We don’t have to tell you depression is draining, motivation-sapping, and isolating. And we don’t have to tell you it can wreak havoc on your work life. It’s so difficult and painful to try and be productive when depression hovers about. We won’t pretend to have the answers to make depression symptoms go away (please see a doctor or therapist for treatment), but we do have some suggestions for how to be productive at work when you’re depressed.
1. How to Be Productive at Work When You’re Depressed: Break It Down
One of the most challenging things about working when you’re depressed is that every project and task feels too huge and impossible. Getting to the end point feels completely overwhelming.
One way to help with this challenge is to break the big project down into tiny tasks. If you’re preparing for a presentation, instead of focusing on the end point where everything needs to flow together and be convincing, focus on the tiny tasks to get there. Some of those tiny tasks could be: opening PowerPoint, choosing a template, writing an outline, collecting data, searching for visuals, etc.
Do your best to avoid judging your list. No task is too small. Keep breaking tasks down until they feel manageable. For example, if writing an email feels too overwhelming, give yourself the task of writing a sentence in the next five minutes.
2. Write It Out
Write it all out, and then focus on only one step at a time. Each step is more palatable than the entire project as a whole. For example, collecting data is an easier step than figuring out how to condense data and present it in a flashy way. Opening PowerPoint is less overwhelming than thinking of the entire finished product.
Writing it all down is also a helpful way to be productive at work when you’re depressed, because it’s a physical act that organizes your overwhelmed thoughts. You no longer have to keep those thoughts in your head all at the same time. And as you cross items off your list, you can see how far you’ve come.
3. Begin Anywhere
Depression can tell us there is only one right way to begin. Or we can feel like the task is too big, with too many pieces, that it is impossible to get started.
Try and relieve the pressure of getting going by letting yourself start at any point. You don’t have to start at the beginning. For example, if you’re writing a report, you don’t have to start with the opening sentence. You can start with a graph of data. Or begin with the conclusion. Maybe try starting in the middle. You can even start by copying and pasting other words into your document (just delete them later; don’t plagiarize!). The idea is to just get something — anything — started, and then you’ll find it easier to keep going, and figure out the beginning later.
4. Set a Timer
Procrastination looms large when you’re trying to be productive at work when you’re depressed. Try not to feel bad about it or moralize it; there’s nothing wrong with you for experiencing this very natural hurdle. A New York Times article puts it this way:
Procrastination isn’t a unique character flaw or a mysterious curse on your ability to manage time, but a way of coping with challenging emotions and negative moods induced by certain tasks — boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt and beyond.
You’re not bad if you feel like it’s difficult to be productive at work when you’re depressed. You’re not bad if you procrastinate. Give yourself some grace, and then set a timer.
Try giving yourself a short amount of time to work — one minute to five minutes — and see if you can work for just that long. Many times, once you get going, you can find the motivation to stick with it, even after the timer stops.
5. Give Yourself a Break
When you’re already feeling low, you may feel that you don’t deserve breaks. You may feel that you just have to “power through” until the job is done. But powering through can add to the overwhelm.
Instead, schedule breaks into your day. This will help you reduce your stress and increase your pleasure and happiness. This, in turn, will help you to be more productive when you get back to work.
Your brain is already working so hard; give it some breaks.
6. Surround Yourself with Productivity
Being around the right people can help your brain do less work. When you’re depressed, you already have to battle your thoughts. Getting your work done is another challenging thought process that becomes all the more difficult. If you surround yourself with productive people, your brain doesn’t have to work so hard to get work done. You can instead imitate what you see around you; you can ride on the energy of the productive people in your workspace.
And if the people around you are positive, encouraging people, you can bask in their positivity. This doesn’t mean your depression symptoms are going to go away. But they may be alleviated enough to help you be productive at work when you’re depressed.
Coworking Connection in Murrieta and Temecula can give you a fresh space for work. Give us a call at 1-800-762-1391 or stop in to learn about our affordable options.