Pulling Through Monotony in a World of Uncertainty

These are crazy times. Over the past eight months we have all dealt with lots of change, uncertainty, turmoil, anguish, grief and so much more. No one could have predicted the confluence of events that has become 2020 and no one could predict how anyone would respond.

Time has crept by while at the same time moving at speeds I cannot comprehend. We are all dealing with new challenges in our work and home lives. I am exhausted and have struggled to stay engaged in my work. I look in the mirror (or Zoom video box) and feel like I have aged 10 years in 10 months. I have felt this way for a few months and assumed it was the stress of the uncertainty in our world driving my exhaustion. I tried to identify what I could do to better manage my stress and rejuvenate. I hiked and exercised. I watched movies. I slept. And still, I remained fatigued and unmotivated. And then I realized I was bored.

The monotony of our situation is boring the hell out of me and causing me to be unengaged, uninspired, unmotivated, and highly fatigued.

Every day the alarm goes off at the same dark hour so I can get my workout in before my child wakes up. Every day I sit in my home office, in the same chair staring at the same screen and same four brown walls. I have two or three weekly errands that are run to the same place at the same time each week. I log off at the same time each day for family fun and dinner before collapsing into bed around the same time every night. Over and over and over again.

Historically this monotony was broken up by travel, out of the house meetings, and networking events. In the evenings, there would be work functions, happy hours, and hanging out with friends. None of it is currently available to break up our weeks. We trudge through each day and in my case, lack energy and enthusiasm for my work. As I have spoken with friends and colleagues about my revelation, I have learned I am not alone. Many others are dealing with exhaustion related to the “Groundhog’s Day” feeling of each day.

I like change and variety, get bored easily and move to action quickly, so I had to do something to end the monotony. Here are some techniques that have worked for me. My hope is they inspire you to find ways to change your weekly experience and battle the monotony.

Break up the morning routine.

I still need to wake at the same time and jog with the dogs but now I change up what happens when I return home. Some days I check email or journal and finish my workout after everyone has had breakfast. Or I have a brief uninterrupted conversation with my husband. Whatever small tweak you can make on a day here or there will make things feel less routine.

Engage with a new or existing group or activity.

I love meeting people. I love going to events and finding new people to engage with. I am energized by those interactions and Zoom has changed how they are experienced. I have talked to many people and been able to expand my network, but I needed to break out of my rut and find something to get me excited. I found a group with many online events that supports my business goals and started attending. The new connections and conversations gave me a shot of energy and changed the flow of my week. I look forward to meeting these individuals in person in the future, but the follow up virtual coffees are an exciting chance to engage with many new people.  If meeting new people is not your thing, then find an activity to re-engage with or learn that will push you in new ways.

Do something different at home.

I went drastic on this one and added a new dog to the family. It has forced me to change my jogging routine and routes and take more breaks during the workday. It created a new focus with my child as we work on training the dog together and understanding that new dogs do not understand stuffed animal hierarchy when they are on the floor.  A new dog is not for everyone. Fortunately, there are other ways to change things on the home front. Rotate who makes dinner or does the dishes. Try new recipes. Perhaps it is painting a room (which I really want to do with my office) or rearranging furniture. Small things can create the jolt you need to break the monotonous cycle.

To feel fatigue and burnout with everything going on in our world is to be expected. If you are finding that your go-to stress management and relief techniques are no longer helping, it could be time to change things up and come up with ways to overcome the monotony in our world of uncertainty.