Even with all the good will in the world, it’s sometimes hard to get down to work. Drawing on our resources to stay motivated is essential. There are a number of ways to do this: rewarding yourself, getting moving, listening to music, and so on.

According to Newton’s law, “any body in motion tends to stay in motion”. What does it tell us? When a worker does nothing because he or she is unmotivated, mechanically, the work doesn’t progress. For the situation to change, the person concerned must create a force capable of setting him or her in motion: this is the “10-minute” technique. Essentially, it involves concentrating on a task for 10 minutes before stopping. The aim behind this time limit is to reduce the effort required. The hardest part is not working, but getting started.

The lack of motivation may be due to the size of the project or the sheer volume of work involved. One solution? Break projects down into manageable stages. Like the 10-minute technique, this makes it easier to motivate yourself. In practice, this involves drawing up a detailed plan of the tasks to be carried out:

• Things to do ;
• Objectives;
• Resources to use.

Motivation is a state of mind that can be passed on if you make sure you’re surrounded by people who are themselves capable of demonstrating motivation, dynamism and altruism. They may be colleagues working in another company, or an expert appointed to carry out interim management.

Here, it’s all about giving yourself a reward after each accomplishment to generate pleasure in your work. However, the reward must be proportional to the work performed. Sometimes, all it takes to regain your motivation to work is a break. And contrary to popular belief, breaks are not counter-productive. On the contrary, they allow you to clear your mind and concentrate better afterwards.