Today I just want to crawl back into bed, under that warm and toasty down comforter and get just two more hours of precious sleep. I don't feel like writing or searching for new prospects. I don't feel like responding to emails. I don't want to work on copy for my new website. I just want a day off.
Take five
Whenever I felt like this in the past, I'd call in to my job and take what I like to call a "mental day," but I work for myself now and have to admit that I miss that luxury. If I don't work, then we don't eat. I'd probably feel a lot worse if I had spent my weekend working on client projects. I did spend time working on my new website, but I consider it time well spent. But today I feel "blah."
When you work for yourself, you can do whatever you want when you want; but if you have bills to pay, it's not much of an option. You have to figure out how to motivate yourself to get up and get going – even when you don't want to. I love what I do, but honestly some days I just want to spend them doing nothing.
What does it take to get moving?
It's early in the day though, so I can still turn this situation around. Maybe I'll take a break to do some yoga, put on one of my favorite CDs and dance it out. Sometimes that's all it takes. How do you keep going on days when you just aren't feeling it?
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8 comments:
I have had many of those days. Mine hit after I put my daughter to bed and need to start writing. The only thing that I want to do lately is curl up in front of the TV.
I have started just grabbing acup of coffee and logging on and taking notes of work that I need to do. As long as I am not pushing myself to write as soon as I sit down, I find that I pick up and end up having a productive night.
Thanks, Jennifer. Glad to know I'm not alone.:)
Get outside. Get some sunshine and some fresh air and a new perspective. That's it. Nothing earth-shattering. :)
It's an epidemic, Kim. We're all feeling it at some level. I think it's time we invented our own version of Mardi Gras. :)
Thanks Lori. That's exactly what I did yesterday and it helped so much. I feel much better today. I talked to someone I consider a mentor on Friday - she's been freelancing since 1993 - and I was so encouraged by our conversation. I'm pushing through this thing, acknowledge the lessons I'm learning and keep going.:)
Often, when I have the urge to take a mental health day, that's what I do. That's why we freelance. Yes, I'm frantic about bills right now, especially with some unexpected ones; but, I often find that when I take the "mental health" day, my subconscious is working on creative, objective ways to move forward, and I get breakthroughs.
Go back to bed, read the book, do some yoga, and suddenly - you'll have your aha! moment.
Very often, if we're too stressed and too worried about "I have to work", we stop seeing opportunities.
It's about knowing when you need the mental health day and when it's just resistance to actually working that's key.
Good advice as usual, Devon. I mainly worked on my own projects yesterday. I often place myself last on my list of priorities, but I'm working on that.:)
Then I got out in the sun, put the 2yr old in a stroller and walked to the store and to meet the kids at the school bus stop. I felt much better when I got home. And you're right - as a freelancer I'm STILL entitled to a mental day every so often. BTW: I hope Elsa is doing much better.
I've been feeling the blahs a lot lately, too. I know exactly how you feel. I decided to dial back the job-search efforts a little bit and concentrate on the projects that I do have. I don't know if that's an option for you or not, but I thought I'd just put it out there. Hang in there!
Thanks, Jennifer.:)
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