FOUR WAYS TRADESPEOPLE CAN KEEP THEMSELVES MOTIVATED DURING LOCKDOWN
Posted by: electime 26th February 2021
By Chris Farmer, leadership and management expert at Corporate Coach Group
While many tradespeople would have hoped the turn of the year would have brought about fresh hope and renewed optimism, unfortunately for many this has not turned out to be the case.
Since the government announced the third national lockdown many people in the trades have seen their work drop-off significantly.
To help people stay motivated during the lockdown and to inspire tradespeople to achieve their personal and professional ambitions this year, Chris Farmer, leadership and management expert at Corporate Coach Group has put together four top tips for creating and sustaining a positive mental attitude which will help you make 2021 a successful year.
1) Keep your end goal in sight
Everything is time limited, and that includes this pandemic, which will not last forever. Life will return to normality, at which point you want to be in a position to achieve your long-term aspirations. If you’re currently not working or have seen business drop-off, then it’s easy to feel demoralised, which is a counterproductive emotion.
Instead of spending time feeling demoralised, try to view this ‘pause’ as an opportunity to review your current systems and to build plans for new growth in the spring. You could consider developing your technical knowledge of digital marketing or upskill in areas such as renewable energy or automaton. This additional proactivity means that once business improves you will be able to take full advantage of new opportunities.
Start today by setting short-term goals which feed into a bigger long-term goal. Goal setting provides you with something positive to focus on and to work towards. The first step to achieving a goal is to set it. If you would like some further advice on how to set goals you can read our guide here.
2) Form a support network with like-minded people
The ongoing restrictions mean many tradespeople will either be working alone or coming into contact with fewer colleagues than usual. Understandably many people are missing the usual social interactions. In order to compensate for this reduced interaction, it is a good idea to create an alliance with two or three other tradespeople who (preferably), you do not work with, but who are in a similar position as you. You will all be able to inspire and support each other through any difficulties you may be facing.
3) Remind yourself that you have overcome difficulties in the past and you will overcome this one too
Life and the economy have cycles which alternate between good and bad times. You have seen bad times before and you have overcome them. Use that fact to strengthen the belief that you will overcome this bad season too. Although good times may currently seem far off, use these past experiences as a reminder that when we return to normality, we have lots to look forward to.
People are motivated by their inner strength and their visions of better futures, so gather your strength and use it as motivation to overcome today’s problems.
4) Maintain a well-balanced and active lifestyle
Many tradespeople have a lot on their minds currently. It can therefore be easy to slip into unhealthy habits like snacking on treats high in sugar as well as spending too much time watching TV. Not only are these habits unhealthy they often make people feel worse because they become physically sluggish.
A simple way you can improve your nutrition is to cut down on your consumption of obviously trashy foods. Instead of taking a couple of chocolate bars to snack on throughout the day, think about replacing them with fruit such as an apple.
Ending the day by going for a walk in the local neighbourhood you have been working in is also a great way to ensure you keep on top of your mental and physical wellbeing. It might sound simple but a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery (so long as the guidelines allow it) is a great way to boost your morale.
