I have been quiet for a while. I needed some radio silence in all the noise of the current state of things.

It seems strange to call it going back to normal, or a new normal after six months of absolute uncertainty. As the world slowly starts to reopen, I am feeling uncomfortable with the thought of returning to the day-to-day as it was at the beginning of 2020. I like working from home. I’m enjoying having the extra time that I used to spend in the traffic, to spend with my family. I use the time for self-care and focus. I have been able to take on more clients and build out new methodologies.

So many of my clients have lingering questions about how to get back to work. How to rebuild a rhythm and routine? What is and is not acceptable? I’ve also seen a trend amongst some of them and some of my friends and community of not being able to get going at all. The motivation is lost, they seem to be stuck.

When the time comes to restart anything, mindset and rhythm are the keys to success. Understanding that it is going to take time to establish habits and routines that have to fit into a newly shaped world, one that we are all figuring out. Let yourself make mistakes, change your mind, and stick to your guns when you feel you should.

When it comes to starting your day or week, I suggest starting it with something you LOVE. I wake up an hour before my family to have time to journal and have a hot cup of coffee uninterrupted. I won't dive into work immediately, I give myself alone time as my treat.

The next thing to do is to get a handle on the outcomes for the day. What are the 2 or 3 things that MUST be accomplished/closed out/ addressed by the end of the day? Make sure that you have enough time for these things. If you don’t then re-assess what can be done and do that. As a scheduler, everything is on my calendar. This may or may not work for you. I find that it helps me focus on the task at hand. I also build in time for the things I enjoy throughout the day. I plan quick walks and coffee breaks. I have a check-in time with my daughter and an end-of-day check-in with a great friend before I settle into home life for the evening. These little breaks help me shift focus and altitude in my work and act as bite-size rewards for getting things done.

My trick for staying on track when I’ve got a lot to do and little motivation to do it all is to use a whiteboard. if you know me, you’ll know that I do NOT like whiteboards. They are a pet peeve of mine. That is why, when I’ve got a lot to do, I put my board up in my office and fill it with the tasks at hand. Every time I look up, I am reminded that the only way this board is getting cleared, is if I complete the work. (I also can’t avoid it like I could with an online system) Once I‘ve cleared the backlog, I can clean it completely and pack it away.

Another technique I use to get going and get things done is to employ the Agile methodology of sprints (If you haven’t read SCRUM by Jeff Sutherland, do) so I can look at the big picture and then break my days and weeks into chunks. If you are stuck and overwhelmed, getting anything done, no matter how small, will help you shift into a more positive state.

My final trick is no trick at all. If I have no motivation to do the work or I feel like hiding away from my accountability partner, this is the moment that I lean into her more. My coach knows me better than almost anyone She and I have worked together for a number of years, and not only does she hold me to account, she takes no BS from me. It’s not my commitment to her that get’s me going, it’s the reminder that someone is invested in me, and the commitments I have made to myself and my aspirations.

Well, there you have it. After a very long break from blogging, here are my tips for getting back on track. I hope that one, two, or all of them can help you. If you’d like to chat about them more, I gladly welcome it.