It’s Monday. You had an epic – or average – weekend. It’s 11.45am and you’ve completed all of the quizzes on BuzzFeed or shamefully read every Z-list celeb’s updates' on the Daily Mail.
Your inbox is slowly filling up and you’ve got to-do lists and post-its all around you.
But for some reason you just can’t focus on getting started, you’re daydreaming of what it would be like if you’d “won the ads” on Saturday Night Takeaway, or if you still put the National Lottery on and you won, where you’d be.
We’ve all been there.
It’s crucial that you take a break during your workday, but if you notice yourself getting misty eyed and waylaid more often than not, it’s a sign things need to change.
Shake yourself from your unproductive rut and get your day on track...
1. Work out a reward for completing high-priority tasks
So you’ve sent those four major emails, finished that proposal and held that meeting with a junior member of staff? Reward yourself for getting the big things done! It doesn’t have to be much but it acknowledges your effort and gets you a break. Whether its five minutes reading the celeb news, taking a walk around the office or spending five minutes on Facebook – as long as you feel rewarded for your efforts and ready to get back on with the next load of work, it’s better than putting it all off in panic for hours.
If there’s a big project you’ve been avoiding getting stuck into, reward yourself with something bigger, like mentally putting time aside in the evening to plan your summer holiday, or ordering a takeaway for tea.
2. Step away and do something different
Your mind can become numb to the day-to-day, if you’re struggling to find you rhythm, do something completely out of the mundane.
- Spend 5-10 minutes doodling – something completely far away from your work!
- Tidy the stationery/resource cupboard – it’s amazing how therapeutic this can be to those who rarely get to do it!
- Put 20 minutes into your admin tasks – switch your brain off and tidy your desk drawers, tackle the paper shredder or start filing!
- Ask others if they have quick, menial tasks they wouldn’t mind your help with – putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, with a time limit can give you the kick-start you need to get on with your own work.
3. Set yourself a deadline
This is a risky step, but can be fruitful if it’s made with the best intentions and realistic expectations.
16 pages of research in an hour? No chance.
4 pages of research in an hour? Perhaps!
Set a deadline, with a reward at the end and you’d be surprised at what you can achieve.
If you’re hoping to get a project completed and struggling with the finish line, a timescale and reward at the end, will both tie nicely to give you newfound motivation.
4. Destroy all distractions
No, we don’t mean hurt your noisy co-worker, or smash up the office radio... But if there are distractions in your office, you need to acknowledge that these may be interfering with your focus – particularly if it’s happening regularly.
Speak to your boss about alternative workspaces, using earphones or working from home. All of these solutions should rework your work environment, to create a better space for you to focus on your tasks.
Find more like this via Office Life.
