Keep an inspiration log

In the day-to-day grind of the workday, it’s easy to lose your sense of excitement and purpose. And, when you feel drained and distracted by the demands of your to-do list, you struggle to remember that there’s a deeper meaning to the work you do.

And yet inspiration can come from many places: from a productive brainstorming session with a team member, a note of positive feedback from a client, the satisfaction of finishing a critical task, or the thrill of finding the missing link in your data. To stay energized, it’s important to keep track of these bits of inspiration and figure out how to maximize them as a team.

Try keeping an inspiration log:

• Ask team members to track each time they feel inspired at work, even if only in a small way.
• At the end of the week, gather to share what you wrote down.
• Discuss what conditions created that experience of inspiration, and what factors get in the way. Brainstorm how to foster the positive conditions and keep those negative factors at bay.

Having an awareness of what gets you inspired can help you stay that way — individually and as a team.