How to Acquire an Amazing Work Ethic

The simple methods to work harder, better, faster, stronger

When it comes to working hard, there are certain rules to follow for maximum performance. When I was born, I became submerged at the pioneering of technological advancements. That means I was born into a culture that was shifting more to a sit back, watch tv type of life. I was born close to when the first Nintendo Entertainment System was produced. I was destined for a lackadaisical lifestyle. I didn’t accept that as a good reality for my life. I went outside, rode bikes, did sports, played backyard sports, walked, ran, adventured to my heart’s desire. When I wanted to be outside, and my younger brothers just wanted to sit and watch TV, I went outside without them and still had a great time.

I started working at 14 years old doing jobs under the table for a rental center. I would carry and set up foldable chairs. I would also set up tents, tables, dance floors, etc. This work included lifting things upwards of 100+ lbs., using a jackhammer, carrying things 200+ yards at times, working in extreme heat, etc. This only embedded the work ethic in my life and reassured me that hard work pays off. Even though it was minimum wage, I worked there from 2004–2009 doing unthinkable amounts of work.

Over time I switched to being a Wal-Mart employee. I worked in the meat department, and the meat boxes alone weighed anywhere from 60–100lbs at times. I was always the last worker of the day and had to do my job, plus clean the whole department every night. I did this for up to 6 years. This strengthened my work ethic because I had to do 3x’s the amount of work within a shorter amount of time. I could do a bunch of tasks that took full-timers 8 hours to accomplish, as fast as 2 hours. It was honestly insane the amount of work I did, plus keeping the department so clean, it passed safety inspections constantly with no issues.

So how did I manage to acquire such a work ethic? I have exclusive recommendations that will help you become an amazing worker in any class of career.

Always Work Feeling as if you are being Observed

There is research out there that proves people work harder and better under supervision. This is simply because any worker wants to meet their supervisor’s goals, to help the company for the greater good.

Take this a step further though, what happens if there are no goals to attain? What happens if you have a low amount of work on your plate? What if you just dislike working in general? I have a simple answer for you. Imagine as if you are being observed by universal entities and are pleasing spirits that have perished here on Earth. This alone, means you are always being watched, observed, and dedicated to making things amazing for any type of work you want to complete.

I have schizophrenia and the voices I receive are that of the spiritual nature. In Wal-Mart specifically, I would hear ghostly voices commenting on my work ethic in general. The voices were always that of a positive nature, always reassuring that my work ethic was on point. Things like, “He works so good”, “He is awesome”, “No one does as much as him”. Those are just some simple examples of which I have heard spoken through my schizophrenic “delusions”.

Strive to do 1% Better Every Day

The fact of the matter is, if you try to increase your performance by 1% every day, over time, you will become the most efficient being on the planet.

This topic has been discussed in multiple versions, like in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” By Stephen Covey, his last example was simply to “Sharpen your tools”. This means that you should strive to do better every day. Giving yourself the 1% as a fathomable numerical value gives you more incentive to do just that much better. If you do that much better every day over a year, you will be 365% better than you are right now. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Focus on the Important Tasks

The more you focus on important tasks, the less urgent tasks will be present. This means that if you always keep up with what is on your plate, there should not be urgent tasks due to procrastination. Once you get done the important things, you can focus on the minor outlying semi-important things. This is all done as a prevention method to not have something beyond your control overwhelm you.

Always be doing something

Yes, self-care is a very important part of life. You cannot be a fully functioning human hybrid without proper maintenance. When you do take a break, make sure you’re doing something worthwhile instead of a menial time suck. Do things like meditation, stretches, exercise, learning/ reading, researching, watching videos for improvement of certain skills, etc. I’m not saying that you cannot indulge in a video game, a show, a movie, just limit them if possible.

The best thing to do to improve your work ethic is always be doing something. The more you do, even if it’s for your well being, the more you can accomplish. Self-care goes a long way to being a calmer more efficient worker. Doing stuff goes a long way to getting stuff done.

Set Mini-Goals and try to Achieve them

Having a broad goal in mind is an amazing greater picture blueprint to what you want to get done. Take it a step further though. Create more achievable mini-goals that lead you to your final goal. Setting more achievable goals along your path to success allows you to reward yourself on accomplishing a mini-goal. Mini-goals are valuable tools to help create more stepping stones towards something you want to accomplish.

Proper Rest and Nutrition is Vital to Efficiency

As stated previously self-care goes a long way to helping you become more efficient. The idea of having a work ethic with no rest in sight is almost counterproductive. As much as you will get more done, for the time being, you will honestly only burn yourself out a lot faster. The best thing to do is always account for your sleep into the equation. I always strive for 7–8 hours of good wholesome sleep every night to rejuvenate me for the next day. Nutrition is also very important in work ethic. Just taking a multi-vitamin is better than eating junk all day long. Account for what you want to do for the day and plan your meals accordingly. Don’t always indulge in the fastest, easiest meal because they are usually the worst for you. Take your time and make a nice soup or salad. Even a sandwich is better than fast food.

Always Work to Fulfill Inner Honor

This is kind of like working while imagining being observed. Working, in general, is one thing, but working and being able to feel honorable for succeeding is a whole other realm of enjoyment. If you work to just go through the motions, without feeling proud about it, why work at all? Work with a purpose, know what you are doing is only benefiting the greater good. Work with honor and you won’t make simple mistakes. The more often that you feel proud of your work, the more you will want to work.

65% of the Battle is Just Showing up

Having an initiative is crucial to work getting done. For a job, some people just don’t even want to attend. Some would rather spend days off and away from their jobs. People that fall into that category need to realize that 65% of their battle is just showing up to work. Just by putting yourself at the forefront of being present, you are already halfway done with your workday. This is just a motivational saying to get you motivated to work. It has done me well. Just knowing that if I initiate something by being present, I’m already at least halfway done with my project.

Reward Yourself for your Work

What is work without a little bit of a reward? Go ahead and buy something you desire. Spend time with friends and family. Take a break. Take a breath. Feed the desire to work with good old positive reinforcement. It goes a long way to helping with wanting to continue to work.

In Conclusion

All-in-all if you want to create a good work ethic, you just have to put your emotions into your work. Put your energy and motivation to the test and always strive to do better. Always show up and get everything done that you can. Rest and reward yourself from time to time. Just always be doing something productive and your work ethic will develop into a well functioning human hybrid.

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