14 Things to Do When You're Having a Bad Day (in your home office)

Sometimes you have the best of intentions, but no matter what you try you just can't seem to concentrate and that great post that should have taken you thirty minutes to write has already taken an hour and it still isn't complete. Admit it, you're having a bad day.

Here are some things to do when you are having a bad day when working at home. A few are just temporary things to do and then you try to go back to your productive tasks while others will take the entire day. In any case don't feel frustrated. We all need some time off and away from the computer.

1. Have a coffee
2. Take a nap (set your alarm for 1-2 hours)
3. Go for an inspiration walk with your camera
4. Lift weights
5. Cook your favorite meal
6. Daydream or meditate
7. Read a book (especially one about one of your blog/website topics)
8. Clean your office
9. Paint or decorate your home office
10. Do laundry
11. Take the day off
12. Do yoga
13. Take care of your garden
14. Call Mom or your best friend

Take care of your body and spirit

When you are having trouble concentrating your body is probably not in its best condition. How have you been taking care of your body recently? Have you been averaging less than 6.5 hours of sleep per night? Perhaps you need to take a nap. Maybe the neighbor's party just kept you up so try a strong coffee now and a nap after lunch.

Perhaps you haven't been getting enough exercise. Lift some weights and take a walk or go jogging. Do some yoga or gardening. Your body was designed to move. It was not designed to sit in a chair in front of a computer every day and all day long!  Work up a good sweat, take a shower and try to spend the next hour working on something productive.  Yoga and gardening are great because they are not only exercise but also spiritual and relaxing. 

Feeling isolated from the world? When was the last time you took the day off or went out. We all need some social time too. Call Mom and say hello. Send your best friend or your significant other a quick text message to see if they have a moment for a quick call. Take no more than 5 minutes for the call and get back to work! :-)

Finally consider your diet. If you are eating mostly junk food you will be lethargic and have trouble concentrating. If so, make a fresh vegetable salad or cook a vegetable soup (no I don't mean anything that comes in a can!). You need vegetables to be healthy. A hamburger and fries may taste great, but if that's all you eat you'll just get fat and you'll be missing what you also need: vitamins, calcium, fiber, etc. that fresh vegetables can give you.

Take care of your home office and home in general

We are often distracted or depressed by our home office and home in general. Perhaps your mind is reminding you that you have nothing to wear tomorrow. If so go take care of that quickly and try to get back to work. 

Is your home office a mess or dirty? Take an hour (set an alarm) and pick it up and organize it a little. Empty the waste basket and wipe off all the desk surfaces with a damp soapy wash cloth and mop the floor by the desk.  Don't forget the dust and stuff under and behind the computer desk.  Yes, you can do it in one hour if you work quickly.  This is important because you'll also be getting anything that might be causing you allergies in your immediate work area and an organized clean office makes you feel good.

If you are in a cleaning mood spend thirty minutes on any other close by room like the bathroom or kitchen and then try to work on something productive in your home office for the next hour.

If you office is already clean, consider painting it. While walls turn depressing gray and light blue walls are depressing too. Beige is a little boring. Consider painting it white (for a dark room), yellow (always cheerful), or a bold green (if you have good light a bold color can be great).  Do you have any plants? Get one or two.  Put them where they get light and water them at least once a week. They'll make you feel good for that little effort it takes to take care of them. There are some plants that will tolerate low light, but don't expect them to survive or grow if you stick them in the dark corner of your room. Put the file cabinet and storage boxes over there instead!

Even if today you weren't able to be as productive as you'd like, by taking care of your body, spirit, and home, you'll be more prepared for a more productive day tomorrow!