The Global Collective: Maintaining Motivation

(5 min reading time)

We recently sat down with Steph Preston, a London-based Digital Marketing apprentice, and George Raymond a New York-based Business Administration apprentice to discuss how they maintain motivation, read on for their best tips and tricks.

Hey Ray & Steph! Can you start off by telling us a little bit about where you both work and your apprenticeship?
Ray: I’m Ray and I’m a business administration apprentice working at Multiverse in the delivery team as a recruiter. I help find exceptional coaches to deliver our world-class content. I found Multiverse via TikTok, I was just scrolling through and saw a TikTok posted by Multiverse. At first, I was a bit skeptical as apprenticeships aren’t as common here in the US so I researched Multiverse and began my application. I actually stopped halfway through and then got some phone calls from the UK office who encouraged me to continue and help me with my application.
Steph: I’m on the Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, and currently work for Emmy and BAFTA-winning animation studio, Blue Zoo.

How do you set your goals and work towards them?
Ray: My motivation stems from my mother, being an immigrant from Jamaica, coming over to the US and seeing her working so hard to provide for us kids, this really drives me to work hard and provide for my future kids. 
My manager Devin, helps me set my goals to work towards being a project manager in the future. If I have a concept of something I would like to do, Devin helps me to fully build it out and lays out the steps of how to get there. Having a manager who trusts me and is really invested in my personal and professional development is really key in achieving my goals. The trust that Devin places in me is really empowering and reminds me that I need to have more trust in myself. One project I recently finished was a handbook for coaches during their onboarding. I was trusted to lead that project and at first I was slightly nervous but once my coach, Ifeoma spoke to me and helped me to break everything down into small achievable steps / goals.  
Steph: I make sure to set myself attainable, realistic goals (SMART goals-esque) and break them down into smaller chunks. For example, one of my long-term goals is to found and run my own creative agency; the first step was securing my current apprenticeship, then over the next 5-7 years progress towards a managerial role. It’s definitely a lot easier to work towards a goal, no matter how big or small, when it’s broken into easier chunks.

It can be tough balancing work with studying. How do you break this up so that you achieve your goals and objectives in both your role and studying?
Ray: I like to keep notes, that is my main way of managing my time and tasks. Next for me would be communication - so communicating my struggles and asking my teammates for help when I need it so that I can focus on my apprenticeship work as well. I’ve tried staying silent before and it’s always led to failure, from this I’ve learned that just because you are asking for help doesn’t mean you aren’t good at something.
Steph: I use every planning tool and resource I can! I love tools like ClickUp and Wrike because it’s so easy to put in tasks with deadlines, sort by various filters, and update their status so you know exactly what stage you’re at. On a similar note, make sure to set yourself deadlines - they give you a clear end date to work towards and get tasks completed by. If you’re working towards goals and objectives without a deadline or clear and achievable milestones then it’s easy to forget why you’re doing something or what it’s for. 

When you are feeling like you’re losing motivation, what do you do to get yourself back on track? 
Ray: I always remind myself of my main motivation which is my mother, coming from Jamaica by herself, raising six children, and her determination for us kids. I take a step back and try to put myself in her position and how many times she must have lost motivation but kept pushing for us kids. Also, I always try to look at the positive and where I see myself in the future, reminding myself that right now is a building block to get to where I want to be.  
Steph: As counterintuitive as it sounds, I just take a break. I often use the Pomodoro technique for measuring time and keeping myself focused, and it also allows for frequent breaks. The way I use it is that I’ll do 25 minutes of work, then take a 5-minute break, and repeat. I do this four times in total, so at the end of the two hours, I then get a longer break of 15-20 minutes. It’s super helpful in not just breaking up work, but also providing consistent breaks that mean you aren’t just working straight through for several hours.
I also find that checking back at my to-do list often helps, particularly if I re-evaluate any tasks and projects and reprioritize. It’s easy enough to say you’ve got numerous urgent or important tasks due on the same day, but if you give yourself timed deadlines and constantly check these and reshuffle when necessary, you’ll find it much easier to stay motivated. It also helps with working towards goals like above!

What would be your three top tips for anyone struggling to maintain motivation at work and in their apprenticeship?

Ray:

1. Have a growth mindset and be optimistic. Being pessimistic happens to all of us, but trying to stay positive and optimistic goes a long way.
2. Communication. Effective communication in both your personal and professional life is so important, acknowledging areas of concern and voicing those will set you up for success.
3. Endure it. Just endure the moment right now, as young professionals, we can sometimes put a lot of pressure or stress on ourselves. I’ll often think about tasks in their simplest form, trying not to overthink things,  for example - ‘I’m just writing on a piece of paper’.

Steph:

1. Use every tool and resource that’s available to you. Whether it’s tools like Wrike and the Pomodoro technique, or simply a pen and paper/diary, use anything you can to keep on track and up-to-date.
2. Maintain frequent contact with your line manager and Multiverse coach. They are there to support you, so make sure you check in with them and ask for help when you need it. They’re also a great sounding board for ideas and can massively help with any advice on keeping yourself motivated.
3. Finally, and this is going to sound really philosophical, but just keep thinking ahead to the future. I definitely struggle with motivation sometimes, but just remembering why I’m doing this and how much it’ll benefit me helps to boost my motivation.