Maybe this has happened to you: For months on end you excitedly seized the day, energetically giving it your all, and then… you feel like a deflated balloon. 📌
Zoetica Media founder Kami Huyse recently shared how, after a difficult transitional period at her agency, she found herself completely worn out and unmotivated. Beyond continuing to serve her existing clients, she merely wanted to coast along at an easy and comfortable pace.
A few years later, she still felt painfully adrift. Fortunately, after some trial and error, she found her way back again and has been going strong ever since. ✨
Today, when she’s in a funk, she relies on the following three tricks to ensure she doesn’t get stuck again.
💎 Take a break.
This may sound counterintuitive – and in fact you may be thinking “how can I possibly take a break when I have so much work to do?” – but stepping away can help you clear your mind and recharge.
Taking a break can be anything from going for a for a walk, run, or bike ride, enjoying a short nap, or even taking a quiet shower without distractions.
Taking vacations is also important. Some people like to schedule them once a year, while others recommend quarterly vacations. Decide what works best for you and then commit to following through.
💎 Co-work with someone for a set amount of time.
Sometimes we just need a little support, and co-working can give us that extra accountability nudge to get going. If you want to co-work in person, that’s fine, but hopping on a Zoom meeting works just as well!
A scheduled weekly 1-hour coworking session is the perfect amount of time. Spend 5 minutes sharing what each of you will do, dedicate the next 50 minutes working on your task, and in the last 5 minutes report your progress.
Consider co-working for those important projects and tasks that you know you need to get done (for example your visibility projects), but have a tendency to put off. Kami believes in co-working so much that she’s instituted it as part of her Smart Social Mastery membership program.
💎 Change your scenery.
Even if you have the most comfortable work environment, a change of scenery can boost your energy and creativity.
This can be as simple as working in a different part of your usual space, for example switching from your desk to your sofa, or turning your desk around so it faces a different part of your room.
It can also involve a complete location switch such as checking into a hotel for the night if you have an important deadline and can’t afford any distractions. (Kami did this a few years ago when she was working on a book.)
Remember to shake things up a little bit when you're feeling paralyzed or stuck.
We all lose our motivation from time to time, so having a toolbox of tricks to pull from will get you back on track!