Motivation

One of the more challenging aspects of working from home is to stay motivated and on target.  And there are days where I know that some little step has to be performed and I simply can’t find the desire to do it.  It is 15 minutes out of my day to do something that can’t be avoided but never-the-less requires me to change gears to get it done.

The first thing I needed to do was admit there are times of the day where I am motivated to do things and other times when I am better off following an established pattern.  Writing for instance.  I always write these blogs first thing in the morning.  I am wired on caffeine and have lots of ideas flowing through my head.  I am motivated to get my thoughts down and honestly have a bigger problem with selecting a topic than with coming up with one.

I also recognize that one of the things that motivates me is solving difficult problems.  This is why I enjoy being an auditor and also love doing planning work.  As an auditor my role is to ferret out the truth and make sure that what is in a financial statement is accurate.  It demands a focus on details and putting puzzle pieces together.  Planning requires a passion to look at the bigger picture and oftentimes create the puzzle itself.

A quick segue on planning.  I am about 60% through a major revision of my planning workbook as of last evening.  It takes a model from going directly to consumer to working with middlemen.  Now I have to start filling in the concepts and giving those values.  For instance, going direct requires more marketing and advertising to build brand awareness whereas going through middlemen require more discounts and slotting payments to ensure the middleman gives a product enough love and attention.  And all this to determine how much working capital may be required to get a dream off the ground.

I rely upon mental discipline to do things like tax preparation.  Mental discipline is not the same as motivation although it can ultimately help you get the job done.   I get incredible satisfaction doing audits and working on planning and almost zero finishing a tax return.  I can, however, slog through dozens of returns with no errors and perhaps even flashes of insight but really, I would be ok if I never saw another tax return in my life.

For me, I do the things I enjoy early and late.  I save mid-day for the discipline stuff.  Finishing a blog provides me enough positive energy to get through a few required tasks and then I can finish the day theorizing and documenting how a 2 point change in price might influence a buyers decision.

So, if you find something that gives your work meaning try to find out how to use it to get the other parts of your job completed.  I suggest always starting with a motivating step and then following that with something you find less-motivating.  And then maybe take a break and do something to reward yourself.  For me its the gym but you may want to go to a little coffee shop and read a book for an hour.  Whatever you need to do to get all those little things done when your motivation lags.

Have a great day and enjoy the work.  If you have questions or would like to comment feel free to write me anytime.  And if you are looking for an advisor through your harder business decisions, I would love the opportunity to be of service to you.