The wave of (self-)motivation

How you as a manager can manage to overcome your inner bastard and do what you set out to do.

They happen ... those days when nothing gets done. When you can't see the wood for the trees, when nothing works ... You're probably wondering: How can you manage to keep your own motivation high as a boss?

Do you sometimes feel the same way? Are you listless and unmotivated?

Don't worry, it happens to all of us from time to time. No matter how much fun your work or job can normally be.

To get into the flow, it's important to be able to motivate yourself.

So what is flow?

Psychologically, this term was coined by Mihály Csikszentmihályi. The "being enraptured by the current events of the day", "the complete absorption in the momentary activity" was already written about the essence of play by game theorist Hans Scheuerl in the 1950s.

Wikipedia summarizes it as follows: "Flow describes the exhilarating feeling of a mental state of complete immersion (concentration) and complete absorption in an activity ('absorption') that happens as if by itself - in German, this is roughly a creative or activity frenzy or functional pleasure."

So if you want to get into the flow, into your "creative frenzy", you need energy. And this is where it helps to be able to motivate yourself properly.

You actually want to finish reading this article in peace and quiet so that you have some tools at hand ...

BUT - the system is ready! The trolleys are wedged into each other and, to make matters worse, the operating staff were not careful enough. The bathrooms are boiling over. Power failure ... worst case scenario ... everything comes together. Not really bright prospects.

And as the boss, you try to save what can be saved. Give precise instructions on what to do. Call the system manufacturer or your trusted electrician. You quickly look for a solution.

Pure hectic. Time flies by.

You are controlling an extremely complex, fast-moving process - and you are in the flow. It's a state between being overwhelmed (you're scared to death) and underwhelmed (you're bored).

Finally, everything is fine: you can now wipe the beads of sweat from your forehead. All your problems are solved. Your production is running like clockwork again.

But: there are still those demotivating times. What can you do about it?

As the boss, as a manager, you are all alone at the top. No one to tell you in detail what needs to be done today. You alone motivate yourself every day. You alone plan your tasks and distribute them on your calendar.

What motivates you to get things done?

Self-motivation

This means that you make yourself work on your goals and do the things necessary to achieve them. You don't need anyone else to push you or force you to do anything. Without excuses. Without a long back and forth.

How do you motivate yourself permanently? And how do you manage to overcome your inner bastard and do what you have set out to do?

Here are my 3 tips: 1. have a clear goal in mind

And work precisely in this direction.

One goal could be: Your company is the most attractive employer in the surface technology sector in the district and highly qualified electroplaters are beating down your door.

Ask yourself the following question: "How can this work?" And your thoughts will circle around a solution and find it.

2. joy is your motivator

You complete your tasks because you expect a positive result. You do things because you want to do them. Because they feel good and challenge you. And they are also fun.

An example from your private life: you look forward to your workout at the gym because you love challenges and it is important to you to stay in shape.

3. do baby steps

Do you know this one? There's one thing you don't feel like doing at all: that new, really important QM project. And - all the other tasks seem much more exciting and attractive at the moment.

So what can you do? Outsmart your subconscious and start with a small subtask of the QM project and complete the next steps bit by bit in 5-minute increments ... and in between do something completely different to distract yourself that you enjoy.