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Not every day bangs, unfortunately. Let’s look at some ways you can recover during a bad work day, after a bad work day, as well as strategies for avoiding bad work days altogether.
How To Recover DURING a Bad Work Day
Sometimes we know from the beginning that the day is gonna suck. Sometimes everything goes wrong and you’re ready to quit by lunch. On those days, how do we rally?
It’ll depend on your situation–for example, my day as a self-employed person working from home will look very different from someone with a 9-5 office position, which will look very different from someone with a food service job, which will look very different from someone who owns a lawn care company.
But here are some general tips that should apply to most situations.
1. Take a pause
Throw on the brakes for a second. Duck into the backroom or the freezer and take some deep breaths. If possible, take a walk or sit outside for a few minutes.
In this pause, remind yourself that you are not your work, and your work is not you. Don’t let a bad work day touch your self-esteem.
Taking a few minutes to step back from the chaos and ground yourself might be enough to give you the grip you need.
2. Clear stressors
Is there anything in your immediate environment that you can quiet? Can you move your work station somewhere more peaceful? For me, this usually looks like taking my laptop from the desk to the couch or to the table in my garden.
Are there items on your to-do list that you can put off until a better day? Are there tasks you can delegate? Rearrange what you can to give yourself a lighter load and the easiest day accessible.
3. Identify the most important tasks of the day
Now, what needs to be done? Take a minute to prioritize the task(s) that are vital for you to do today, and focus on those.
If you’re starting your day and know you won’t be your best, you might be proactive and use something like the 1-3-5 rule to prioritize and focus on your most important tasks.
4. Take it easy
Your 100% will look different every day. Don’t try to hold yourself up to your best possible performance all of the time. Some days we just don’t have that, and that’s perfectly normal.
You might consider reworking how you take breaks, because the productive benefits of rest long-term can help you have fewer bad days.
5. Repurpose the day
I’m in the privileged position of being able to manage my own schedule, but I’m also in the womp womp position of being chronically ill. If I know I won’t get much done, due to having a bad health day or another reason, I can cut my work day short and salvage it for something else.
Our (people in the USA) productivity is culturally linked to our worth, and even if you realize this, we’ve been socialized to feel shitty if we don’t accomplish “enough” in a day. In my experience, it’s impossible to rid yourself of this feeling completely.
To alleviate the misplaced guilt, I will see if there’s a different task I’m capable of that day.
This might include:
- decluttering or cleaning an area of my house
- catching up on thank you notes
- spending time with a friend
- sitting outside and journaling or reading
- building a new forage box for my rats
- planting propagations
- calling a relative I haven’t spoken to in a while
- organizing my workspace for a stronger start tomorrow
- taking a gotdamn nap
For me, overdoing it for one day can result in a week or longer of sickness, so I try my best to avoid it. Sometimes napping IS the most productive thing I can do.
So if it’s an option, or if this concept can work within the parameters of your job, consider how you can repurpose the day instead of trying to force your regular schedule.
6. Write a to-done list
If you’re having a bad day because it feels unstructured and you’re a little lost, take a minute to write out a to-done list. This can be things you’ve completed or accomplished that day, or the day before if you need. Seeing a list of what you’ve already finished can give you a little dopamine hit to inspire you to salvage the rest of the day.
How To Recover AFTER a Bad Work Day
Proper self-care after a bad work day is a different skill than surviving the bad work day, but it is equally important. If you can’t recover from a bad day, you might kick off a chain reaction and then it’s a bad 2024.
Here are some things you can do.
1. Take a breather
Don’t beat yourself up over this. Everyone has bad days (or weeks, or months), but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or bad at your job. So take a beat, give yourself some grace, and find a way to ground.
2. Journal
Do some free-writing to get your feelings out. In most cases, bad days are caused by, or result in, some negative feelings. So give yourself a chance to acknowledge those feelings and journal it out of your system.
Then you might evaluate what went wrong. Some days are just ass from the inside out, but it’s often a series of unfortunate events that lead us to a bad work day. Can you pinpoint the obstacles and challenges that threw you off? The culprit could be a new responsibility, technical issues, a hangover, or that dick Brian from accounting. If you find the source, brainstorm a few solutions.
Sometimes writing a complaint letter to a person of interest–like a demanding boss, an unhappy client, or Brian–can give you clarity and relieve stress around interpersonal issues. I don’t recommend sending the letter. Writing it is just a coping skill for you to try.
3. Disconnect
Disconnect from your job, preferably in nature or with good friends. Physical activity can also be grounding. Avoid screens, work talk, and stressors for a little while.
4. Prepare for a better tomorrow
I find the best way to feel better about a day going poorly is to prepare for tomorrow to suck less. Here are a few ways to prepare for a better tomorrow.
Reflect
Determine what went wrong for you. Could it have been controlled, or was it out of your hands? What obstacles can you identify? Did you have any good reactions that you’re proud of? Can you take any lessons from this for the future?
If you find something to work on, take a step today to begin working on that issue.
Clear out
Declutter and organize something! Your office, your desk, your car, your computer files. Having your physical and visual spaces cleared can give you better focus, lower your stress, and increase your productivity.
Plan your next day
You can consider what didn’t get done today, think about how to avoid those obstacles, or just plan your day as you normally would. Write out your to-do list. If you’d like to be try-hard about it, you can also gather any materials and resources you’ll need to accomplish the list.
For me, I might create outlines and collect a few sources for whatever I need to write tomorrow.
Keep Having Bad Work Days? Long-Term Strategies
If you consistently have work days that majorly stress you out, it might be time to look at the job and/or yourself to see why.
1. Identify Patterns
Does this keep happening for you? Can you find the trigger? Maybe the job is just inherently not for you, or maybe you have toxic colleagues that put you in a bad headspace. Maybe the solution is as simple as putting your desk in front of a window or adding an air conditioner.
Finding triggers and patterns can help you structure your work in a way that increases productivity and contentment.
2. Set boundaries
Sometimes, we just get burned out from doing too much. Saying no is an important skill. Locking down your time to get your key tasks done is pivotal for consistent progress.
Set boundaries with yourself and your colleagues for your time, attention, and efforts, especially if you think that your problems are rooted in overextending yourself, not having enough time to complete your own work, or bitterness about giving more than you receive from colleagues.
3. Seek support
Do you need a trusted adult? Consider speaking with HR, a therapist, or a close friend about your ongoing work problems. An outside perspective might give you the clarity you need to determine your next move. Having someone else confirm or deny that YOU are the problem is also helpful, so be open to the possibility of critical feedback.
4. Self-care
Having bad work days doesn’t mean we have to have bad self-care. Take care of yourself first and foremost. Do you need more rest? Do you need a different job? Do you need to ask your boss to make certain allowances or accommodations? Take enough time to yourself, and seek mindfulness and peace throughout your day.
5. Learn and move forward
A bad enough day can convince you that your whole life is like this. Try to keep perspective during particularly shitty times, and see if you can frame the challenge positively. Is it a learning experience? Can you move forward more aware and capable? Probably so!
How To Avoid Bad Work Days
One way to avoid bad work days is to establish an end of day routine. An EOD routine can keep you grounded after a shit show and better prepare you for tomorrow. Learn to craft your perfect end of day routine.
