Bad days happen to the best of us
Image courtesy of Sean Kernan
We all have those days where we just aren’t in the mood to get anything done.
For some they are rare but for others like me, they are alarmingly common. Dealing with these days and still getting things done is an important skill to balance your lifestyle.
When I slack for a day or two, it can put unhealthy pressure on me to get tasks done in a short amount of time once motivation strikes again. I don’t write every day for this reason and I shift between different tasks to keep my energy levels high.
Sean Kernan isn’t like me. He was a financial analyst for years and still wrote every day in his free time. Even as a full-time writer, he still writes daily through thick and thin which is probably why he has hundreds of millions of views online.
Whatever industry you work in, sometimes you need to work when you don’t feel motivated to avoid your workload getting out of control. Sean’s troubleshooting method can help you on those bad days.
This article is based on the Mindful & Driven episode with Sean. You can listen here or find the YouTube video at the bottom of this article.
You’ve got to ask the right question
When I don’t think I’m working as well as I can, I can get angry at myself. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies because rage doesn’t fix the problem. You might begin to focus on “what’s wrong with me?” rather than “how can I get back on course?”.
The second question is what Sean’s troubleshooting document does. It’s a series of steps he takes which focus on how to make things better rather than placing the blame. When your laptop breaks, you often don’t care what caused it, you just care about how to get it switched on again.
We choose to fight ourselves because it can feel easier than understanding ourselves. To know to get yourself back on track, you need strong self-awareness. You have to understand how your thoughts can change your mood and how external influences impact you.
It can be a little uncomfortable to admit to yourself you need a rest and can’t plow through every problem. Take the time to collect different ideas you can use to turn your morale around and write them down. It doesn’t need to be done in one sitting, you can let the list build up over time.
Tips on finding the right steps
Last year Niklas quit high paying job because he realized it was stopping him from fulfilling his potential. From a purely financial perspective, his decision was insanity. He was being paid enough to live comfortably, was good at what he did and it didn’t take up much time.
Even once he’d realized the job was sapping his energy, it was hard to quit because of the comfort of the money coming in. He kept at it longer than he should have because like most of us he’s hardwired not to turn down dollars.
Yet he had to be brutal with himself about what he wanted from life. He’d regret not freeing up his time to produce his best work more than he’d feel the loss of income.
I was in a similar position earlier this year. I knew with all my heart I wanted to be a full-time creative and I had matched my day job income. I could live comfortably on far less but it took time to shake off my psychological goblin that was addicted to numbers.
I’d advise you to be honest with yourself about how much income you actually need and how long your savings will last you. You might be able to cut more than you think you can.
I hope you found these tips useful and can see ways you can apply them to your own life. If you’d like to hear Niklas talk about it with me in more detail, check out our conversation in the video below.We aren’t all the same so you can’t steal someone else’s document and expect to solve all your problems. You’ll have unique steps and you can choose to find this exciting or intimidating. (Hint: choose exciting).
Yet you can find inspiration from what other people do. Their steps might not work for you but they might trigger related ideas that change your life. Don’t be afraid to tweak things to suit you or to adapt your own ideas if they no longer work for you.
We are constantly changing and what motivates me today is unrecognizable from who I was five years ago. Give yourself that compassion.
With those caveats, here are some of the things Sean has on his troubleshooting document.
Read random facts articles
Look at cool and clever adverts
Listen to podcasts
Going for a walk
Of his list, only the fourth step is something I use myself. As I now have my own podcast, listening to other podcasts is less enjoyable because I tend to overanalyze!
One thing he didn’t mention but works for me is laying down and staring at the ceiling. I find literally changing my perspective can shake my brain around and sometimes new ideas breakthrough.
Another way I regain motivation is by talking to someone else about whatever it is I’m working on. I tell them where I’m stuck and they might gift me an epiphany moment that puts me back at full speed.
Much of this is based on the idea of the focused brain and diffused brain popularised by Dr. Barbara Oakley. We can be in a rut because we spend too much time in the focused brain which tires us out. The troubleshooting document gives us different ways to go into diffused mode and trigger our creativity.
I hope you found this simple technique useful and can see ways you can apply them to your own life. If you’d like to hear Sean talk about it with me in more detail, check out our conversation in the video below.
https://youtu.be/Mrvh-3qbjgI