Keeping your focus during a bad mood can be difficult to do. Follow these 5 productivity hacks to stay professional when you’re feeling down.
Some days can begin on bad terms. For instance, being stuck in a traffic jam during your morning commute can be aggravating. In fact, according to The Straits Times, commuters in Jakarta lost around 30 minutes per trip on average during rush hours. You’ll arrive late at work, spoiling your working mood for the rest of the day.
It’s understandable to feel down on a bad day. However, don’t let it interfere with your professionality. Below, you can find some useful tips of what you should do to stay productive when you’re in a low-mood.
Understand Your Feelings
If you sense yourself having a bad mood, don’t immediately try to dismiss it. Acknowledge that your mood isn’t the best right now, then attempt to figure out where this bad mood comes from. Perhaps it came from the traffic jam, maybe you made a mistake on your task. Once you’ve figured out the root of your bad mood, it’ll be easier to find its solution.
Set Small, Achievable Goals
Having tasks and responsibilities piled up can be overwhelming. It also can be the source of your bad mood for the day. In this case, try to break down your tasks into smaller parts. This way, every time you finish a small part of your work, you will get a confident boost that will help you to lift your mood back up. Slowly, you will be back on track.
Take a Break
It’s easy to fall into anxiety whenever you have a bad day. At times like these, pushing yourself to keep working won’t help you. You should take a moment away from your work. Take a deep breath and do some simple exercise if possible. For instance, you can take a walk around your office building. According to Prevention, walking modifies your nervous system, so you can feel less angry and hostile after a walk.
Distract Yourself
A genuine laugh can help relieve physical tension, HelpGuide wrote. It releases endorphins to improve your mood. So, if your office isn’t wide enough for you to walk around, you can distract yourself by doing small things that can trigger your laugh. For example, you can watch funny skits or cute animal videos in TikTok or Instagram Reels. However, don’t get too carried away. Once your mind is relaxed, you are ready to go back to your work.
Clean Your Working Desk
According to Fresh Wave, a disorganized workspace can affect your mood as well. You will be easily distracted with a cluttered desk, because the visual mess overloads will overload your brain and interrupt your productivity. If this is the case, take some time to clean your working space. Throw away unimportant documents and organize your things into a neat pile.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, bad days are inevitable. There are some factors that you cannot control, even when you already plan your days thoroughly. However, a bad day today doesn’t mean that the rest of your week will be hopeless. Using the tips above, you can easily turn your sour mood to a better one. Don’t be too hard on yourself and always try to put things into perspective.
Next read: Are You On the Verge of Burnout? Tell-tale Signs That You Should Take a Day Off
