Staying motivated..
At this unprecedented time where the ground sems to be shifting continuously, it’s very easy to become disillusioned and demotivated. Working from home was a novelty that soon wore off, you don’t feel like contacting potential customers as you don’t feel they’re likely to take your call, your business is in hibernation and you’re at a loose end or you are no longer employed and need to find a way to keep focussed on preparing for what’s next.
After years of working in a corporate office environment, my home became my office a few years ago. Since then I have tried various ways to keep focussed – some have been useful, some not as much.
You’re not alone…
Firstly, recognising that you’re not alone helps. You’re not the only one feeling that your routine has gone and you have time on your hands or you’re struggling to focus on what needs to be done next. Connect with others that are experiencing the same thing, which in the current climate shouldn’t be difficult.
Whilst I’ve tended to rely on meeting others for coffee and have had the luxury of being able to do so in person, maybe you can organise a daily online coffee with someone outside of your household to get you going in the morning and to help you recognise that others are feeling just like you.
Making the most of it…
Secondly, accept the situation and embrace the opportunity to do things that you’ve been too busy to do or even make a dramatic change in what you are going to do going forward. Chances are you’ve been so busy that you haven’t had a chance to think. At the very least you may have some time back that was normally spent travelling to the office or to meetings. Or you have a whole day at your disposal. At the end of the situation when things reach the new normal, where would you like to be?
One step at a time
Thirdly, just do it! Much as we may joke about it, few of us are truly happy to spend all day watching Netflix, surfing the web or playing Game of Thrones. When my home first became my office, I felt guilty when I wasn’t doing work all the time, especially if it was the middle of the day. This was particularly difficult as the work was totally dependent on me, I had no deadlines and in most instances, no one else was waiting for anything. I felt the need to be pushing, creating, delivering and if I wasn’t I’d panic and do less. I had to learn to cut myself some slack, taking small steps at a time.
If you have the additional time, maybe you can use it to start that exercise routine that you’ve been talking about (only go outside if the current law allows you to do so). Or you’ve been meaning to do some reading and never seem to have a slot in your schedule. Maybe you’ve been wanting to learn a new language. If you don’t have a job, this may be just the perfect time to step back and think, postulate on what could be – it may not feel like it, but thinking is achieving something. Letting the creative juices flow may lead to ideas you haven’t even dreamt of.
Making it work…
If you have a full household, you may have to be creative about how and where you do stuff. Since Walter & I started being at home together permanently in addition to living in very small spaces, we’ve had to come to some agreement as to how we operate. Some things are done together which is easy. I know that when his earphones are in, he’s studying or on a call and I don’t disturb him. We share our schedules so that we try not to be on different zoom meetings at the same time.
Do you need some help?
If you’re struggling to keep motivated and would like to talk about some ideas that may help, please contact me – details under Contact Us. I’d love to connect with you and we can help each other on the journey.