in order. I will set myself a goal to do a certain number of points each day.

csd

RE: Motivation at Work

I know that feeling all too well.

One big nasty item in the agenda for this morning. I flip back and forth from Outlook to Eng Tips to the toilet to the coffee machine and back to Outlook... and there we are one other worker who wastes 20% or more of his working day.

If you don't feel like doing something, do it immediately and be done with it.

But no advice is more easily given and more difficult to follow than this one...

RE: Motivation at Work

Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

--
Erik
MO P.E.

RE: Motivation at Work

* epoissses, I'm so guilty of that sometimes.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

ludikris

Great aphorisim, thanks.

RE: Motivation at Work

----------------------------------
  I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem...

RE: Motivation at Work

My company screwed up pay checks this weekend.

OK, technically it was their subcontracted pay roll service.

Either way, a real killer to motivation.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

Pay mix ups are a real pain.

I once worked at a place that lost my fortnightly timesheet. They didn't tell me until pay day meaning I missed that pay cycle. Then they told me I had no entitlement to be paid for the period because "no one is allowed to be paid without a completed timesheet". I offered to fill out another one but they deemed that unnacceptable. It took a long time to resolve.

RE: Motivation at Work

Tom,

Thats why I always keep a copy of my timesheet.

Also why I no longer work for companies big enough to have a HR department.

csd

RE: Motivation at Work

Thanks ScottyUK for bringing up one of my favorite motivational sites. cheers

http://www.despair.com/

RE: Motivation at Work

ehw,

Speaking of starting the day with a good breakfast, I recall a quote from a popular TV show that can be changed slightly to be on topic.  In a ham and egg breakfast, the chicken is motivated, while the pig is committed.

Good luck,
Latexman

RE: Motivation at Work

PSE, thank you for the link, and thanks Scotty for bringing it up.  I was trying to remember it the other day as I was sat in a meeting in a room opposite a poster of a Lighthouse with some nonsense about leadership.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

Motivation...

What you briefly have at the start of a project while you're still in the "honeymoon" phase of the project as I like to call it.

Have no fear your motivation will be rapidly squashed by lack of requirements, unreasonable schedule, lack of manpower or some other combination of items outside your control.

RE: Motivation at Work

Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.
-Woody Allen

RE: Motivation at Work

Motivation - quite simple for me, I just look at my bank statements once a month and that seems to keep going just fine

Kevin

“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown

"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown

RE: Motivation at Work

If you're not careful you might wake up one day and realize you've spent 1/3 of your life being bored.

The way I see it, money is a given- you will be doing some type of job no matter what. we've all known from the time we were little kids that we would have to work when we grew up. That being the case, staying at a particular job solely because you need a paycheck makes no sense. You might as well keep looking until you find the position that makes you happy.

You don't have to constrain your search to your field of study- most people don't work in the same field as their college major. Don't let a decision you made when you were 17 or 18 years old dictate the path you take through life.

RE: Motivation at Work

RAH1234,

I think you got the wrong end of the stick. Take a look at some of my posts from marraige and wrok thread and you'll see that the above post was intended to be humourous.

Kevin

“It is a mathematical fact that fifty percent of all doctors graduate in the bottom half of their class." ~Author Unknown

"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." ~Author Unknown

RE: Motivation at Work

Sorry prohammy, I was refering to the original post. I dont have the opportunity to get on eng-tips often enough so sometimes (most of the time?) my posts no longer fit the context of the discussion.
RH

RE: Motivation at Work

I have had jobs with long range project and some with very short term projects and there is a huge difference.

If you are in a short term project and task based job, it can be easy to maintain motivation as you have to get things done soon and quickly. There the bigger problem is burnout if you have too many long days in a row with constant daily deadlines.

The long term projects are quickly. So the only way I found to do things is to create artificial deadlines and also play little tricks like setting an alarm for 1 hr and trying to work ocntinuously before taking your next break.

You have to trick yourself and the big thing is getting a quick start in the morning instead of engaging in gossip,getting a cup of coffee etc.

Get off to a running start and the momenetum will carry you kind of far.

Every day know exactly what you first task will be and go from there.

Walk in to work with the first 3 things on a post it note. It's like what a famous Americal football coach Bill Walsh used to do. For every game he'd have the first 10 plays or so scripted and would stick to them no matter what, then adjust from there. It took away indecisiveness and got things rolling so to speak.

RE: Motivation at Work

So does going onto eng-tips when I get in, in the morning count as getting off to a running start? 2thumbsup

V

Mechanical Engineer
"When I am working on a problem, I do not think of beauty, but when I've finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."

- R. Buckminster Fuller

RE: Motivation at Work

smile I started Eng-tips at 7:30, on the dot this morning smile
it get my mind warmed up, whilst drinking my coffee.
Today is special, I have a muffin!

RE: Motivation at Work

Hg,

tat was the first time for me! I highly recommend it!

RE: Motivation at Work

3
I've been an engineer since 1987 (man, do I feel old).  Over that time, a lot of ebbs and flows of my productivity.  Probably more ebbs than flows (if that makes sense).

I have read some books on motivation and prioritizing your life.  (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"  I have tried a lot of different things.  Still haven't gotten it mastered.  Actually, reading a thread like this gets me a little fired up to try some new things.

A few things I would offer:
- Build on the suggestion above to hit the ground running and start your day right.  Except when you hit your desk, you don't dive into your first project. Instead you dive into your to-do file.   It has at the top a list of your priorities in order.  Might be something like: my attitude, my health, my family, financial security, my job, long-term learning.  (that's something like mine is... not that I don't love my family above all else, but  I think that I need to control my attitude and my health above all to take care of them best).  Built into your priorities, there should be some reasons why you want to do a good job:  it enhances your security, reduces stress, getting everything done at work this week will help you enjoy the weekend absolutely guilt free, maybe provides the prospect of promotion etc.  Take a moment to review the priorities for your life including what you have to be thankful for and what you want to accomplish.  Then when you have reviewed the priorities of your life (and hopefully find yourself inspired), look at your to-do list and make a plan for the day.
- View yourself as an outer parent and inner child.  Your outer parent is the sensible and logical one and knows what's the right one to do.  Your inner child is the emotional and impulsive one and usually gravitates towards immediate gratification and the like.   Every once in awhile when you catch yourself getting off track, the parent needs to have a talk to the child.  And I mean literally, talk to yourself using words. Write them down if you have to.  That inner parent must talks the truth (not excuses) and needs to get the point across.  Some techniques the inner parent might use:
- Include in the daily/weekly routine enough relax/reflect/refocus time to keep the child on track.  Some people find that excercize helps.
- Use visualization can be effective.  Visualize yourself getting rewarded for your hard work with a relaxing weekend.  Possibly a promotion.  Maybe you have one aspect of your behavior you want to change.  Visualize someone else that acts the way you want to act and then visualize yourself acting like them.

Although as I mentioned I haven't mastered my own actions, I think I know what is the a key for me.  It is the 7th habit:  "Sharpen the Sword".  The story that goes with it is about an observer who comes upon a woodman cutting wood furiously with a handsaw.  It takes a very long time to get through that log at which point the observer notices the saw is dull.  The observer asks the woodman why he doesn't sharpen it.  The woodman responds that he is too busy... look at all the logs he has got to cut today.  

Our attitude is our saw.  Equipped with the right attitude (sharp), we can do almost anything.  With the wrong attitude (dull), we will get in our own way and we can flounder.  It is well worth the small investment in time at some recurring point in your daily and weekly schedule to relax, think about what's important, and spend some quality time between the outer parent and inner child to make sure your internal priorities straight.

=====================================
Eng-tips forums: The best place on the web for engineering discussions.

RE: Motivation at Work

Electric, I like the "Sharpen the Sword" good little story.

RE: Motivation at Work

I don't know, sometimes I think I spend too much time sharpening my Saw.

That and I keep finding other peoples tasks more interesting than mine.

It's got to the point I'd rather be working on other peoples ECOs than my primary work, this cannot be a good thing.

I need to do a better job of sticking to my advice above.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

RE: Motivation at Work

Your brains are prone to dehydration. Alcohol dehydrates your body. If you drink beer for breakfast make sure to drink a couple of big glasses of plain (not coffee) water to fluff your brain back up. Water is good. Water is your friend.

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