You’re not exactly productive when you’re in a funk are you?
Nothing seems to be able to snap you out of it.
Because well it doesn’t happen like that does it?
Is there anything you can snap out of? Anyway, I digress.
Sometimes we have stuff going on in our lives. Unavoidable stuff, that just, well, sucks. Life is hard sometimes. Running your own business is hard, and your mental wellbeing should always come first. Ohh and psst, this list also works for times when you’ve got flu too.
If you can take some time away from your business when you’re in that headspace, I would always advise that. BUT if you can’t right now, here’s how to keep your life & business ticking over until you’re back to the usual powerhouse you are.
If you’re looking for tips on how to get OUT of a funk, this isn’t it so much, this is more just how to not let your life and business fall apart in the meantime.
1. Make a ‘list of enough’.
Not a to-do list.
Not a not to-do list.
Just the things that will be just enough to keep things going until you’re feeling better.
These are some ideas of what to include on your list:
– feed the kids
– get dressed & teeth brushed
– eat nourishing food
– one load of laundry
– activities/nursery for the kids
– bath, teeth & bed for kids
– quick tidy up
– shower for myself
It just reminds me that actually even when everything seems to be falling apart, really I’m actually pretty good at holding things together.
If you can do just enough so that you don’t run out of clean pants, that’ll do you for now.
2. Finish reactive work & don’t take more
I know it’s hard to turn down work or change shipping dates to slow down orders when you’d really just love some monies, but completing outstanding work and giving yourself a break before taking on more is a great next step to not feel too overwhelmed.
If it’s feeling like an absolute nightmare to get anything finished, get in touch with some of your clients and politely explain that due to health reasons you are running a little bit behind and is there any wiggle room in deadlines.
Lots of people will be understanding and perfectly willing to move dates.
You don’t know until you ask.
This might just take the pressure off enough for you to catch your breath.
3. Identify your MIT’s (Most important tasks)
Prioritise!
If you’re still in the middle of having to get a ton of work done, then identify three Most Important Tasks to get done each day. This is good practice anyway, but especially important when we’re not feeling so hot on the productivity/motivation front.
I identify these in Trello with a different coloured label, and then anything else I don’t get done that day, it’s not the end of the world.
When running my e-course or workshops, I encourage people to use three different labels to differentiate different tasks, ‘personal,’ ‘work maintain’ and ‘work grow.’ Times like this call for just doing the maintenance tasks. Don’t fret about doing the things that grow your business when you’re in a funky place, your head won’t be in the right space and that will come across in your marketing anyway.
As you start to feel better, you can start to work on these things again, writing, plotting and planning.
4. Don’t panic about social media
Instagram will still be there when you come out of your cocoon again. We kind of get ourselves worried about algorithms and what we might miss by taking time away, but not only can taking time away from social media make you feel better, it will also still be there!
Maybe your engagement will go down a bit, maybe not as many people will see your posts when you do post, but THAT’S OK. And maybe it won’t. And, and, maybe that would have happened anyway.
If you have the kind of business that you need to be available on social media, then do the bare minimum you can, then turn off notifications, scheduling in time to come back and check it. Schedule things up front with a tool like Later or Buffer.
Just don’t scroll with no purpose. That endless scrolling does not help you feel better.
You can also let your audiences know that you won’t be there for a little while. People take holidays, and we tend to forget that sometimes! You don’t have to be contactable.
5. Do a post mortem
As you come back to life, don’t worry about missed time. You’ll spend more time worrying that you could have done more. Be grateful that you’re feeling better, take it slowly and start working on your business again.
Come out slowly. You don’t need to do all at once. You don’t want to get back into things and then find it too overwhelming again.
Write down a few things, journaling is a great way to get out of a funk when you’re in one, but another good idea is to afterwards write down these three things.
- What triggered you into that place in the beginning?
If you can identify some of the trigger signs then you have a chance to catch them earlier next time, and do the things that make you feel better, before you feel too low to do them.
- What things made you feel better?
If you did certain things which seemed to help, such as reading, walking in nature, spending time with friends, or journaling, write those down to create a little ‘get yourself out of a funk’ checklist for next time.
- What are you proud of yourself for?
Did you give yourself a break, what went well during that time, did you get clarity on where you’d like to take your business? Write down why you’re still frickin’ awesome. Cos you are, and we all have bad times. Some worse than others. But we all do.
And things will get better.
Much love to you all!
Please, if you feel like what you’re going through is more than just a ‘funk’ and your mental health or wellbeing is suffering, then please contact your GP, or your healthcare provider, or visit the Mind.com website for more information on where to get help.
