How to get things done even when you don’t feel like it

Do you ever feel like some days, you just can’t put one foot in front of the next? I’ve made the coffee, sat down at my desk, looked at the to-do list, but just something is keeping me from getting going.

I find myself on the social media sites that I have created rules for myself about visiting (hint: don’t visit them while I am supposed to be working). I find myself warming up coffee over and over. And I find myself doing a bunch of things online that I wished I had the time for, and am happy to get done, if only that’s what I got paid to do.

Yes, an unproductive day to say the least.

In my case, I know why I am being unproductive. I’ve had an emotionally heavy week, my husband is working from home today after 4 days of travelling, then is turning around for another 4 days of travelling, and as of last night, I seem to be coming down with some form of the flu.

And if it weren’t for how unproductive I’ve been all week, I’d just give up and call it a day. But today, I really have to push through and get something done. I will force myself to search inward… to use my inner wisdom that has gotten me through work in times of difficulty before. After all, if I could work when I had a brand new baby demanding my attention every 2 hours, when I had little or no sleep for days on end, or when I stayed up all night to complete my master’s thesis, I can do this!

Strategies for getting things done, even when you don’t feel like it:

Rewards! Give yourself a little something for very small chunk of productivity.
Get away from your desk. Don’t just stare at the screen. Realize that if you aren’t getting much done anyway, you might as well get away for a short time and use the influx of energy to come back renewed.
Chat it up. Being social can infuse inspiration or often perspective to help distract you from whatever was holding you back.
Identify and remove the roadblock. Sometimes there’s something really in the way, and you will thank yourself later if you spend the necessary time getting obstacles out of the way before you try and focus on something else.
Get comfortable. Perhaps you’d feel better with a little food, the air cooler or warmer, a change of clothes or to work in a different environment. Give yourself a break and suit yourself with some comfort items.
Consider the big picture. Think about what the consequences of the inaction may be, and determine if you are ready to face those consequences or not.
Focus on small goals. If the task at hand is insurmountable, perhaps a smaller piece of the task is all you work towards. A little bit done is better than nothing at all.
Recognize your accomplishments. If you feel like you aren’t getting much done, make a list broken into the smallest tasks possible of what you want to get done today, then cross items off as you go. It’s amazing what a sense of accomplishment can do for your feelings of unproductivity.
Resign yourself to a different task. Maybe there’s some work that isn’t at the top of your list, but still needs to get done. And perhaps you are more excited about completing that. It may be a good time to focus on that and save the other work for a day you will complete it more successfully.
Think to yourself, “What would someone smarter than me do?” Sometimes we just need to think out of the box from another person’s perspective to get past a sticking point.