To Remain Productive At Work During Personal Crisis

How To Remain Productive At Work During Personal Crisis

Productivity

More than anything else, human beings are mostly ruled and controlled by emotions. No part of our life is insulated from internal impacts or external circumstances. What's more, our personal life is the nucleus or the backbone of everything else that we do. Every motivation stems from a personal chord.

It is, therefore, natural that any setback in our personal life or any challenge that we might be facing there will have a major impact on our entire existence. Ups and downs are part of everyone's journey - so there is no way to escape these troublesome life situations. However, it is always in our control to decide how we choose to handle issues and react to certain setbacks.

The key area that takes a toll because of an unfortunate personal crisis is our professional life. Spending 8-10 hours at work without being affected by or thinking about what awaits you outside or back home is next to impossible. More often than not, you may find yourself distracted, melancholy, and perhaps even unable to function normally. But rather than feeling guilty about it, it is important to take charge and make yourself productive at work. After all, one cannot afford to let one major area suffer at the cost of another.

Here are a few ways that would help you achieve a work-balance.

1. Prioritize

In times of stress, it is easy to lose track of what is important versus what is urgent. Always focus on the bigger picture and remember what is important in your life. Short-term issues will eventually get resolved. However, keep your sight fixed on the ultimate long-term goals. This will also help you get a perspective on your life and enable you to assess your priorities well to concentrate on important issues accordingly. As a rule, all external changes and improvements stem from internal mind shifts. Therefore, remember to change some things internally before expecting to see any result outside.

2. Communicate 

Most people tend to go back into their shell when experiencing pain and psychological trauma. Although it is natural that you want to sit back and spend some time with yourself, it's not good for your emotional health. In fact, it is extremely important to share your concerns and feelings with someone you trust. An outsider's perspective can be just the prescription you need to get your life in order.

3. Take your boss into confidence

Rather than giving your boss a boatload of reasons for wild speculations, it is better to be upfront and open about your personal situation. So tell the whole story to the person you directly report to. Even though you don't share a great relationship with him, make the effort to let him know how you are placed at this moment. It is always better to be proactive and thus alleviate any concern that might be developing at your workplace, leading to negative judgment. You might be surprised how supportive and understanding your boss could be when you genuinely ask for help. You need not go into details; a brief chat will go a long way.

4. Re-plan your schedule

A personal crisis, such as a medical condition that is affecting you or a member of your family, may require that you need to stay away from your office for doctor visit, medical treatment, etc. But it may not be acceptable at your workplace beyond a certain point. A possible solution could be rescheduling your work hours. Ask the authorities if you may punch in the same number of hours at different timings/work from home/partially work from home and do video/teleconferencing. Technology has allowed so many changes at workplace that requesting for a little flexibility for a foreseeable period of time is widely acceptable nowadays.

5. Delegate

If you have always been the hands-on worker, this is the time to learn to delegate responsibility. If you handle a team, a brief team meeting to update them of your situation and the necessary changes that need to take place would immensely lighten your load. Make your team feel valued and appreciate their help. Keep an open-door policy and instead of doing majority of the work yourself, become better at supervising and follow-ups.

6. Take care of your health

A personal crisis leads to unbearable emotional and mental stress. If handled poorly, this could translate into physical pains and ailments. You don't want your health to suffer in the midst of a personal turmoil - it will make things even worse. So make sure you are eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep. If you don't do it already, include some form of exercise in your daily routine. Endorphins are the feel-good hormones that get released along with a good sweat and will do you a world of good.

7. Meditate

The benefits of meditation are steeped in ancient wisdom. Yet, very few of us manage to take advantage of the best stress management tool available to the mankind. Most of the times, one is not even aware of 'how' to do meditation. Meditate is nothing but driving away all disturbing thoughts and keeping your mind blissfully blank. Choose a quiet place, sit in a comfortable position, and just concentrate on your breathing and nothing else. It won't be easy as our mind is like a non-stop radio, set to a continuous frequency. But if you keep pushing the thoughts away, it will become easier. Only 20 minutes of this exercise is enough to experience tangible results. Due to this mental exercise, the hours you spend in office will be more productive as you can focus more on the task at hand without giving way to distractions.

8. Do what you love

It may seem absurd to devote your already-in-short-supply time to do something just for the pleasure you derive from it, especially in these troubled times. But that is precisely the reason why you should deliberately find time to do an activity you truly enjoy, like watching your favorite movie, playing with your dog or catching up with close friends. It will recharge your emotional batteries that are probably overworked and might be getting drained pretty quickly. Now, the benefits will spill over and enhance the quality of work that you churn out at workplace.