What to Do When You Don’t Want to Work
As an entrepreneur, it can feel like there is often too much going on and you’re constantly drowning. In the past, I’ve thought that once I got more experience, started making more money, or matured, that the effect of sickness, personal issues, and general stress on my work would lessen. But, unfortunately, life still happens. At times, the only reason I have pushed myself to get out of bed and get to work is that I had to buy groceries and pay rent, and couldn’t afford to lose my paycheck.
With experience, I’ve learned to recognize that this is a common struggle and there are things you can do to help yourself get out of a funk. Below, I’ve listed the three things that help put a bit more pep in my step when I don’t want to go to work.
Accept that this happens to everyone
With social media, it can sometimes feel like your friends have it all and everyone loves their job every single day, or that entrepreneurship is always glamorous. But, because we’re all human, we all have days when we’re annoyed by our bosses, there will be setbacks that seem insurmountable, or you’ll inevitably encounter days where you lack motivation. Don’t let this stop you. Recognize it for what it is and allow yourself to feel the emotions that come along with that. If you don’t allow yourself to be frustrated, or even to acknowledge when things are hard, you will lose it.
Acknowledge when things are going well
No one is expected to love what they do every minute of every day. I distinctly remember figuring that out for the first time, a few months after graduating from college. As a millennial, I thought that I would be fulfilled every day by my work, and was often depressed leaving work on days where my job felt mundane. You will have hard days, but that’s ok. The key is to acknowledge when things are going well.
To help with this, I started a simple Google Doc tracker for the positive things going on in my job. It has become a work-related gratitude journal. When I feel frustrated at work, I refer back to the list I’ve added to and it gives me great perspective. I also have an “encouraging emails” folder that files all my nice notes from supervisors, clients, and employees. That way, I can reference it on hard days.
Fake it ‘til you make it
As cheesy as it sounds, I have found that if I wear an outfit I love on days that getting to work seems too difficult, I have a better day. If you give into the feelings of sluggishness, laziness, or frustration, and dress accordingly, your attitude won’t change. This little mind trick will have you thinking you are more on top of it than you are, and you can avoid your attitude problem becoming a bigger issue with your boss or coworkers. Don’t listen to your body saying that you aren’t worth getting ready for, because you should be dressing for what you’re doing; your job.
When you dress like you aren’t taking yourself seriously, it’s hard to snap out of a funk. Dress like a boss and you will start to feel like it.
It’s not possible to love every minute of your job every day, and the motivational quotes you find on Pinterest that tell you that are misleading. You can love what you do and still have setbacks; the key is to make sure you get the perspective you need to pick yourself up and move on.