Self Motivation – The Key to Productivity

Awesome post, Ryan. Something that you touched on, and something my boss is always stressing on his telecommuters like me, is that you should work at the times that are most productive for you.

When I worked in a regular office, I had to be there at 8 a.m. and got to leave at 4:30 p.m. However, I am not a morning girl. Therefore, I was not very productive in the morning and then when I started to hit my stride it was time to go home (sure, I could have stayed longer, but I have a family and a life, and I didn't want to put in the extra time).

Now that I telecommute, I get my kid on the bus at 8 a.m. and then I putz for a while. I drink some coffee. I check out my favorite blogs. At 10 a.m. I get my other kid off to daycare. And then I start to work. I only take a short lunch break. And I am extremely focused until 3 p.m. when I take the dog for a walk. I usually work in the evening, too, to tie up lose ends that don't need the same kind of intense focus that the work I do mid-day does. And I usually do a little work on the weekends.

That's what works for me. It wouldn't work for everyone. A lot of people prefer an eight-hour block to work, instead of spreading it out over 14 hours. But the fact that I can work in my own quirky schedule keeps me VERY motivated.

Ryan – thanks for the post. I'm glad you mentioned "naps" in there because I think they are a great way to re-vitalize yourself in the afternoon. I heard 20-minute naps are the best – not too short, not too long. I wish more companies would consider nap rooms – an area designed for napping. To most companies it might seem crazy, but either sit at your cube staring off to space or get in a little nap and feel ready to work again. Even after having 8 hours of sleep, a nap might help get you through the day. At my company if you get caught snoozing at your cube you are automatically fired! I miss naps….

GenXpert – great comments. Sounds wonderful to have such a flexible schedule, and I couldn't agree with you more about not being a morning person. I feel like I'm the crazy person in the office since I DON'T want to be at work early, and would rather come in later and stay later. Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only crazy one out there!

GenXpert – Working at times you are productive is essential. There are certain times of the day when I am amazingly productive, and others where I just can't think. I try to take a break when things aren't working, but often I find myself trying to fight through it, usually with no luck.

Diana – I love naps! A power nap is a great way to re-energize yourself. I actually just read a book called MicroTrends, by Mark Penn (I mentioned him above) and he says one of the trends he sees taking off in the near future is naps. I hope he is right, because staring off into space for an hour after lunch could easily be replaced with a 20 minute nap and 40 minutes of productive work. It's a win-win for everyone.

-Ryan

I'm with GenerationXpert, in that a standard 8 hour block doesn't come near the efficiency that I would be able to give if I were to spread it out. However, I'm no longer given the option, so I come when I'm required, and I don't work the extra time. I would be more than willing to spread my day over 12-14 hours if I had the freedom to workout, take breaks in during the day, but my requests have fallen on deaf ears. Ironically, most managers don't realize that they would get a more efficient and more productive worker (who would work more hours) if they allowed for this, but that's not my decision to make.

Also, in regards to sleep, I think the more active you are, the less sleep you actually require. Everyone is different, but speaking for myself, if I'm working out 1-2 hours a day, I can easily get by on 5 hours sleep. However, if I'm only making it to the gym or going for a run every couple days, I'll need 7. I also can't "putz around" in the morning, if I do it'll take me hours to actually get into motion. I'm one of those who has to be moving the second my alarm goes, but I'm also lights out when I hit the pillow.

Great post! I am in a unique position – I start work each day at 6:30 because of daily deadlines. I also get out in the early afternoons. It's great having the afternoons off, but it has definitely been challenging to manage a work day that begins before most people are even hitting their snooze button for the first time. I've experimented with afternoon naps but I find that it takes me a while to fall asleep and then more time before I really wake up. On the days that I work out after work, I find it breaks up the day nicely and gives me an extra energy boost for the rest of the day. It also helps me fall asleep at a relatively early time so that I can get a decent night of rest.

You mentioned using running to clear you mind and concentrate. I practice the same regimen, but I've added podcasts into the mix. If I'm running and listening to a podcast, I find that I'm able to really concentrate on the subject matter. By keeping your body busy with a simple, repeatable task (left, right, left, right) your mind is free to focus on the higher level stuff.

My favorite podcasts for running are This American Life, WNYC's Radio Lab, BusinessWeek cover stories, Slate, NPR, and Dan Savage's Lovecast. It's a great way to keep your mind & body healthy!

As GenerationXpert alludes, companies who recognize the value of telecommuting are starting to realize real cost/productivity advantages, and it's not just because of what they save in real estate costs by not having to provide office space. I'm leading a team right now of 6 people including myself: 3 folks on my team telecommute four days per week (we join each other on Fridays in the office for a bit of "face time"), and the other 2 telecommute full time from another state. Personally, I still come into the office three days per week, but that's because I like office structure. In fact, that flexibility is the point: we all get what we need and nobody is stuck where he/she doesn't want to be.

The trick is to apply some common sense ground rules. We all keep the same core business hours (9-3 EST), during which we agree to be online and available so that we can more easily schedule team, client, and project meetings. That's just basic consideration for our clients and each other. Otherwise, we work the hours when we're feeling productive, to 40 per week. It's a great setup, and our productivity as a group is on the upswing.

Ryans -

I respect and agree with the "tools" you recommend regarding self-motivation.

And I'll admit that I'm not GenY…actually, on the far side of Boomerism. Maybe that's why I take a slightly different view of motivation, self- and otherwise. But the difference is not contrary. Just different.

I believe exercise, schedule, and rest are the take-care-of-yourself techniques that allow one to stay motivated by not be(com)ing burned out. That's why the advice you give is good advice.

In terms of where self-motivation comes from…and how to grow it from the ground up…I believe the answer is personal engagement. Such engagement comes from one's willingness to look for and the ability to find what makes one's work meaningful, worthwhile, enjoyable, and even exciting to engage in fully.

And "work" can include the job function, the workplace, one's associates/network, the company/business, and the community. Making the effort to determine if what those workparts offer has meaning/value for an individual allows one to decide if there's reason–good reason–to work here.

Good reason pretty nearly always generates engagement. Engagement is both cause and effect of motivation.

Ryan,
The self motivation is self-discipline. Now I run my own consulting business I have found that I have less time to run and work out – when you are accoutable for your own results I feel guilty for not working.
I forced myself to create a schedule and stick to the catagories I set for each day. The exercise part I have found to increase my brainy ideas and also decrease my stress leading to longer and more restful sleep.
I run with several people who are retired and they say the same thing that when they retired they had less time to run then when they worked full time. I found the same issue when I left my – other job –
Self-Discipline is one of those skills I lack and I really find myself having to remmeber to do those things.

I love the idea of having mandatory 9 – 3 hours for telecommuters. Six hours where you are expected to be near your computer is totally reasonable. It also leaves you plenty of time to run errands or do whatever you need before the masses come home from work. Then you can do whatever you need from 6 to 8 when the gym is swamped and everyone else is stuck in traffic.

I do believe that self motivation is self-discipline. Working for myself, I am never satisfied with how much work I've done in a given day because there is always more to do. But at some point its time to call it a night and get to the rest tomorrow. Scheduling times to do activities other than work is definitely important.

A lot of people tend to take sleep and exercise for granted. Exercise especially. I admit that I used to be one of those people who refused to move a muscle. But I recently started doing sit-ups and aside from the obvious weight loss, I also feel more energetic and my digestion system has calmed down somewhat. Simple as these two may sound, they really can help boost productivity.

you may also try employee monitoring software. Monitor your employees and see what they are doing at work. Who is playing games and who is chatting at work time.