3 Ways to Power Through the Rest of the Workday When You Don't Want to Work Anymor
It’s Tuesday at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. You just got back from your weekly Taco Tuesday lunch with your favorite coworkers, you’re full and happy.
You’ve accomplished a lot today, including getting that big presentation off to your boss, who thinks it totally rocks! You’ve got a few more things due by the end of the day and you know exactly what you need to do to get them done.
You can't wait to cross them off your list with your pink glitter pen.
There’s just one problem.
You don’t want to work anymore.
Before you spend the rest of your day mindlessly scrolling through your Facebook feed for the billionth time, try one of these tried and true (and ridiculously easy) ways to power through the rest of your day without spraining your ankle or breaking a sweat:
1) Change your scenery
Go outside for a quick walk and settle back into your desk. Better yet, go work outside if you can or find the closest, most inspiring café and stimulate your brain into working.
Book yourself a conference room or sit somewhere you don’t normally sit. The change will re-activate your brain, and get you mentally moving.
If you sit in an open office, this is a must.
2) Get some fuel
With food and music. Skip the high-octane energy drinks or your fifth coffee and opt for water, a green juice, and eat a piece of real food – think, nuts, seeds, veggies. Avoid the crash and save the sugar for after work. Then create a mental cue it’s time to work – headphones on, head down…and blast off!
3) Trick yourself
Rewarding yourself is a fun way to play games with yourself to get shit done. Promise yourself when you finish your tasks and power through the rest of the day you’ll reward your hard work and head straight for some fro-yo, or happy hour, whichever is closer.
If all of these suggestions fail, consider going home. Maybe your brain really is fried from your hectic morning.
Your tired body and mind are ineffective and extra likely to make mistakes. Mistakes that could be costly and time-consuming to fix tomorrow. Blech!
Be honest with your work peeps, remind them what you accomplished this morning and tell them you need a mental break. Make yourself available if your team needs to reach you and promise to check in tonight, or come back after a great night’s sleep relaxed and refreshed and ready to take on a new day in the morning.
They'll appreciate the honesty, and probably don't want to deal with the hassle of reworking your sub-par work anyway.
Hair down, bottoms up, rest up, come back and be your amazing self in the morning.
