Dan Kennedy wrote in his book No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs, “Similarly, I insist that the only real reason more people aren’t much, much more productive is that they don’t have enough reasons to. So, a secret to greater personal productivity is more good reasons to be more productive. That’s why you have to fight to link everything you do (and choose not to do) to your goals.” If you are a SPEAR member, you know there is gold in this statement, and it might be time for a quick reminder. However, if you are unfamiliar with the SPEAR process, let’s break it down.
Are you struggling to stay motivated?
As a leader, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and burnt out. Your growing to-do list takes over your day. And, even though you are busy all day long, you feel unfulfilled and like you didn’t accomplish anything at the end of your day. Yes, you crossed things off your list, but you feel no closer to where you want to be than where you started in the morning.
“You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling’ (whoa, that lovin’ feelin’)” for your work, and you don’t know what to do.
One of the key ways to stay motivated and productive is to find value in your work. However, when the job gets busy, and you face obstacles constantly, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started in the first place. Your “why” and purpose are drowned out by busy work and challenges. Let it go on for too long, and you may start thinking about closing up shop and finding a new job.
It’s time to reconnect with your goals
There is a reason why we all take a certain job or start a new business. There aren’t many people out there working for no reason at all. Instead, there is always some underlying reason that motivates us to work. Of course, being able to pay bills, having a place to live, and having food to eat are some of those motivators. Still, they can’t be the primary motivator if you want to find value in your work.
Take some time to allow yourself to dream of what you want to accomplish in life. Then, take time to set your life goals. This isn’t about what you want to achieve in your work life; it’s about your whole life.
Once you know what your goals are, it’s time to start working backward. So how does the work you’re doing help you reach those goals?
Here is a really basic example to show how this works:
Imagine you have a goal of spending a year traveling the country in an RV. To achieve that goal, you need to purchase an RV, make some updates to it, and either save enough money to live for the year or the ability to be a digital nomad and make money on the road.
Once you know your goal, you can start to see how the action you take today is either moving you closer to that goal or further from it.
For example, starting a business that allows you to make money from anywhere works toward your goal. When you know that your business is helping you move toward your goal, the work you must do, including overcoming the obstacles, serves a purpose. However, starting a company that requires you to be present daily, with no end in sight, moves you further from your goal. This is where it becomes really easy to get discouraged in your work because it doesn’t support your goals.
Analyzing where you are right now
While the idea of focusing on your goal and aligning your decisions to support them seems obvious, many people don’t put it into practice. Many are just going through the motions of going to work, working, and going home daily. They aren’t taking the time to think about why they’re doing what they’re doing or if it supports the life they desire to live. You may relate to this.
Connecting your business goals to your personal goals will change how you feel about your work. This is when you find value in your work and feel fulfilled in your career.
If you’re only trying to work to accomplish goals at work, but you don’t understand how they support your personal goals, you may find yourself frustrated and unmotivated. To increase your joy at work and your productivity, begin linking your actions and decisions to your goals. Then, be willing to make the changes you need to make to start aligning your work to your goals.
If you are interested in exploring this idea but are unsure what it looks like in your specific situation, talk to a SPEARity coach. We also have a productivity app designed to help you align your daily tasks to your goals. Get started today to rediscover your purpose and passion in your work.
