Fatigue is an issue in the workplace.
It doesn’t seem to matter what the job is or even if you like most of the tasks.
There are inevitably certain tasks that drain our brains and bodies. They sap our inspiration and no matter what we do we seem to dread getting down to the work. We just can’t summon up the motivation.
So what’s the issue?
Here are a few tips to help identify the tasks that drain your inspiration and really get to the root of the issue…
1. Identify All Tasks
In our busy work lives we often don’t have a really good feel on all the things we’re actually doing. Tasks come in, we add them to the weekly list of things to do and we never give it a second thought. We just go into work mode and get them done one by one. Then we repeat the process next week.
Pretty soon, we’re feeling tired and burned out and we know it’s the work, but we’re not sure exactly what’s causing it.
So a good first step is to take account of the work you’re doing. Look at last week first. Then look at the previous week. Document everything you did. Don’t judge if you took time to look at social media or whatever. Just put everything on a list for each half hour of the workday.
Then do the same for the current week. Document things as you do them.
This one step can lead to some really good discovery, but you can take it further.
2. Do Preliminary Review
Once you have the tasks listed and mapped out you can begin to identify obvious issues. There may be something that seemed urgent in the moment that you just did. But now you realize that it keeps recurring and causing issues. The task might be something that really isn’t necessary or that you can delegate or outsource. This is a big source of inspiration sapping tasks. Your mind knows that you should really be working on more important issues, but urgency in the moment took you off the right path.
You might also realize that you’re doing too much. You’re trying to force too many things into your schedule. This might mean that you have to assess priorities and remove some tasks so you can focus on the top ones only.
3. Change When You Do Each Task And Assess
Also try to switch things around. Most things that seem urgent or that have been done on certain days can usually be done on different days and at different times. Once you have an idea for all your tasks, rearrange when you’re doing them.
Changing the days helps to identify if the task is an issue or if the day of the week is an issue. For example, you might be doing really important tasks on Friday, but you know that Friday isn’t your best day for in depth focus. Try moving this task to Tuesday when people typically are most productive with their work.
4. Identify Any External Issues
If you’re still struggling to figure out why a task is draining your inspiration try to assess outside issues. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you not sleeping on certain days of the week? Look at your external schedule and see if there are issues or even certain tasks that are taking away from your work.
Let’s say that you identify a task that you should like that you do on Thursday. But your kid has an activity every Wednesday night and it leads to a later night and you’re tired on Thursday morning and you never feel fully focused on that work task. That could be the issue and it might just need a little rearranging.
5. Asses Why Certain Tasks Are Draining
Let’s say you have an idea of a task that is causing problems. Try to figure out why it’s causing issues. Does it goes against your core values? Do you dislike it because you’re not good at it? Maybe you’re overwhelmed by the task because you’re required to do too much of it?
This exercise helps to determine if you can fix the issue. Perhaps more training. But it could also reveal something that likely won’t change. This might mean that you have to adjust your work requirements or find another solution even if that means looking for another position or another job.
Conclusion
Lots of people lose inspiration at work. The most frustrating aspect of this is when we can’t seem to figure out exactly what is causing the issue. Hopefully this insight will help you to figure out what and why you’re struggling. From there you can figure out the best path forward so you can get back to doing work that matters and work that fulfills you.