Staying focused at a 9-5 salaried job

When you are growing up and trying to find jobs around town, the majority that they will give you are ones that pay hourly.  If you work six hours at the grocery store or the pizza place, they will end up paying you a total of $30.  While you may not be thrilled about the job or the lack of pay, you are happy to get paid and have some extra spending.

But as you get older and most people dream of finding a salaried job that can help them afford all that you want in life, it may seem easy.  You know have the spending money to buy a house, put cash into savings, and even buy yourself some nice things.  But the more time you put into this job, the harder it may be to stay focused.

I have heard and seen many stories about salaried workers spending far too much time surfing random Internet sites, on instant messengers, or trying to plan most of their wedding while at work.  With all the random things on the Internet that can keep you from actually accomplishing what your job entails, there are a few things that you may need to keep in mind regarding your job and staying focused.

The first way to focus may just be the fear factor.  With the question marks about the economy now, it may not be a good time to spend a portion of your day shoe shopping online.  While I know it happens with more people than you would think, this fear factor may help you work hard as you fret that something may happen to your current job.  As mentioned in most lists that talk about job security, make your self indispensable at the company.

I heard a story recently about an employee who is always at work.  For a while, she was eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner there while working from 7 AM to 6 PM.  While on the surface this looks great and many may mention how hard she was working, she spent most of the day planning out a wedding and shopping for clothes.  Why not do that stuff at home and spend at least two less hours in the office.

The second motivational force to staying focused is the possibility to move up in the company.  I do think a lot of people use this as a key to help them work harder during the day.  This would include taking on extra projects and things that could impress those higher up in the company.  It is not a sure fire way to move up but at least you have something you are looking forward to.

The third tactic is to set goals for yourself.  As I have said before on here, I am a huge believer in writing down goals and doing what you can to accomplish them.  It may not be easy by any means but if you achieve certain things, you may rewards yourself with clothes, trips. or anything that you see fit.  Do try to be realistic about your goals as well as the rewards that eventually come with them.

The fourth strategy and one that could help you in overall life is a desire to be successful in all that you do.  Keeping this going when you are tired and bored during the day is not always an easy thing to do.  The call of the Internet may be tough to pass down but if you are proud of what you do and want to do it the best, this may be a big push for you.

Really it is not easy to stay focused.  If you are a salaried worker, chances are that you get paid the same if you work you butt off all forty hours or if you coast through the work day and leave early.  It may not be fair but really, it happens at a lot of companies and corporations throughout the United States.

The motivation that I have for working, which is much different than most, is that the better I do, the more I get paid.  I think work ethic really is something that has helped me be successful but I have had that hanging over my head over the last five years.  If it was not there, I can say that I am I would work hard but not as hard as I have to make more money and be successful.