How to Focus On Work When You're Just Not Feeling It

12 August 2021

We all have times when we feel too lazy, bored, and unmotivated to complete a task. Different people have varying coping mechanisms when it comes to motivation, but we can all agree that the work needs to get done regardless of your feelings. Furthermore, we all want to get paid, right? 

Self-motivation is probably one of the hardest. Often most people find themselves taking breaks from breaks to avoid doing the work. The pandemic has also done no good; with most of you now working from home, the distractions have become more. Working from home has also made it easier to either slip into YouTube or other social platforms since you have no direct supervision. And in all this, we all lie to ourselves it will be for some few minutes, and before you know, it turns to hours and probably the rest of the day.

For those who are still working in the offices they are also not better off as they often find themselves worrying too much and as a result, lose their focus easily. The daily commute to and from work has also not been easy as most people live in fear of getting infected by Covid 19. Not to mention the long hours spent on traffic jams and the many distractions in the office, especially if you are working in an open office.

Having to push a task or leave it uncompleted is perhaps among the most annoying and frustrating feelings ever. If you mostly find yourself having done the bare minimum at the closure of the day, it may result from a shortage of motivation or focus; worry not because we got you covered. 

Young employee unhappy with excessive work

Reasons why you might not be motivated to work:

With motivation, it all circles down to your type of job. There are different reasons why you might find yourself unmotivated. For instance, how a writer handles a block in creativity is different from how an artist or designer will handle theirs.

Here are some reasons why you might find yourself not feeling it with your work:

1. Uncomfortable office furniture

On average, you spend 40+ hours a week sited on your office chair. An uncomfortable office chair or desk translates to low productivity since your focus is regularly disturbed. Take, for example, having a chair that is not stable- It not only makes you anxious, but it totally distracts your mind. For the better part of that day, you will be in constant fear, wondering what if it is unable to hold your weight and it comes crumbling down. Additionally, a squeaky desk or chair can also lead to distraction as the sound interferes with concentration, especially if you are highly sensitive.

2. Poor sitting posture

A sedentary lifestyle is slowly sipping in. Though it might seem like a convenience in your way of doing things since nowadays you can get almost everything at the comfort of your home, research shows it has adverse effects on our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Even though you take breaks in between, most of those breaks you spend them sited. A bad sitting posture not only affects your focus but also leads to back pain, among other possible complications.

3. Rewarding yourself too much

While rewarding yourself is good for motivation, it can equally have a negative effect on your motivation. Imagine, after finally convincing yourself to get back to work and immediately after getting started and feel like the work is too difficult, you decide to take a break. This eventually becomes a cycle, and unless you work towards breaking it, concentration becomes hard to retain. 

Brains tend to pick on new habits pretty fast; therefore, every time you set your mind on certain work, you will most likely find yourself unmotivated to get the work done.

4. Not knowing what you want.

Having a clear purpose is the number one source of motivation. If you have no goal, then you will have no drive or energy to do the work. Unless you have a strategy and what you want to achieve, motivating yourself to get out of that bed or switch back to work from YouTube will be very difficult.

5. Getting stuck with your ideas

Have you ever gotten to a point where you feel like your creativity is depleted, and no matter how hard you try, your brain does not come up with any good ideas?

Getting stuck is normal in life, but once you get stuck and have no clear way out, you start to feel demotivated. In such a situation, the best way is first to find ways to get out of the block by either changing your perspective or approach towards the given situation.

Ways you can better your focus:

After establishing why you find it hard to focus or stay motivated, the next step is finding ways to deal with your distractions effectively.

While it’s normal to feel unmotivated or bored, we can all agree it’s a miserable and lonely state that we are eager to leave behind and better our focus on our work. With improved focus, a task that could have taken you hours to complete can now take minutes. Who doesn’t want that?

Here are some recommended ways to help you better your focus:

Seiffen Laminated standing desk

1. Improve on your work environment

You can do this in various ways; it all depends on why you are losing your focus. If, for instance, it’s due to the office equipment you can maybe change or improve on your chair or desk.

To better your sitting posture, it is advisable to use ergonomic office chairs or even standing desks, as they will help you get away from your sedentary lifestyle. However, even as you use standing desks, it is important to note that standing for too long is also not so good hence learn to maintain a good balance between sitting and standing.

Features of Flexispots Seiffen Laminated standing desk:

  • Adjustability

Setting the desk to your desired height is pretty smooth and fast

  • Sit-stand timer

If you are worried about how to maintain a balance between sitting and standing, then worry not. With this unique feature, your transition from standing to sitting is much easier.

  • Stability

Having a stable desk or chair helps in concentration. The improved stability guarantees you high concentration and focus.

  • High quality and durability

The desk has thick chipboard tops in multiple colors that are also of high quality and durable. With this desk, you do not have to set money aside now and then for repairs as it serves its worth.

2. Set deadlines

Setting deadlines is the easy part; sticking to them is the real work. If you often find yourself procrastinating, then setting firm deadlines will help you improve your focus. A deadline helps you create a sense of urgency and motivates you to get working.

However, it is important to set reasonable and realistic deadlines in that you have ample time to get the job done.

All-in-one Desk Bike

3. Exercise

The benefits of physical activity to your body are immeasurable. In fact, regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve motivation, concentration, and general mood.

Sadly because of our busy schedules, we hardly find time to exercise. But that should not hold you back as you can now simultaneously do your office work and work out with Flexispots All in one Desk Bike.

Features of the All-in-one Desk Bike:

  • Pneumatic Adjustment Lever

The lever allows you to adjust the seat to your desired level comfortably. Thus, you do not have to constantly struggle with the issue of either being too high or too low.

  • 8 Resistance levels

With the eight levels going from a light workout to a more robust one is much easier. The desk bike will, with no doubt, keep you more productive and healthier with each stride.

  • Spacious Desktop

This makes it pretty comfortable for you to carry on with your work without frequent movements here and there to get something simply because they could not fit on your desktop.

  • Integrated digital display

To show readouts for workout time, calories burned, and speed, which helps you keep track.

4. Know your body clock

Some people are more active at night while others are in the morning. In your to-do list, let the tasks that require more energy and concentration levels be at the forefront of your most active hours. Also, when you realize your concentration levels are beginning to drop, you can take short breaks, maybe take a walk, or do simple exercises.

5. Set daily goals

This will help you stay grounded in your purpose. With set daily goals at the end of the day, you get to analyze how you faired and which areas you need to improve.

You don’t need to worry about losing focus at work since it’s something we all go through. Considering the above points, bet you now know how to improve your focus and motivate yourself, even when you don't feel like it.