Staying Motivated During Summer Months, Part 2: We Ask the Peanut Gallery!
“Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.” — Stephen Hawking
Following up on our previous article about remaining motivated during the summer, we’ve asked some of our friends to share some of their wisdom about what they do to keep on truckin’ during summer months!
Angelina, Compliance Officer:
"I stay motivated/inspired by listening to music!
I have different playlists that hype me up for different situations, whether that be for work or personal tasks. Especially with things I've been putting off on my to-do list for some time, it can be helpful to listen to a playlist that gets me in the right frame of mind to complete whatever I need to do.
Even throughout law school and taking the bar exam, there's one song that I listen to before I tackle anything stressful or anxiety-producing, and it always calms me down and makes me feel capable of anything: the theme song from Succession (the HBO show)."
Adriane, Accounting Manager:
"It's tough, especially with four kids running around who aren't in school over the summer! I tell myself that ‘if I just get things done, it will be one less thing to keep track of and/or worry about.’ I hate having things looming over my head."
Mikel, Executive Director:
"I kind of think about it in a weird way: anytime I'm doing something really awesome, or am enjoying something like crazy or even a summer night, I think about all the hard work that I did that got me to that point and just feel super grateful for all the hard work I put in.
Next, I think of how awesome the current moment is, and how I'm going to create even better experiences with even more hard work... like my life is going to continually spiral upwards.
Basically, gratefulness and thankfulness in every awesome moment, and connecting that feeling to past efforts, and then imagining and excited for the next even better moments that my next hard work will bring."
Karina, Office Manager:
"I don't know if I'm the best person to answer this because I will work at all hours of the day haha!
Professionally, to stay motivated and not get distracted, I plan ahead with everything that I do. I even take breaks/lunches at the same time every day. I set a schedule and I do my best to not stray away from it and I found that is what works the best for me. If I have an appointment or something that I want to do during the day (usually a gym class), I will plan ahead for it and if I plan on going in the morning, I will start my work day a little earlier than normal to make up for it while I'm gone. Going to the gym is also very helpful. I found that when I do even a quick workout or go for a walk around the neighborhood, it helps me focus throughout the day because I release a little bit of energy.
In my personal life, I've found it very helpful to look at the end goal or look at the bigger picture when it comes to distractions (summer distractions or just in general). Thinking of the reason why I'm doing things, really helps me stay motivated. So right now, eating delicious summer snacks/drinks is a huge temptation but I'm also wanting to look great in a dress later this summer so I try to think of the end goal instead of giving in."
Macey, Program Manager:
"During the summer months it is very easy to become distracted with the different trips, weddings, invitations, or even just a nice summer day being waved in front of you. Then when you throw my ADD into the mix, the difficulty increases tenfold. I would say what keeps me motivated the most though, is reminding myself what I am working towards and the true purpose behind my efforts. This is applicable in both my professional and personal life in the sense that I work hard to further the mission of Angels for Angels to be able to positively impact the lives of more and more people and remembering that there truly is a direct correlation between my efforts and the amount of people we are able to serve. Personally, I know that if I exercise, put more work into building current relationships and forming new ones, and spend more time focusing on taking care of myself that it will all lead to a happier, healthier life. Basically putting a lot of focus into the end goal and focusing on what I really want and what also makes me happy."
John, Writer:
“I’m very much a slacker: if something bores me, I not only don’t do it, I won’t do it. So I make sure that I find a way to amuse myself with whatever I do, because if I’m bored, then so is everyone else. Maybe I’ll hide a message in an article by taking the first letter of every first word in each sentence and see if someone notices. Obviously, doing something like that entertains me, and so I have fun doing little silly things like that. Keep it real. Everyone is watching, whether you realize it or not. What also motivates me is being a dog daddy: if I don’t do my job, it affects my dogters, not just me. Each time I remind myself of this, I get a jumpstart and all systems are online. Every time I forget this, two pairs of adorable eyes will walk over to me and look at me, asking for a doggy treat or play time, and I want to give my dogters a happy, healthy, safe, secure, loving home always. Dogs keep me motivated best.”
