How to Get Sh*t Done When You Just Don’t Feel Like Writing (or Working)
We’ve all been there
Hasn’t everyone felt like this at some point?
You’re at work, you’ve had coffee, you are checking your email. Your boss is there, your colleagues are working, you have a whole list of stuff you need to do.
But you just don’t feel like it.
Or maybe, like me, you work from home.
You’re at your desk, you have your coffee and maybe a snack. You’re checking email and organizing your day, you have your list of things you need to do.
But you just don’t feel like it.
The biggest difference in these scenarios is that it’s easier to just not do work when you’re at home by yourself.
There have been mornings I’ve gotten sucked into a Youtube hole for an hour and when I resurface, I have no idea how I got there or what the hell I just watched.
There have been days I get distracted by personal writing and end up spending hours on my next manuscript instead of on client work.
There have been days I just sleep in because I don’t have any meetings or deadlines that morning.
It happens.
Not every day or even every week.
But sometimes I just don’t feel like working (or writing).
Sometimes, I don’t feel inspired or interested or excited.
And it’s not the work’s fault, or a client’s. It’s just me.
The hard part is that while everyone feels like this sometimes, when you work from home, it is easier to fall victim to it. To succumb to the distractions.
How do you get over it and get to work?
You have to suck it up, right?
After all, whether you’re in an office with a manager or boss expecting you to get stuff done and earn that paycheck or you’re at home and your clients are expecting their deliverables, you have an obligation to do the work you said you’d do and are being paid to do.
So, here are a few tips to shake it off and get back into your groove.
- Take a walk. This may seem counterintuitive, to take a break when you don’t feel like working, but it’s not. Often, just taking a 10-minute break and getting out of the office for a few minutes will shake up your headspace and allow you to refresh and come back with a better perspective and be more able to focus. In fact, psychologists encourage short breaks throughout your day!
- Grab a snack of more caffeine. Sometimes you just need to grab a snack or more coffee and it can wake you up and get you ready to work again.
- Go through your to-do list. If you don’t have one, stop what you’re doing and write a physical list of the tasks you need to get done. There is something about having a physical list and checking items off of it that is satisfying and makes you realize what you’re accomplishing.
- Switch tasks. Put down whatever you’re currently working on and switch to something completely different. The new topic will help you refocus and can reignite your interest. Add a blocked time to your calendar to come back to what you were previously working on (if it needs to get done), but for now, switch to something you’re more interested in.
- Set up a time management technique to stay focused. You can try the timeboxing technique, where you block off time on your calendar to focus on a specific task. Or try the Pomodoro technique, where you set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on your task until the timer goes off, then taking a 5-minute break and restarting the timer.
- Take a break to get organized. There have been studies done that show that being (and staying) organized boosts productivity by saving you time, eliminating stress, having less clutter, and more. Take the time to get organized and feel calmer when working.
- Turn off or silence distractions. Putting your phone on silent, closing out of Facebook and Youtube, and silencing annoying notifications will help keep you focused and less likely to get FOMO every time something dings or chimes — and you won’t feel compelled to check every single thing.
- Drink water. Okay, this one sounds silly. I know. But did you know that having TOO MUCH caffeine can have the opposite of the intended effect and actually make you LESS focused? Just like when you think you might be hungry but aren’t sure, being thirsty can make you more distracted. Drink a glass of water and stay hydrated throughout the day.
What do you do to get back into that flow of work and stay focused?
I know for me, I just don’t feel like working sometimes. Nothing is wrong, I’m not sick or all that tired, I’m just not feeling it, you know?
But we’re adults and we have sh*t to DO. So, we figure out ways to GET IT DONE.
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