3 Ways to Overcome Work Stagnation

Oneupweb is located in a tourist town. Consequently, if you live here, during summer it feels like everyone is on vacation except for you. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, there are literally thousands of new people in your town, and none of them are at work.

As if that weren’t enough, the Oneupweb office happens to be right next door to a yacht club. Yeah. Nothing like motivating you to work than seeing people hanging out on their boats all day, tanning and carousing and sipping their delicious beer. Jerks.

But there are clients to win the day for, and so when we feel like we’re stuck on a project, or we’d rather be paddle boarding or putt-putting, it’s a good idea to have an arsenal of strategies at the ready. Here are 3 ways to overcome work stagnation:

Read Outside of Your Niche

We spend half an hour every morning reading blogs and articles related to the work we do. For the content marketing team, that means we’re besties with the likes of Moz, Search Engine Land, Inbound.org, and others of their ilk.

Try refreshing your mind by giving it something new to chew over. Not too long ago I read something by Jonah Berger, Associate Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School, and it made me want to read more by him. He has a way of thinking about Marketing with a capital M that is not at all like how I conceptualize things for my daily responsibilities. It made my brain happy. The head of content marketing here at Oneupweb reads outside of her niche fairly often—among her preferred sites is PsychologyToday.com.

Consult with a Colleague

Have a conversation with one of your co-workers on a different team. And I don’t mean of the “Hey, how was your weekend?” variety. Overcome your stagnation by seeking out someone whose work you don’t have a ton of exposure to, and ask them what they’re busy with. Find out as much as you can about some of the challenges they’re facing. How are they planning to tackle the problem? Is there any intersection with your own work? Bounce some ideas off of them, and let them do the same.

The goal is to gain a new perspective on your work, and maybe even an actionable takeaway or two. You’ve got a team full of talented people at your disposal. Use them!

Like Kelly Clarkson Said, Just Walk Away

Sometimes, you just gotta make like a tree and get the $@!& outta there. Your brain needs to reset and come at things differently. So set aside your current project and play some ping pong. Or have a Hot Pocket. Or watch a music video by the foremost pop singer of our time:

What are your preferred strategies for pulling yourself out of the mire of work stagnation? Share them below!