In my work with owners and recruiters, I find that they often feel guilty and stressed about how much they are not doing on a daily basis. Our business breeds a sense of “overwhelm.”
Left unchecked, these feelings tend to have a paralyzing effect and eventually, you may end up procrastinating or avoiding important tasks altogether.
If you’re “banging your head against the wall” and feeling stressed, break the negative spiral as soon as possible. Take a break and go for a drive or take a speed walk around the block. I have a cardio machine in my office and when I get bent out of shape, I do five minutes on the machine and this helps to reset my clock.
Recruitment incentive AND motivation
Below are three more ways to help you stay motivated and avoid negative thoughts.
#1—Ask smarter questions.
Did you know the questions that you ask yourself have a big effect on your mood? Questions such as these will put you in a weak state of mind:
- Why doesn’t anyone ever return my calls?
- How come I can’t seem to get this stuff?
- Why do I have to make all these calls?
- Why don’t my clients respect my time?
On the other hand, questions such as these will put you in a stronger state of mind:
- What’s the fastest way to my next sendout?
- What am I proud of right now?
- What are my unique gifts?
- What hidden opportunities do I have on my desk right now?
#2—You don’t have to always ‘do your best.’
Do you think you have to do your best every day? If you truly did your best every day, that would mean you’d have to make more calls today than you did yesterday. And then tomorrow, you’d have to make even more calls than you did today. This is silly.
You don’t have to make your “best” recruiting call ever—just make the damn call! Better to keep an even keel and do consistently good work than to get stressed and hung up on always doing your “best.”
#3—Create mini-rewards.
It’s not always easy to stay motivated, so give yourself little rewards to keep fresh. If you generally go to Starbucks right before work, change this around and go to Starbucks after you complete your 20th phone call each morning. If you do go, get a triple espresso (my favorite).
Set activity goals for both the day and the week. Focus on a simple daily goal, such as getting one sendout per day. If you hit your activity goals for the week by Friday at noon, splurge on your favorite restaurant meal for lunch.
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Gary Stauble, a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, is the principal consultant for The Recruiting Lab, a coaching company that assists firm owners and solo recruiters in generating more profit in less time. For more information or to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit The Recruiting Lab’s website or call 408.849.4756.