While burnout can creep up on the best of us, recognizing a work-week rut is much easier. You know the feeling: the pit in your stomach on Monday morning, dreading the new work week, watching the clock for closing time, and waiting for the weekend with a sense of desperation.
A work rut or work slump can impact the most passionate, diligent workers. You’re not a failure if you find yourself feeling unfocused and unable to muster the energy to get anything done.
All of us have those unproductive days here and there. It becomes a rut when it lasts for upwards of a week.
Being in a rut not only hurts your business, but it hurts your mental health, too. Once you realize you’ve been in a rut, utilize these key steps for getting out of the mire and back to business!
7 Steps to Freedom from the Workday Rut
Step 1: Reflect
Once you recognize the rut, reflect on it. What got you here? Have you been avoiding a big decision or task? Have personal-life problems been stealing your attention during working hours? Are you wrestling with a health issue?
It may not be as dire as all that, either. The pandemic has taken a mental and emotional toll on all of us. It’s been harder and harder to focus and thrive when we’re perpetually stuck in “survival mode.” Do your best to step back, reflect, and identify the source of this negative shift in your performance.
Acknowledging it will help you manage it.
Step 2: Retreat
When I say “retreat,” I don’t mean “isolate yourself.” I mean get away. Step back and break the monotony. You could benefit from a true “retreat” in the sense of a vacation. After all, many of us dropped our vacation plans during the pandemic. Even if you don’t end up gallivanting across the world on a weeks-long trip, you could take a weekend to rent out a cabin in the woods.
Nature and serenity – and not feeling the pressure to go and do all the time – can be enormously healing.
You can also retreat in the sense of breaking from the regular workday to enrich yourself. Company or team retreats can help renew enthusiasm, collect valuable feedback, and inspire new ideas.
Step 3: Socialize
Humans are social by nature. It could be that you have been so head-down in your work that you have little room left for socialization. This can lead to feelings of isolation and depression. Make time in your day to be social. Indulge in some watercooler talk that you actually enjoy. Go out with co-workers or friends after work. Plan a regular date night with your partner or set aside a game night with the family. You might be in a rut because you’ve neglected important relationships in your life.
Step 4: Change the Scenery
As many of us are still able to work remotely to some degree, take advantage of your newfound mobility. Switch up where you work. Go outside! Even if you’re stuck in the office, you can still find fresh air during your breaks. Take your lunch in the park. Instead of spending your break scrolling through Facebook, take an outdoor stroll.
Step 5: Get Moving
If exercise hasn’t been a consistent part of your day, start doing it. Exercise gets the blood pumping, increases energy levels and cognitive function, and just makes you feel better. Any kind of movement is beneficial. Get up and stretch regularly. Take the stairs. Going a short distance? Walk or bike instead of driving.
Step 6: Seek Inspiration
Self-enrichment is key to sustaining long-term enthusiasm. How long as it been since you’ve felt excited about your work? Find inspiration by furthering your education. Pick up a new book or podcast. Research the latest and greatest in your industry. Make a playlist that you work well to. Do what inspires you to get back in the saddle!
Step 7: Set Realistic Goals
Breaking out of a cycle of unproductivity and dread is no small feat. Don’t make the mistake of setting goals so big that they’re impossible to accomplish. When you haven’t felt productive, you might feel like a big breakthrough or accomplishment is the key to getting back in the groove.
Truth be told, you need to be gentler with yourself. Falling short of lofty or unrealistic goals and timelines only increases the discouragement. Instead, break your tasks into smaller chunks. Focus on one thing at a time.
What do you do when you find yourself in a rut at work? Share your tips in the comments.