How To Have A More Productive Work Day
Oh hey Friday, you've come around quickly. Way quicker than I thought you would. It's been a crazy week filled with editing, social media schedules, magazine building, and car MOT's. All the fun! A good week, for sure, but certainly one filled with lots of admin, and time at my computer.
If you know me well, you know that despite being someone who's job pretty much requires them to sit at a desk all day, there's nothing that I hate more than sitting at a desk all day. Yep, it's pretty bad luck. I get grumpy if I have to sit still for too long (unless I'm totally absorbed in what I'm doing). It's part of why I really don't enjoy the editing side of photography. I've never been one of those creatives who can sit there with Photoshop open and play around with an image for hours... boring!
On Tuesday afternoon, I'd been working at my desk from 8am to 2pm, and I hadn't moved. I know most people do that on a daily basis, but I was beginning to feel really unmotivated, and annoyed. I didn't have any plans, and I didn't really know what to do with myself. I made some lunch and then looked into my office, hating the sight of my desk. I really did not want to sit there for hours and hours more. So what did I do? I took myself outside. I grabbed my headphones, my iPhone, put a podcast on and walked around Pendennis Point.
It's not a very long walk, but it's long enough to stretch your legs, get some much needed fresh air, and feel better. I don't know what it hadn't occurred to me that maybe it would be a good idea to start to incorporate midday walks into my work day far more frequently, but until Tuesday, it just hadn't. That's changed now! By the time I got home, I was in a totally different head space. I'd moved, so I didn't feel like such a lazy blob anymore (does anyone else get what I like to call "fat leg syndrome" when they sit down for too long? I swear I feel like my legs double in size and feel so uncomfortable if I sit down for too long!). I came home, came back to my desk, and got another three hours of very productive work done. I couldn't believe it, really!
Since Tuesday, I've done this three more times. If I begin to feel like I'm losing focus, feeling frustrated or annoyed with my work, I've been taking myself outside for 30-45 minutes for a walk. I've felt such a huge difference in just a few days. So maybe that solution to a more productive work day is as simple as that... just taking a little walk. Who know?
Do you get outside during a work day? What do you do when you start to feel unmotivated and a bit frustrated? I'd love to hear what your solutions are!
