Bored at Work

As a freelance writer with multiple clients, I am constantly juggling multiple projects. Some of these are more time-sensitive than others, but if you were to ask any of my clients, they would likely tell you that their project should naturally take priority. So, when I sit down in front of the computer each day, I am faced with a decision: which project should get my attention?

Sometimes, the decision is easy. I might have a pressing deadline for an article that must be written right this moment, so that’s what I’ll do. However, more often than not, I’ll have multiple projects with roughly the same level of priority, so I’ll pick the one that tickles my fancy at that moment. And sometimes, the writing goes well. The words flow from my fingers and the article gets written. Other times, though, I may struggle to find the right phrasing or develop the right ideas.

And then, I’m faced with another decision: should I grind it out and stick with this piece until I complete it or should I divert my attention to another project where the creative juices may flow more freely?

That’s the conundrum. That’s the problem. No matter what you happen to be working on at any given moment, the “other” thing always seems more appealing. You get the sense that you’ll be so much more productive if you just change gears, because you’ve obviously reached a point of stagnation with the current work. However, all the productivity experts will tell you otherwise. They’ll tell you that multitasking is counter-productive and that you should focus on one thing at a time if you want to get anything done.

Stick with It

If you were to ask those productivity experts, they would tell you that the best thing you can do is to focus on your current project and get it done. Sometimes, you just have to buckle down, shut out the rest of the world and focus on the task at hand. That makes some intuitive sense, but the human condition being what it is, this is far easier said than done.

One of the challenges with grinding it out is that the resulting work could be sub-par. You’ll simply finishing what you need to do because you have to finish it. You’re not particularly inspired or motivated. Better work usually results when you allow yourself to follow your muse.

Move On to Something Else

Should you choose to follow your muse, that would likely mean that you would (temporarily) abandon the current project and move on to a project where you currently feel a stronger sense of inspiration. If I don’t feel like writing about productivity, I might change gears and take some product photos for an upcoming product review instead. This keeps me productive, because I’m doing what I want to do at that moment.

Unfortunately, this lends itself to an entirely different set of problems. As mentioned, the grass is always greener on the other side. If you entertain the idea of working on something else, it naturally means that your attention is being divided and too many ideas can cloud your judgement. Instead of finishing your work, you could end up with a lot of half-completed projects that never get done.

What Do You Do?

I wish I had all the answers for you, but I don’t. No one does. The real key is finding a system that works best for you, finding that delicate balance between getting everything done and getting everything done to the best of your ability. What about you? Are you more inclined to grind your way through a project, even if you don’t feel like you’re putting out your best work, or do you switch things up and come back later?