How to force yourself to work?

It is very difficult to force yourself to work after the long New Year holidays. For two days I gathered my strength to write something, and settled on this pressing topic. However, my lazy days began even before the new year - throughout December I struggled through work, dreaming of a vacation.

But in order for this year to be more productive and for me to achieve all the goals I set for 2020, I decided to figure out with you how to overcome laziness and force yourself to work when you don’t want to.

How to make yourself work

For office workers, the problem of unwillingness to work is not as acute as for freelancers. In the first week after a long weekend, bosses do not particularly expect agility, and allow employees to gradually get into the working rhythm. But when you work in the “time = money” mode, you cannot relax and put off work for later. You need to quickly get into the right rhythm and pull yourself together.

The only exception is passive income, which will generate profit even during the holidays or when you are lazy.

There are many reasons why the desire to work disappears. It is very important to understand them so as not to treat the “disease” with inappropriate methods. And to do this, you need to analyze your thoughts and listen to your feelings.

1. Hateful work is the most common problem in our society. You can also get tired of your favorite job and not want to do it, but it’s easier to cope with. After all, in the end the process will bring joy. But if you don’t love what you do, every action is draining and irritating. In this case, of course, you will still be able to force yourself to work through force, but it is better to think about changing your activity.
2. Overwork is important for people who have not rested for a long time, work more than 16 hours a day without days off and do not get enough sleep. With this regime, the body is constantly under stress and after a while it will have no time for work issues. Therefore, you should definitely set aside at least one day a week for proper rest and go to bed before midnight.
3. Tasks that are too difficult - you or your boss have overestimated your strengths and now you are working on something that you don’t know how to approach. If you understand that there is no way you can complete the task, it is better to inform the customer/boss and refuse it. Or ask a more experienced colleague for help. You can try to cope on your own, but first, break the work into small pieces - then the fear will disappear and you can start taking action.
4. Distracted attention - in this case, you are unable to cope with work due to the fact that you are constantly distracted. Someone wrote on social networks, called the phone, received an SMS or an email. By switching from one task to another, you create the appearance of activity, but do not get closer to achieving the goal.
5. Laziness and lack of self-discipline - this problem is most often faced by freelancers, and people in general. There seems to be no apparent reason not to work, but I don’t want to do anything. The problem is hidden within us, and that is why it is so difficult to deal with it. After all, shirking work responsibilities even brings some kind of pleasure - it’s much more pleasant to surf the Internet than to deal with work issues.

The last three problems are interrelated and can be solved using simple methods. There is no universal advice that will work for everyone, so I will list all the possible options and you can choose the one that suits you.

How to overcome laziness and force yourself to work

I’ll say right away that some advice may seem banal and useless to some, but you shouldn’t brush it aside. Try it and only then decide whether it works or not. If they don't help you, it may be a panacea for other people.

1. Make a work plan - every evening make a list of tasks that need to be completed tomorrow. You can arrange them in a certain order so that the next day you don’t have to think about “what to do first and what to do next.”
2. Don't plan too much - soberly assess your strengths and time frames. There are only 24 hours in a day, and in addition to work, you need to eat, sleep, relax and communicate with loved ones. Therefore, for one day, make a to-do list so that you definitely have time. If you don’t want to be a freebie, write two lists: a main one (3 main goals) and an additional one (small goals, if you have time). Break big things down into steps.
3. Start with a simple task - sometimes it’s difficult to get into work when an overwhelming task that takes many hours is first on the list. Then, to get into the right frame of mind, you can first do something simpler - answer an email, tidy up your desktop, find information on the topic of an article, etc.
4. “Eat a frog” in the morning is a time management principle. The frog refers to the most unpleasant thing of the day. For example, I hate talking to people on the phone, so the first thing I do is call all the right people and I don’t have to worry about this unpleasant matter all day. For you, a frog can be your own - talk to your boss, finish a boring report, talk to your mother-in-law about a holiday, etc.
5. Schedule breaks - the body cannot work without breaks, it needs to be distracted. And if you don’t do it yourself, then he will simply disconnect from working moments altogether. So it’s better to immediately enter 5-15 minutes of rest for every hour of work. At this time, you need to change your activity - “sedentary” workers should take a walk, and “standing” ones should sit down to rest. If your work involves computers, you shouldn’t try to relax on an entertainment site—your brain won’t count on it.
6. Maintain a daily routine - the brain loves stability in everyday life, so try to set aside certain hours for work, meals and sleep. Sleep from 22 to 7, eat three times + snacks, work 4 hours before lunch, 4 after, etc. After a month of living according to the regime, the body itself will tune in to the desired action and after breakfast it will be ready to work.
7. Work with a timer - use the Pomodoro method (also a term from time management). You need to set a timer for 25 minutes and work until the bell rings, and then you can calmly rest for 5-10 minutes. It is psychologically easier to start working when you know that in half an hour you will be able to rest without remorse. There are even special applications for phones.
8. Start working - it sounds corny, but sometimes it really helps. It took me a long time to start writing this article, so at some point I sat down and started writing my thoughts, without picking too much on them. Over time, thoughts began to form into meaningful sentences and I got involved. After all, often the most difficult thing is to take the first step, and then you get involved in the work and everything comes out by itself.
9. Create rituals before work - this could be special music, food, a workplace, or something else that will be associated only with work. Play special music before work, drink a special drink (coffee, cocoa) from a “work mug.” The main rule is that these rituals should not be used in any way in everyday life. If you listen to music, then only before work, coffee - only during working hours, and not on Sunday morning.
10. Don't be distracted - turn off your phone, close social networks, turn off notifications about new letters in your mail, don't watch videos at the same time and don't talk to colleagues. After each such distraction, it takes 15 minutes for the brain to get back to work, so productivity drops.
11. Use blockers to avoid being distracted by sites - if your employer has not bothered to block social networks and other distracting sites, you need to do it yourself. There are many plugins and applications that block the phone or certain sites until a certain time. There are a lot of options and you can choose the option to suit your taste. A few months ago, I started checking news on one site every half hour, as soon as I got tired of working. I installed a plugin with the inscription “Read after work” - and this plug acted like a bucket of cold water, reminding me of my work and getting me back on track)
12. Change your workplace - it's not about the work itself, but about the table, chair and their location. Maybe you can't concentrate on your work because your chair is too comfortable or uncomfortable. Sometimes freelancers cannot work from home - household members are constantly distracting and do not take work on the Internet seriously. If you can't convince them not to distract you, you might want to consider working in a library, cafe, or coworking space. Sometimes it is enough to move the table away from the window so as not to be distracted by the bustle of the city, and it will become much easier to work.
13. Clean up your desk —some people call it “creative clutter,” but in such chaos it’s hard to focus on your work. It’s difficult to find a pen to write down information, to find the right document, and your eye just keeps getting caught up in a pile of pieces of paper. It’s enough to lay out a stack of paper, throw away the excess, put the stationery in a box, and visually everything looks decent.
14. Do nothing - it may seem like that's what you're doing when you're taking time off from work, but that's actually not the case. You watch the Internet, read articles, check social networks, email, phone, talk, or even just look at one point and dream about something. It's more pleasant than working. But if you just sit back and do nothing, don't think about anything, then you would rather work than idle. The most important thing is not to think about anything, scroll through your head one thought “I don’t think.”
15. Keep a notebook for thoughts - while working, different thoughts often come to mind. I wanted to check something, read something, a new idea for an article, or remembered what I needed to buy in the store. Write down your thoughts on a notepad that is handy so as not to be distracted by these thoughts. During the break, you can review your notes, weed out the unnecessary and save the important. A notebook for notes often helps me out and helps me sort out my thoughts. The main thing is not to write down every thought on 3 pages; it’s enough to make a note so that you can come back to it later.
16. Replenish your energy - around 15-16 hours, energy dries up and it becomes increasingly difficult to concentrate on work. To replenish reserves, it is advisable to lie down and take a nap for half an hour, but in the realities of modern life this is practically impossible. Therefore, you can get energy from sweets - chocolate, banana, peanuts and other energy foods.
17. Motivate yourself - It's hard to motivate yourself to work if you don't have any reward after work. Of course, if a freelancer completes a project, he immediately receives payment for the work. But instead of ephemeral electronic money, it’s better to treat yourself to something tangible right after work - a chocolate bar, read a book, watch a movie, go to a cafe with friends, etc. You can get something you love, but only if you have time to complete the task before the end of the working day. Otherwise, you will lose a pleasant bonus. Sometimes rigor is the most effective remedy.

But if you hate your job and it’s like hard labor for you, no advice or recommendations will help. They can only temporarily force you to complete a task through force, but the next day history will repeat itself and you will have to fight with yourself every day. Do you really want to live like this?

No magic advice will help you love your job and do it with interest. Therefore, it is not worth getting a job somewhere just for the sake of money, because then you will not be able to enjoy life. Try to find a job you love so you don’t have to force yourself to work anymore.

I'm not advocating that you quit hastily and end up penniless. First you need to understand what exactly brings you pleasure and how you can make money from your favorite activity. Try to do this in your free time from work: weekends, vacations, sick leave, holidays.

If it gives you pleasure and brings in a good income, you can quit and stop suffering. By doing what you love, you can overcome laziness and no longer have to force yourself to work. After all, you will do it with joy!

Simple techniques to make yourself work here and now

Sometimes there are times when you need to work. And in the process of building up, we lose money, put ourselves in an uncomfortable position, and in general we can completely and irrevocably miss deadlines.

This condition usually occurs the night before a deadline. When all the deadlines have already been lost, there is one day left in which all the problems that have accumulated over the last week must be solved.

The first method: minimal steps. For example, you need to prepare a report: find information, sort it, select the most important thing and finally write it. Do a little at a time. Write a couple of lines, make a structure, a small draft, etc. Gradually you will immerse yourself in work, and you will no longer be able to tear yourself away.

I often use this method. I write a few paragraphs, look for some specific information, and then make coffee, after the next step - sandwiches, and then watch an interesting video on YouTube. And each time the gap between these actions becomes larger. After a couple of hours, you won’t be able to tear yourself away from work.

The second way: work by inertia. Before you start a complex and monotonous business, start with the minimum. For example, cleaning - many people find it difficult to force themselves to clean. Start dusting: first the table, then the closet. Take a deep breath and continue.

This method allows you to do monotonous things. Overcome the first resistance, start with difficulty, and then you will continue, thinking about something completely different.

The third way is to do nothing for a while. Stand in the middle of the room. There should be nothing in your hands, no distractions. Spread your arms to the sides and stand calmly. As soon as you get tired of doing nothing, you can start working.

This method is a little strange, but it works. Suitable if you don't feel like doing anything at all. For a while, you will feel a surge of desire to do at least something. Let it be work.

Fourth way: promise yourself a reward. Before you sit down to work, promise yourself that if all plans are successfully completed, you will allow yourself something special.

I have never used this method, but many freelancers love it. Usually, for successfully completing the working day and fulfilling the plan, some people promise themselves small rewards: buy sweets, go to the store, do nothing, etc.

Fifth way: make a plan. It sounds a little corny, but having the steps written down on paper really helps. You can write down all the mini-steps you need to take to achieve your goal. This way, you'll have a plan that's much easier to follow and an instant reward system in the form of points crossed off.

Sixth way: try to tune in to a specific job with the help of music. The music should match the work and your own musical tastes. Before I sit down to work, I turn on the rock, get into a state where I need to actively do something, and work calmly.

For leisurely work, folk rock, lyrical or classical music is more suitable. This method helps generate energy, tune in and makes the brain work better.

These methods will only allow you to get down to work here and now. They do not solve the general problem of procrastination. It is necessary to get to the bottom of the psychological, underlying causes and solve them.