How do you stay motivated/concentrate at work?

[Anonymous]

I'm a Kindergarten teacher so I barely sit down all day. Incredibly hard but also always and immediately gratifying. The motivation/concentration thing? Not an issue. I am "on" ALL DAY. There are no days to be grumpy and no time to daydream. Still, I (mostly) love it. The ONE thing that would drive me out is the clueless administration. They have sky high expectations but don't give us (the teachers) the time and resources to make that happen. It's on my own time and with my own money if I'm to give my kids the wonderful classroom experiences I want them to have.

[Anonymous]

Who wants to stay motivated?

I don't mind the office itself: it is dry, and quite well lit. Plus they give me access to the internet.

So it is just a case of doing the bare minimum to survive, and going to my happy place the rest of the time.

[Anonymous]

I teach ES and I am also "on" all day long. It is like being on stage for 6.5 hrs w/ a 30 minute intermission. Sometimes I dream of quitting and taking a mindless desk job so I can just "chill out." But I love my summers where I can just "veg out."

[Anonymous]

You can get meds for this? Do you just go to your Dr. and say I can't concentrate at work?

I used to be fine. We moved to DC last fall, and I took a very easy job, below my skill level, in exchange for a 12 minute commute, 32 hrs per week with the option to telecommute. I feel blessed, they are so accommodating. My boss is and job expectations are so accommodating that I have become a little lazy. I can get all of my work done in maybe an hour. I spend the rest of the day surfing. I know this won't last, but I am enjoying. Perhaps I need to be medicated? I feel guilty knowing that I used to work 45 hours + for less pay.

Please note, this is not intended to be a boastful post. It just seems that I don’t have the will power or desire to strive for a job that pays well and expects little. Is this the DC Metro area norm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do something that matters where you're not just doing paperwork for starters. I'm not being flip, I'm being serious. As Chris Rock says, someone us have jobs, some of us have careers, ad I'm very incredibly lucky to have a career.

OP here - I do have a career!! A pretty good one actually and I have my professional designations as well. It still entails lots of paperwork and even the non-routine stuff is not that motivating for me - for eg client meetings/program structure changes. I see the young ones and they are buzzing around and they know the client's accounts inside and out - and believe me there's a LOT to know especially on their side (which is the accounting side - as they must know and meet the financial deadlines, as well as the ever changing regulations/compliance, audit stuff, TPA stuff and on and on - yuck I don't know how they do it - oh yes and that's a lot of paperwork believe me which doesn't mean you only have a job & not a career). Thankfully the accounting work is not my area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soma is good. Soma is all we need.

I have never heard of this. I looked it up, sounds like an intense drug!

I think it's a reference to Brave New World - if I remember my dystopic novels accurately...

[Anonymous]

I think about the fact that the money I make helps accomplish our financial goals as a family, and really, what else would be a better use of my time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Human beings were not designed to sit behind a desk all day staring at a glowing screen. Hell, most people even eat at their desks these days to avoid taking a lunch break. It's really sad. Then we go home and watch other glowing screens of various shapes and sizes. It's depressing.

Better than making a living doing physical labor. Or not having a job at all.

[Anonymous]

I have this problem on some days when I'm really tired or not feeling well, but mostly I enjoy my office/day at work. If I'm having trouble concentrating it usually means there is no impending deadline (otherwise I'm on adrenaline and really focused) and then I just go talk to my work friends or get online.

I'm not sure there is anyone on my office who really comes into work and sits in front of the computer all day. I'm up and about - I often have meetings or briefings to attend outside the office, and I make it a point on most days to leave for lunch, either for a quick workout or an errand. Yes, there are stretches of time when I'm at my desk working but it's not like I come and sit all day.

Sounds like OP needs a new job or change of pace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Human beings were not designed to sit behind a desk all day staring at a glowing screen. Hell, most people even eat at their desks these days to avoid taking a lunch break. It's really sad. Then we go home and watch other glowing screens of various shapes and sizes. It's depressing.

Better than making a living doing physical labor. Or not having a job at all.

At least the physical laborers stay fit and cut their risk for cancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Human beings were not designed to sit behind a desk all day staring at a glowing screen. Hell, most people even eat at their desks these days to avoid taking a lunch break. It's really sad. Then we go home and watch other glowing screens of various shapes and sizes. It's depressing.

Better than making a living doing physical labor. Or not having a job at all.

At least the physical laborers stay fit and cut their risk for cancer.

What about skin cancer from the sun exposure?