Remote Staff Remote Staff Remote Staff Remote Staff
  • Home
  • Jobs
  • Our Services
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Sign Up
  • Log in
Remote Staff Remote Staff
  • Home
  • Jobs
  • Our Services
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Sign Up
  • Log in
May 27

Three Strategies to Help You Get Things Done On Days When You Don’t Feel Like Working

  • May 27, 2020
  • Serena Estrella
  • No Comments
  • Productivity

You know what I mean. We’re all feeling it in some way these days. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing your usual work routine or if you’ve got an especially monumental amount of tasks before you. On some days, you just don’t feel like doing anything. *cue Bruno Mars*

But you know what? It’s perfectly normal and it’s not always down to laziness either. I was actually talking about it with one of my colleagues this morning, and we both were feeling the drudgery of having so much work to plow through every day.

Granted, we’re thankful to have our jobs, especially in the current climate. Remote workers too, are usually inherently motivated, otherwise, you wouldn’t last long in this gig.

Still, we’re all only human, and there will be days when getting anything done feels like an insurmountable challenge. Fortunately, there are a few strategies that can help you past that:

  1. Shift your focus to prevention rather than promotion.
  2. Say what? Okay, let me explain.

    First of all, most of us motivate ourselves to accomplish things because we feel that they will benefit us. For example, we study hard to get high grades or we work hard to earn a decent living. This is what you call a promotion focus.

    It can be helpful, but not if you’re putting things off because you’re afraid of screwing things up. If this is the case, turn things around and adopt a prevention focus instead.

    Through this approach, you focus on what you will lose if you don’t take action rather than what you gain if you do. Again, for example, think about how your client might fire you if you don’t get work done. Or how you won’t get paid if you don’t put the hours in AND produce output.

    Brutal? Maybe. Effective? Heck, yes.

  3. Screw inspiration and motivation. Routines are where it’s at.
  4. Here’s a bit of real talk. Whenever you don’t “feel” like doing something, there is no real obstacle but yourself. When you don’t feel like working, it’s not like there’s a padlock around your laptop, right? (Unless you haven’t got an Internet connection, of course.)

    So, rather than looking for or waiting for inspiration, set up a routine. Train your mind and body to get used to working a certain amount of hours each day, no matter how lazy or uninspired you are.

    Once you get used to it, you can rely on your figurative muscle memory to get started. You can bet that it’ll be a lot more reliable than fleeting inspiration.

  5. Use if-then planning to make (and stick to) tough decisions ahead of time.
  6. This is especially useful for tasks that are boring and/or especially tough. Why? Because apart from creating specific actions to take, if-then planning also decides where and when you’ll carry them out.

    Here’s an example: If the client still hasn’t mentioned anything about my proposal by 3 PM, I will email them to follow up.

    By deciding on what you’re going to do in advance, you’ll be a lot less hesitant to carry things out when the time comes.

 

Clearly, positive thinking just won’t cut it sometimes. It’s great to have favorite inspirational quotes hanging around, but in most cases, you have to give yourself an extra push.

Or, as a famous sportswear brand likes to say, just do it.

Facebook Comments

Disclaimer: The above article was written according to the information available as of press time.
All opinions and beliefs expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Remote Staff's, its employees, subcontractors, clients, and affiliates.


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • E-Mail

About The Author

Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home. Hermits, aspiring hermits, and non-hermits with interesting project propositions may email her at serena.estrella10@gmail.com.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

nine + 3 =

Recent Posts

  • 7 Main Factors That Make Employees Stay Loyal to a Company
  • 8 Simple Valentine’s Day Gifts for a Remote Worker
  • The Remote Worker’s Simple Guide to Managing Personal Finances
  • How to Take Care of Your Sick Child While Working From Home
  • 6 Reasons Why Employees Don’t Take Vacations

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020

What's Trending

  • Want to Become in-demand in an Online ASP Job? Here’s How.
  • How to Register to SSS, PAGIBIG, and Philhealth as a Remote Worker
  • What’s the Best Computer Specs for Work-from-home and Remote Working?
  • Ultimate Guide: How to File Your Taxes as a Freelancer or Remote Worker in the Philippines
  • Got No Internet? Here are 5 Pocket Wifi Options You Can Use As Back-Up
  • Honesty is the Best Policy: Examples of Lying in Job Interviews and Why they’re a Bad Idea.
  • 45 High-Paying Online Jobs You Can Apply For to Earn at Home in the Philippines
  • Equality for All: Some of the Laws Concerning PWD Employment in the Philippines
  • Ultimate Guide: Comprehensive List of Benefits you can get from SSS as a Remote worker or Freelancer
  • Why You Need to Complete Your Remote Staff Profile (Plus a Step-by-Step Video On How to Do It)
  • Contact Us

    info@remotestaff.ph

    Office headquarters

    Remote Staff, Inc.
    Level 29 Joy Nostalg Centre
    17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Centre
    Pasig City, 1600
    Philippines

    Links

    • Home
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Jobs
    • Privacy Policy
    • Fair Equitable Contracting Policy
    © Copyright Remote Staff - 2023