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This is really more of a thinking-out-loud post than anything else, so just to warn you in advance, don’t expect a literary masterpiece. June so far has been a very slow month for me, I’m suddenly finding a big a drop in the motivation levels that were so high in previous months. Something needs to be done.
What’s Happening
So far this month I feel as though I’ve gotten very little done, and I really don’t like that. I haven’t posted nearly as frequently on this blog as I’d like to, or indeed as frequently as I have done in past months, and in addition I don’t feel like I’ve been getting a lot of actual work done.
The honeymoon period is definitely over. The novelty of working at home has now worn off, as has the feeling of ‘freedom’. I’m not being productive because I’m not enjoying myself as much, and I’m not enjoying myself as much because I’m not being productive. Catch 22.
I imagine that this is the ’slowdown’ or ‘burnout’ that many freelancers and small business owners speak of, though I won’t be able to say for certain until I’m able to look back in 6 months time and analyse it fully.
The Reasons
I’ve been trying to pinpoint some reasons as to what’s holding back my productivity, here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- Twitter – too much of a good thing.
- Playing various TV series “in the background” – one of those things that you think doesn’t distract you, but secretly does.
- Lack of a written to-do list – I moved my to do list to HighRise about 2 months ago, the result is that I look at it a lot less.
- Temperature – the direct afternoon sun these days makes my office pretty unbearable, which is a real motivation killer.
- Other distractions – RSS, email, instant messaging, phonecalls, etc
What’s Next
I could sit here and continue to complain about all these things – but that wouldn’t get me very far at all, so it’s time to do something different. Tomorrow I’m going to avoid/eliminate all of the above productivity-killers completely. This isn’t a long-term solution, it’s a test, I want to see how much of a difference it makes to my work by not having any of those things getting in the way.
I’m not going to do anything stupid like tracking every minute of my day, because I think that people who do that really are going one step too far. There comes a point (dear lifehacker readers), where ‘managing your productivity’ becomes the very source of your lack of productivity. There was a great quote in .NET Magazine a couple of months back that said “blogging about productivity is like drinking about alcoholism”. So in the interest of that, I’m really not going to labour this subject too much.
The key issue really is how I feel about my work, not how I feel about my clock.
What About You?
What do you do when you’re feeling the slowdown/burnout effect?
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It happens. Even for those some of us who aren’t self-employed and are bound to regulated schedules.
I’d also have to tick the box on the very 1st productivity killer on your list. Twitter is addictive for all the right and wrong reasons.
But to combat this slump and get back on the productivity band wagon? What’s helped me can be summed to 3 main buckets:
• WORK: using tools that map out production plans for the long-term (editorial calendar, project management schedule/app, etc.) – any pre-marked action that forces you to attend to a commitment in the future will help define the outline of a day, a week, month, 6 months etc
• PLAY: making sure you do extricate yourself from the tech/digital realm and socialize, interact in real time on a DAILY basis. The trouble with Twitter and other social media candy is that access to them is way too easy; we get drawn automatically to it like moths to a flame.
• REST: not getting at least 8 hours of sleep will most definitely take its toll on your body and affect your mood, emotional state and ability to focus.
Striking a balance and maintaining it are essential to mitigating/avoiding burn out.
Sounds easier said than done. But nothing really ever comes that easy does it?
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
I do most of my work from home and I experience the same problems.
I basically don’t try to fight it. Sometimes it takes a day sometimes a week to get over the motivation slump. I usually go play the Wii or head out to the shops. I make sure what needs to be done is done and then I try to relax.
The other tip i use is I pick something that I wouldn’t normal buy. It has to be something that I want but quite expensive. I right it on a piece of paper and stick on the wall. It’s a goal but a “want”. I find that it slowly pulls me out and things get back to normal.
By the way it can’t really be work related as that doesn’t have the same effect.
hope this helps
Good post! I’ve been struggling with burnout a bit myself. I’m only just starting my business, so it’s not good to have burnout already, it’s just due to the massive effort I was putting in to my previous employed work. I was worried it might happen, but how to avoid it is the tough part!
I notice you’re not online at the moment, so you’re sticking to your plan! Good work :)
> twitter – too much of a good thing.
Dude download http://visitsteve.com/work/selfcontrol/ add twitter and any other web based stuff to the blacklist and whack it up a few hours then hit apply. Work great and is very hard to reverse.
3 suggestions which have helped me stay on track:
1) Keep TV out of sight from your computer. I’m lucky that I have a separate office in my apartment, away from the TV room. When I move in a few months, the #1 criteria in my apt. search will be having that extra, separated room.
2) Wake up earlier. About 2 months ago, I set my alarm 2 hours earlier than I did in the past, and I’ve seen a huge jump in productivity. I get my my important tasks done first thing in the morning. Really helps.
3) Google Calendar. I’m not a productivity app addict, but I do rely heavily on GCal. Not just for meetings, and events. I plan blocks of work time for various projects in the upcoming 3-5 days. Keeps me more productive, but also helps to relieve stress when work piles up.
Great post John.
Finally got to read it I think you will find out you hit these slumps every now and again but the thing is it’s like the flu virus the slumps are ever changing and all have different ways out of them.
@brian I agree with getting up 2 hours earlier. I get so much more done in that two hours with our phones, staff and client distractions.
@John I use “The Hit List” instead of “HighRise”. I know it’s just a simple app but since it’s not web based i find it easier to leave open and check things off as i go.
Some one who works hard through the tough times will go much farther than some one who is a fly-by-night person. What you do with your tough times and tough clients is what defines you (in my opinion). Those are the times when I grow and am challenged.
Do you have a goal in mind? Do you have family? Do you have faith? Let that drive you and motivate you, it will set you apart.
I find that having a business is as much self-exploration as it is providing a service. You will learn about yourself a lot. What motivates you and how to manage yourself.
Breaks are important.. a cat helps. The cat will jump on your computer when you should be taking a break anyway, lol. Naps are good. Golf/sports and working out are good.
Often times I deal with being tired / complacent with reading the bible, it gives me a healthier perspective on life and allows me to push on harder and stronger after I am rejuvenated.
Finding something outside yourself that you can work for and work towards is necessary to being a strong, self-motivated person who doesn’t back down when times get tough.
Thanks for being open and honest on your blog, I have been enjoying it.
Likewise thankyou for the detailed and insightful comment Marc :)
Hey John, how are you finding the post-slowdown? ;)
What I’ve done is just close all IM programs. Although if you converse with clients via IM it’s a bit hard to do that.
Thanks for writing this John. At least you’ve written about being unproductive rather than not bothering to write it and consequently fuelling your lack of productivity further!
Even though this subject is slightly overdone, I don’t think it’s any bad thing to see more written about it. I feel like this a lot and sometimes reading this sort of stuff can lead to you getting just one idea which can rekindle the motivation.
And anyway, taking the bold step to become self-employed is not easy. If it was, and one could be super productive all of the time, a lot more people would go down this route. Many people who work within a well-defined structure in the 9-5 would scarcely ever get anything done if they worked from home!
Thanks for the comment Matt! Appreciate your thoughts on the subject :)