Get Moving
we all know the wfh slump and wishing we were napping on the couch, I combat these mid-morning / mid-day moods by moving. Get some fresh air, dance your heart out, participate in a youtube workout or get yourself a walking pad – this has been a game changer for me. Twice a day I switch from sitting to standing and bust out my walking pad and get some movement going.
Take a damn Lunch Break
NO REALLY! Eat a meal, even if that’s 2 baby-bells, pre-made salad and a pack of pre-boiled eggs. Make it stupid simple if you need but missing meals to work is so “girl boss, burnout era”, being in my 30’s my metabolism needs all the boost it can get and missing lunch is not doing my body any favors.
Drink Your Coffee
I am NEVER turning down an iced coffee, I drop the kids off and run straight to my desired coffee stop of the day. Then I sit in my car for awhile, either driving around and jamming out or in my drive way doom scrolling to start my day. This actually helps me focus so much better when I get in the house and begin the work day.
Spotify
this is where it’s at. Find you a couple favorite podcasts that make you excited to listen every week and make them apart of your work day every week. I love listening in on the day they drop, it’s also my body-doubling trick for working alone, feels like someone is talking to me (adhd wins!) Not to mention a good playlist for different moods can really set the tone for your work day.
Honor Your Moods
This is especially important for business owners and neurodivergent individuals, somedays I am like flash ⚡️ and can complete all the tasks on my list and more, other days I work from the couch in my monochrome sweatsuit and pretend to be invisible, there are times I can write me heart out, create the most awesome designs or simply just want to drop everything and go on a days adventure. This isn’t always feasible especially is you have meetings scheduled that day but if you put to-dos on your calendar and mark them as due a couple days to a week before they are actually due then you will have more flexibility to honor your moods.
Block Schedule Tasks
When it comes to getting shit done, if it’s not on the calendar it’s not happening. I like to time block my schedule and group task into categories, for example try to set four categories that your work falls within and group like tasks together on the same day/time that way you can get in the flow and limit mind wandering distractions. I work within these four blocks: Connecting, Learning, Creating, Communicating. Examples of these may be
Connecting | Coming up with content ideas, Social Media responding and outreach, Lunch with peer, Co-working sessions |
Learning | Participating in courses, Watching You-Tubes, Reading, Creating educational content, Keeping up-to date on trends, research and potential client needs |
Creating | Client work, Content Designing, Web Designs, Passion Projects, Exploring places that spark creativity, Creating for fun |
Communicating | Admin tasks, Responding to emails, Meetings with clients, Content writing for social media, blog posts & newsletters |
Stay Connected
this going to look different from person to person and week to week, but connect with peers, like minded people, mentors, friends, family, close clients and yourself. It’s easy for us to retreat, shut down and clam up to the outside world, even more so when working from home. Make sure to set a weekly priority of connecting with 1-2 people outside of your home, change work locations for the day. I love my locate Library locations! This keeps me engaged and motivated and overall boost my mood. If you aren’t in the mood for socialization then spend some time connecting with your needs and thoughts. Take yourself to lunch, check out a new shop, do some self-care, get some sunshine or take a hike. Anything that’s going to make you feel more alive.
TL;DR Realistic Productivity Booster that honor your changing moods, energy levels and increase motivation. Different things at different time work better for each individual person, trial and error is necessary but do what works for you, no shame in your game.