One of the most difficult occurrences in your working journey whether you are trying to climb the corporate ladder or embarking on entrepreneurship can be getting out of the funk when something discouraging happens or you are so stressed out, you simply just shut off which causes you to spend days if not weeks being unproductive.
“Funk is defined as a state of depression.” You know what you need to do and you know you need to work, but mentally you are not up for any tasks. Your motivation has come to a halt and being unproductive doesn’t help your finances, mindset, or achievement of goals.
Maybe you call into work or maybe you spend time doing things not productive for your success such as binge-watching all seven seasons of Mad Men on Netflix. How long your funk lasts depends on how quickly you implement funk fighting behavioral changes.
“Reaching career goals and creating a business is not an overnight task and can take years to accomplish, every time you let the funk enter into your life and linger, the longer your life cycle for success will be.”
Getting into the funk is inevitable and should be part of a contingency plan, line item…funk. Here are some tips…
Be proactive:
Create a business plan for your life and for your business. Create and write action steps inside your business plan to reach your goals and break those down into smaller written action steps. Be aware, getting into the funk several times during the journey to reach goals is expected. When you have a specific list of tasks written down, it can help you stay on track by performing action steps to reach your goals when you enter into a negative mindset.
Identify the funk:
Not wanting to work and making up excuses not to work. Having the feeling you want to sleep all the time. Spending weeks going to sleep hours past your usual bedtime. Procrastinating on work tasks and spending more time on nonproductive tasks. Constantly eating even when you are not hungry. Agitated and negative. Feeling numb.
Getting out of the funk:
1. Say out loud,” I am in a funk!” “Snap out of it!” Even if you have to say this several times to yourself, say it.
2. Clean your house, car, office, or heck, even clean out your wallet or purse. A disorganized environment is subconsciously a motivation killer. Even if you feel depressed, force yourself to clean and organize your environment wherever you may be.
3. Change your environment. Go outside for a walk, go to the store, or just go anywhere else other than the place where you started feeling funky.
4. Get out your to-do list from your business plan and start forcing yourself to do the action steps on your list. Forcing yourself to work on tasks can help you be productive during your times of funk.
5. Get away from the television and go get some human interaction. Whether that is calling a friend or coworker, focusing your attention on something else can help clear your negative mindset.
6. Open up YouTube and watch some tutorials on some business skills you can use for your career or business. Refocusing your mind on learning can help you get motivated again.
7. Listen to upbeat and motivating music. Force your mindset to become positive.
8. Meditate. Sit in a quiet room for a few minutes and try to think about why you are feeling the way you are feeling and try to figure it out. Once you figure it out, say it out loud and tell yourself to snap out of it.
A funk can last a few hours or even weeks. All it is, is a mindset. How long you stay in the funk is up to you, but once you get out of it, try to reflect on what got you in this negative mindset and mood in the first place.
Most of the time, it is being discouraged about something, but just remember…. being discouraged about something to a point where it makes you unproductive for days or weeks only prolongs you reaching your goals.
Try not to beat yourself up over the lost time in production, but use it as a memory tool for when the funk tries to sneak up on you again to help build resiliency for the next time.
The harder your goals and deeper your journey, the more times you will encounter it. Business is tough and learning how to re-frame your mindset is a wonderful skill to have.
Also, be a friend, if you know someone who is in the funk, tell them. Sometimes it takes outside perspective to bring inside awareness.
Till next time, Mel K