5 WAYS TO REGAIN YOUR BOUNCE

When most people start a new job they go to work with incredible energy and enthusiasm. However once the “honeymoon period” is over, the attraction can wear thin and your intrinsic motivation and satisfaction start to fade. It becomes more difficult to perform at a high level and so you hit your targets less frequently, which further accentuates your declining motivation. It can quickly feel like a rut.

What are the best ways to regain your bounce and rediscover your mojo? Here are five suggestions:

1. Rediscover your purpose

Why am I doing this?

Does it align to my values?

Your purpose is the key driver of your motivation and leads to greater job satisfaction. If you aren’t feeling positive from day to day, revisiting your purpose and values can help you regain perspective and think more optimistically about your role. Perhaps you are still in the right job but you are thinking about it in the wrong way. Reviewing your purpose may help you think more positively about the good in your role and not focus on the things that aren’t going so well.

2. Shake things up a bit

Sometimes all you need is to shake things up a bit to get out of your rut and routine. For the most part routines are good in that they help you stay centered and on track by providing a consistent and familiar structure. However by mixing things up you are forced to think differently and often in a more innovative and creative way. Of course you can make big changes but sometimes it’s the little changes, like taking an alternative route to work, or completing your daily tasks in a different order than can freshen up your routine and help you regain your bounce.

3. Learn something new by extending your comfort zone

Your comfort zone is just that. It is comfortable and that reduces any sense of challenge to almost zero. If you can complete your tasks and tick off your to do lists without mentally extending yourself then it stands to reason that you’ll become bored and lose interest and be far more susceptible to distractions. To overcome this you have to make changes by extending your comfort zone. This can involve taking on more or different responsibilities, or adding a new skill or looking to make improvements to existing systems and processes. By extending your comfort zone and learning something new you build your personal capability, your self-belief and your confidence.

4. Become more connected

Whilst you can improve processes you can also improve relationships and connections through building your network. This can improve your outlook and boost your productivity as well as becoming inspired by new people with new insights and ideas.

5. Take a break and recharge the batteries

If you are feeling low because you’re rundown and exhausted rather than just bored then you may need to take a break to recharge your batteries. When was the last time you took a vacation or even a long weekend to get away from the routine of work? You could need to freshen up physically and mentally by relaxing and treating yourself. In addition when in the routine of work, look for ways to take a break every day with an activity that takes half an hour or an hour and allows you to replenish your mind.

Paul Lyons is an experienced CEO, Coach, Speaker, NED and MTQ48 accredited.  As CEO of Mental Toughness Partners, he assists individuals and organisations to develop their mental toughness to improve performance, behaviour and wellbeing.  You can find him at paullyons.com and Mental Toughness Partners