Remote work has given us the flexibility we all enjoy and love. Being able to complete our daily tasks from the comfort of our homes feels like a great combination. Not to mention, the technologies we have today allow us to not miss out on much. We can still meet with our teams and collaborate in a healthy way.
Contrary to the belief many managers had before hybrid working, flexibility has proven to reduce stress. Not only that, people say they feel more productive at home than in the office. Many also say that they feel more at ease which allows them to produce their best work.
So, when companies were demanding for workers return to the office, you can already imagine the uproar. Many workers at large companies such as Apple pushed back on the idea of a return back to the office.
As we have grown to become better adjusted to the comfort of our homes for work, we are seeing returning back to work having negative implications. One of these is that people’s anxiety levels are rising. For the most part, it is nothing to do with company culture and is more about how we interpret the demand to come back into the office.
Unfortunately, many workers who are going back into the office feel the overwhelming pressure to perform. Unlike at home, they have their manager sitting close by, and many feel that people are watching them. So, to counteract this, many people are working longer hours.
Funny enough, we also saw this same pattern when people began working from home. Due to feeling less productive or having more time, people began working for longer hours to improve their performance at work. Also, with the rise of attrition, people in companies are feeling the burden of increased workload leading to longer hours.
Although working for longer hours makes us feel as though our performance is much better off, research shows it is not. The research is clear that working longer hours is not the solution to improving our performance. Instead, it is the ability to manage our energy levels throughout the day.
Our energy level is bound to drop throughout the day, and science tells us that we are more likely to face slumps in our performance in the afternoon. Therefore, having the right strategies to manage our energy on a daily basis will help us with our overall performance at work.
Understanding Self-Control Motivation
Most of us are familiar with the terms when they are separated. We can also see how self-control and motivation benefit us when it comes to our performance at work.
Self-control gives us the ability to remain focused on a specific task. By ensuring that we are not distracted by our phones or other things around us, we can work for long spells of time. In doing so, we are more likely to reach a state of flow and perform better.
Motivation helps us because it ensures that we have a desire to get the work completed. By feeling compelled to work, we are more likely to get tasks done in the time we want.
When the two terms are brought together in this way, the definition changes. Self-control motivation at work is defined as:
“The motivation/desire to abstain from unwanted activities that interfere with effective performance.”
Abstaining from unwanted desires at work looks different from everyday life. In everyday life, self-control motivation presents itself in the form of abstaining from things we do not want for a greater goal we have.
People who are on diets will choose to abstain from chocolate bars to eat something healthier. The self-control part of the action is choosing to not give in to the temptation, and the motivation is the desire to live a healthier lifestyle.
We need self-control motivation at work because it provides us with the ability to focus on tasks that we inherently do not want to do. These tasks may be beneficial to improving our performance, such as writing an email or completing a report, so it is essential we complete them.
The difficult part is sustaining high levels of self-control motivation to deliver high performance. Unfortunately, as our energy drops, we are more likely to partake in activities that do not improve our performance but decrease it. And this does not just need to be procrastinating. It might be completing work that is not as urgent because it makes us feel good in the short term.
So, here are five strategies we can use to maintain our self-control motivation throughout the day. In using these strategies, we can be better equipped to perform at our highest level for longer and hence be our best selves at work.
1. Beginning Our Days Right
Unfortunately, many people start their days with low self-control motivation. They may wake up and turn to their phone for instant gratification to help them get up. Many individuals also have hardly any self-control in their mornings as they wake up from a lack of sleep and potentially feel rushed.
When we are rushing around to get ready for work or choosing to skip breakfast to get to work on time, we are starting our day with low self-control. In doing so, we set the tone for the rest of our day and are more likely to have less control over the rest of our work day.
Beginning the day with high energy and self-control motivation is essential for good performance at work. Research shows that starting the day on low self-control motivation leads to poor performance throughout the rest of the day.
This occurs as our energy levels naturally decrease as our day continues. Therefore, starting low only leads to a depletion in performance by the afternoon. It also causes unproductive evenings.
Therefore, changing our morning routines to have a good amount of time to get ready for work so we do not feel rushed is essential. Start your day feeling in control by getting up with a good amount of time before work to not feel rushed. Also, having a good breakfast and a good night’s sleep will ensure high levels of energy before you start work.
2. Complete Aversive Tasks in the Morning
The majority of individuals will experience an afternoon slump in their days. We often refer to this as after-lunch snooze or tiredness. It is natural for humans to have an afternoon slump, and preparing for it is essential.
Aversive tasks are activities we do not like because they make us feel disgusted or bored. However, getting these tasks out of the way in the morning will allow us to have an afternoon where we need to apply less self-control motivation.
Therefore, we should complete these activities when our self-control motivation, and energy are high. That way, as our energy levels fall, we can ensure our performance does not fall with it by being deterred away from aversive tasks.
3. Planning for Depletion
Following on from the strategy of completing aversive tasks in the morning, planning for our lowest energy levels is vital. When at our lowest points in the day, we need self-regulation strategies to help us.
Self-regulation strategies are things like:
- Plans
- To-Do List
- Reminders
Using these strategies breaks down the tasks we need to do in an easy way. Doing so reduces the burden we feel when we need to approach the task. It also makes tasks feel smoother and easier.
So, using time in the mornings to plan out your tasks in the afternoon will offset possible reduced performance throughout the day.
4. Self-Reward
Many individuals take the time to self-reward themselves in the morning because their energy and self-control motivation is low. That is why many people get coffees, eat sweet things, or binge-watch YouTube on their phones before waking up.
The research shows that self-reward is most effective in the afternoon. When we feel depleted or tired during our afternoon slump, taking the time to reward ourselves actually improves our performance.
During your afternoon slump, try going for a walk, talking to a friend, or getting a coffee. You can even try working on an activity you are passionate about and enjoy.
By planning to reward ourselves in this way, we are able to boost our performance in the afternoon and maintain higher levels of self-control motivation, and energy.
5. Finishing the Day Strong
Finally, a strategy that often goes unnoticed is ensuring we regain energy in the evenings. After a day of work, many people go home tired and are less likely to have a good bonding time with their family or friends.
In the evenings, our self-control motivation is low, and so is our energy, so we need to have things in place to raise them again before we sleep. So, try self-rewarding activities like:
- Going for a walk
- Speaking to a loved one
- Going to the gym
Doing these things as part of your evening routine will assist in your ability to regain the self-control motivation you need for the next day. It also reduces your chances of wasting your evening binge-watching your favorite TV shows.
By raising your self-control motivation before rewarding yourself with TV, Instagram, or other forms of entertainment, you are more likely to be better disciplined. That means your reward becomes your friend rather than a means to be lazy and waste away your evenings.