Routines help to keep us organized, focused and driven. Without them, our lives would be chaotic and unproductive. Nothing is wrong with creating routines for living and working. Yet those same daily routines turn around and slap us in the face. And when they do, we could find ourselves sliding down the despair chute so fast, that we lose our enthusiasm. And, when our enthusiasm runs low, our productivity levels suffer. Then instead of finding ways to recharge our enthusiasm, we despair and surrender to the overpowering feelings of frustration. Depression is likely to set in and keep us in a dark hole.
I’m a stickler for routines myself. I set my own and follow them religiously. Although they help me stay on track with my responsibilities and meet my commitments, every now and then, I get bogged down and overwhelmed with my slavish adherence to them. That is when I slowly lose my enthusiasm not just for my work but for the other activities that I enjoy. Forcing myself back doesn’t always work, but a step-by-step process as I describe below usually does.
Are you looking for a way to recharge your flagging enthusiasm and slip back into the rhythm that helps you to manage all your responsibilities?
These three steps will help you to whip your enthusiasm back into shape.
Revamp yourself
Contrary to what you might believe, while you are in limbo and not functioning at your optimum level of enthusiasm, you are not really resting. Rather, you might be working yourself to a frazzle and growing mentally exhausted, trying to determine what is wrong. In that state, you also struggle with a sense of guilt for not giving your best to your usual tasks. These feelings easily overwhelm you and if not checked and remedied, could send you into a state of depression.
To get back to your former energetic, enthusiastic and high-efficiency self, start by taking some time out.
A short vacation particularly alone is the ideal way to recharge your batteries and prime your mind for the climb back to the place you want to be. Most times work and family responsibilities are not designed to give you the kind of time you need. But you can still slowly and steadily get the kind of rest that is necessary if you make good use of whatever time you can salvage out of your busy life.
A few moments here and there in the midst of a tight work day, a home renovation, packing to move, tending to a baby or running after toddlers, if used wisely can add up to enough time to pull yourself together, refocus on your goals, commune with God, pamper yourself a little and get a fresh perspective on the circumstances that might be playing out in your life right now.
Rested, you will be in a better position to tighten your bootstraps, straighten your shoulders and enthusiastically return to your daily routine with the kind of vivacity you once had.
Revamp your space
No matter how much you may insist that you can work in the midst of clutter, eventually, it gets to you. And when the external clutter translates into mental clutter, your life and your enthusiasm goes awry.
Clean up your surroundings. Re-organize your storage systems and practice returning things to their designated space after you use them. Try it first with one shelf, one corner, a desktop, countertop or dining table. You might even be inspired to work your re-organizing and decorating magic throughout the house, room by room. Give your desk at work a personal touch with a photo of your family, pet or best friend. A photograph from your last vacation or one of the location you dream of visiting will help to ease work-day stress. If you don’t believe you can pull off this step, ask a co-worker to help you.
The smallest revamp to any space equals a major overhaul of your outlook on life. Try it. Start small and notice the difference.
Revamp your priorities
If you simply jump right back into the fray, you could soon find your renewed energy and revamped enthusiasm plummeting again. To avoid that, prioritize your duties and other projects at home and at work.
If there are chores and other responsibilities that have been lagging, sort through them and assign them a place on your To Do list to reflect how urgent they are. Once your priority list is complete, review it and make changes if you wish. As you work your way down, ticking off the ones you complete, rearrange the order of the remaining tasks or add new ones that are bound to come up.
Ordinarily, when you lose your enthusiasm, people may tell you to snap out of it, get up and get cracking. But our enthusiasm declines slowly and a slow but steady process will ensure that it rises again and sets you up to resume your home and work responsibilities with the kind of vivacity you once had. Revamp your enthusiasm with rest first, de-clutter and organize your home and work space and draft a priority list to accommodate all the tasks and commitments that make up your life.
