How to Stay Productive when you feel Depressed, Worried or Stressed

There comes a time in every fledgling entrepreneur’s journey when you may be tempted to pack it in, accept defeat, and return to the cubicle from whence you came. Starting a new business is a long trudge. It’s not a straightforward path to success, which may be months or years away.

Meanwhile, most of us aren’t equipped to deal with being in a state of limbo for extended periods of time. No one likes to be working away at their business for months and months on end with little to show for it.

But what you need to know is that many, if not most, new business owners go through exactly this state of limbo, which in some cases lasts years. And if you’re going to succeed, you’ll often have to work in spite of negative feelings that come up.

The spiral of bad feelings

Bad feelings tend to reinforce each other in a vicious cycle. When you begin to feel discouraged, you let off the gas pedal. The ensuing drop in productivity makes you feel even worse, leading to more discouragement.

Nothing feels worse than realizing you’ve spent a whole day dicking around at the computer, accomplishing little more than checking your email, replying to status updates on Facebook, and reading up on the latest economic developments in Azerbaijan. Then you might notice other things that make you feel even worse – perhaps your floors are dirty, an unwashed pile of dishes in the sink, a stack of unpaid bills on your desk.

I tend to feel at ease when I have a solid day’s work behind me – even if I didn’t manage to take over the world, so long as I’ve made solid progress and stayed on top of things, I feel good. A lot of people are wired this way – if you are, don’t fight it. Use it as a homing beacon to guide you to taking more decisive action so that you feel good at day’s end.

Set minimum standards

One way to bolster your feelings is to set some minimum standards for your workday or workweek. On a daily level, you might aim to write 1,500 words. On a weekly level, you might aim to publish 2 blog posts a week, write 1 guest post, complete 5 pages of an e-book, and send out a newsletter. Over the course of a month, you could aim to complete one e-book or audio product.

But these minimum standards don’t just apply to work. Your happiness also depends on spending quality leisure time doing activities you enjoy and having meaningful connections with other people. So make sure you’re doing things like getting out of the house and having dinner with friends, going to Toastmasters, yoga class or swim practice, hiking or skiing on the weekends, reading/meditating/journaling on a daily basis.

Stop trusting your mind

It’s difficult to make progress when you doubt that your efforts will bear fruit. The only certain thing in a fledgling business is that absolutely nothing is certain. New businesses are inherently volatile, and results can swing wildly based on any number of factors.

Unfortunately, as we try to do creative, inspired work, our monkey minds like to jump in with predictions such as “You’re going to create this product, set up a sales page and a shopping cart and no one is going to buy anything from you!” This subsequently sabotages your work and causes you to make a half-assed effort at everything you do because you don’t believe you’ll succeed.

That’s why it’s important to stop trusting your mind’s predictions of doom and gloom. In other words, don’t give your mind so much credit – start doubting your own doubt. Your mind is designed to protect you and keep you out of trouble. Inherently, it doesn’t like volatile situations where you have to fight for survival, and would rather see you run to the security of a pay check than take a risk and try for something better.

Here’s the clincher: You mind isn’t always right. We like to think we’re right in our conclusions, but the fact is, quite often we’re wrong. And that applies doubly to your own business. Don’t take all your doubts and negativity at face value, and instead tap into the creativity and passion that lie underneath the circular thoughts of your mind.

Put your head down and charge forward

When you’re stuck, worried, stressed or depressed, chances are you’re spending far too much time and energy thinking about and stewing in your situation and not taking enough action. Try, for the next week (if you’re really struggling, the next day), to put your feelings aside and charge forward with action. Don’t worry about whether you’re going to get results. At this point, that’s not important. Focus on output. Your only goal is to move forward and make tangible progress.

Even small successes can result in huge improvements in your mood, giving you a boost of motivation and confidence that could take your business to a whole new level.

Detaching results from work

At the end of the day, most of us are wired such that when we put in an 8-hour day, we expect 8 hours’ worth of pay. Every time we take a step, we expect to earn a carrot. That’s how we’re rewarded in school, and that’s how we get paid at most day jobs. But when you start your own business, that relationship between effort and reward gets thrown out of whack. Effort is guaranteed, but reward may be months or years away.

Instead of expecting immediate results and rewards, think in timelines of months and years. For example, if I write an e-book this month, I might make several thousand dollars worth of sales over the next two years.

Building a business is like building a skyscraper. You don’t necessarily reap the rewards until long after you’ve invested time, money and effort. It’s easy to become discouraged along the way. But when that skyscraper is finished, it becomes a landmark that lasts many years.

When in doubt, reach out

One of the root causes of negative feelings is isolation from other people. When you’re working alone, you don’t have immediate co-workers, and you’re living in a different planet from people who work in day jobs. That makes it doubly important to reach out and connect with others.

Become friends with others in your field and talk to them regularly. Get a coach. Go out with friends whenever you get the chance, and keep up a healthy schedule of hobbies and activities. Jump at opportunities to connect with the world around you. You’re not in this alone!

Photo credit: Flickr

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