GUEST POST BY WENDY JENKINS, READY RESILIENCE
Ready Resilience helps organisations thrive during times of change and challenge, using practical neuroscience-based resilience tools that have been proven to offer in-the-moment solutions and long-lasting results.
March motivation
Feeling overwhelmed with your workload and lacking motivation to tackle it?
Try visualising the completion of your tasks and the subsequent reward in doing so, as one of the best ways to increase motivation is to anticipate a reward.
The reward does not have to be physical. It could simply be the elation of a job well done.
While you may be aware that dopamine is a neurotransmitter that causes pleasure, you may be unaware that it is also involved in behaviour.
According to scientific research, dopamine spikes help regulate levels of motivation, which leads individuals to start and finish tasks, in order to avoid something negative or obtain something positive.
The prospect of a reward is a powerful motivation.
Many sport psychologists use similar visualisation exercises with their athletes since it not only prepares their minds for high-level performance, but it also has this motivating effect. You may have noticed this at the recent Winter Olympics, where athletes like ski jumpers visualised their routine before starting, by acting out the movements while still stationery.
When you’re in a race, just seeing the finish line can boost you enough to push through the pain and achieve your objectives.
As you visualize the completion of a task or project, also think about the emotions you will be feeling. Imagine the exhilaration or relief of finishing. Picture yourself doing the final handover or telling your manager that it is done. The more specific the better, so envision how it would happen and where.
You can also take it one step further and imagine completing each small action you need to take along the way.
The more you incorporate this approach into your workday, the more you will be able to maintain and enhance your motivation.
