Finding your optimal working rhythm

Michelle Gibbings says a lack of motivation can be a career killer, but there’s no point in waiting for motivation to strike – you must plan your working day so that it is tempted to return.

If you’ve found your motivation levels a little off in recent times, don’t be surprised.

A range of studies highlight how the weather impacts how we feel. On days when the weather is fantastic, it can lift our spirits and make us feel more energised and focused.

When it’s cold, wet and windy we tend to want to stay indoors under the covers.

Other factors affect how motivated we feel, such as our working relationships, health and wellbeing, skill level, and workplace satisfaction.

When we feel good, we achieve more; achieving more then makes us feel better about ourselves.

Consequently, having a deliberate focus on thriving at work is crucial. In fact, a 2023 survey found that 74 per cent of employees now value wellbeing more than career progression.

Building that positive work environment and finding your optimal working rhythm requires deliberate, targeted and regular steps. Here are some ideas to get your rhythm on track.

Pick your playlist: Think of your working week as akin to listening to music. Every day there are songs you can select, platforms you can access, and devices you can use.

How, where, and what you listen to impacts your mood.

At the start of each week, consider what’s on your work playlist, be it tasks, meetings, or other activities.

Plan your day so you do the most energy-intensive tasks when your energy is at its peak. If you can, delete items that aren’t helping you or others.

Shift the environment: Create an environment that enables you to elevate your emotional intelligence at work.

Consider having plants in the room and fresh flowers on your desk. Use brightly coloured pens and folders, and even better, have coloured walls or pictures.

If you work from home, burn incense or use an oil diffuser. Scent has a powerful impact on your mood.

As much as possible, access natural light, and make sure you go outside the office during the working day to get air and sunshine.

Find the noise level that works for you. Some people like background noise, others need silence.

Find the stop button: At regular points during your working year, reflect and answer the question: Do I know where I want to get to, and am I on the right path to achieve that?

This helps you narrow your goals and be clear about where you focus your energy.

With those insights in hand, you can then buy back time.

The less obvious way to buy back your time is to say no. Passing on a promotion might ‘’buy’’ you more time with family.

Declining the dinner invitation might ‘‘pay’’ for the time you need to exercise.

The more clearly you know how you want to spend your days, the easier it becomes to say no to the requests that steal your hours.

Control the manipulators: There are many elements in the day vying for our attention and time, and one of the biggest is social media and the plethora of apps on our digital devices.

Consider whether you are controlling your day or someone (or something else) is holding the controls.

Next, use the settings on those digital devices to set periods where they automatically go into silent mode.

When you don’t control your day, your working rhythm can become out of whack and feel overwhelming.

Set your watch: We have this curious notion that motivation somehow appears. Don’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike, because it won’t.

When you don’t want to do something, set yourself a mini-goal. Say to yourself, for example: “I’ll work on this task for 15 minutes, and after that, I can have a cup of coffee.”

When you reach the 15-minute mark, you likely want to keep going to finish the task.

Promote healthy activities: Exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel good about yourself.

Go for a walk or run at lunchtime. Find time to step outside and notice what is around you.

Book your forward benefit: Always have something to look forward to, whether it’s a mini-break or holiday, lunch with a friend, completing a course, or reading a new book.

Rewarding yourself with something you want to do can motivate you to reach the finish line.

Get connected: People in your team want to feel like they belong, so set aside regular times for social engagements and opportunities for team members to share, laugh, and connect, whether virtual or face-to-face.

Building excellent connections elevates how you feel, and is also essential for effective leadership and influence. So, there’s a double benefit.

Write, write, write: Your brain never stops. It can ruminate over things that happen during the day. As you ruminate, you try to rewrite the ending.

Writing helps to shift you from ruminating to reflecting.

Researchers have uncovered the psychological and physical benefits of active reflection practices, particularly those focusing on gratitude.

The simple practice of closing out your working day by considering what you are grateful for can reduce stress and illness and lead to more happiness.

With all this, you will naturally have good days – days where it feels easy – and hard days — days when it feels like a struggle.

With anything, it’s about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and keeping going.

As author Ryan Holiday said: “The path to self-improvement is slippery, and falling is inevitable. That’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

Michelle Gibbings is a Melbourne-based workplace expert, and an award-winning author. She’s on a mission to help leaders, teams and organisations create successful workplaces – where people thrive and progress is accelerated. She can be contacted at [email protected].