Any self-employed individual can tell you how difficult it can be to stay motivated. No matter how well you like a topic, or how much you enjoy writing articles in a certain niche, there are times when you just can’t bear to write another word about ‘foo.’ Everyone needs a way to relieve this temporary funk and get back to being productive. Stumped for ideas? Tired of procrastinating and want to get back to work? Consider these tips to relieve boredom and frustration and become productive again:
Work on Another Project
One of the best ways to maximize productivity is to simply work on another project when you’re tired of a topic or need a break from a series of articles. If you’re like me, you’ve got several projects going at once, so there’s no lack of work to switch to in order to get a break from a project that’s dragging. I’ve learned to prioritize my time so I can stay ahead of deadlines, and give myself a little wiggle room to work on whatever project most motivates me. However, you still have to force yourself back to the unmotivated project, from time to time, so you could always write a difficult article and then ‘reward’ yourself with working on a different project for a while.
Do Some Marketing
Whether you’re a freelancer or a self-employed individual or even a large company, you know the importance of marketing. Marketing is a job that’s never finished. You can always make a new connection, write a new article, send out an email or otherwise work on your networking opportunities in order to open new doors and obtain new clients for your business. Take a break from a difficult project and do some marketing. Place a bid on a new project. Peruse job listings for potential work. Evaluate potential clients or send out some emails. Kill two birds with one stone; take a break from a project where you’re just not using time efficiently, and potentially gain some new clients through your marketing efforts.
Dance with Dogs
Sometimes, no matter how good your intentions are, you simply can’t be productive. You find yourself browsing the Web, perusing personal emails or even reading a book during ‘work’ time. When this happens, it’s time for drastic measures. You must do something REALLY silly to relieve some of your frustration and get back to being productive. What’s my solution?
Yes. Really. It’s Dancing with Dogs. I’ll put on a song I love, turn it up really loud, and dance around the room singing. The dogs love it. Occasionally I’ll reach down and pet one, or tap them, or generally act silly, and they get all happy – tongue-lolling, tail-wagging happy. This makes me happy, in return, and the opportunity to just be silly for a few minutes releases a lot of the tension and the frustration of working on articles that just can’t catch my interest. After a song or two, the dogs are ready to get back to napping, and I’m ready to get back to work with a fresh attitude and push ahead with those tough articles.
For those of you who don’t have dogs that enjoy dancing, or simply aren’t dog people (I may not understand it, but I respect your beliefs) – you can always watch a hilarious video on YouTube, call a friend and chat for a few minutes, or even go outside and scream something at the top of your lungs. (The more extreme and silly the activity, the more boredom and frustration it relieves – YouTube and phone calls are really more distractions than anything else, but they can help give you a step back from your work.)
Be Physically Active
Finally, if you don’t have any other work to do, have already marketed the heck out of your business and just aren’t a ‘silly’ person, there’s always physical activity. Walking helps a lot of people process, and even the act of going outside and getting away from the office can bring you fresh perspective on your projects. You could always take the opportunity to go to the gym, and be productive in that way. (Sedentary work, especially, requires physical activity elsewhere, so seriously – get a gym membership. Not sure what to do at the gym? Try the Couch-to-5k program at Cool Running. So easy anyone can do it – even me. Twice. I’m just not all that great at sticking with it.)
Being self-employed is all about balancing priorities and lifestyle choices. No-one can be productive all the time, and it’s natural to need breaks every now and then to take a step back and get fresh perspective on a project. Sometimes you have to force yourself to work through unproductive periods, but other times you could be using your time more effectively and be productive in different ways. Consider these tips the next time you’re feeling unproductive – instead of wasting half your day procrastinating, and then getting frustrated because you haven’t done anything.
