I am not motivated. I have billable work, but nothing urgent. I can't seem to get into anything... it's 2pm and I have 2.3 billable hours. What do you do to get through these days?

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You and I must be the same person because I am experiencing this same exact issue! I was hoping the holiday weekend would give me a chance to recharge but it actually just showed how burned out I am.

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Hand up

likesmart

Go for a walk. Make a hot tea. Then, sit back down.

Do a simple task that you have been dreading. Then, you will have accomplished something and you will feel the reward endorphins. Then, take another short break as a reward and do it again.

Hopefully, by that point, you will have worn out the restlessness. If not, suck it up anyway, play some light music, and power through to 5:00 pm at least.

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Small ball. .2 here, .2 there, it adds up before you know it.

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^ this

Panic and anxiety when monthly time is due 😂

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I honestly chalk those days up to a wash. I’ll complete small tasks like emails then end the day. Instead I do some things around the house to accomplish something and do something that makes me happy. The next day I get up early, take a walk and start the day off better. Unless I’m crushed there really isn’t a way for me to salvage the day.

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I always find it the hardest to get the billable hours in when there's nothing urgent to do or when there's a lot of small things but nothing major to burn up hours.

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Joke’s on me, I’m having a day like this but I have a shit ton of work to do...

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Blow the day off and bill the rest as personal or client development. Make up for it later. THAT is one thing good about this sucky job is that you can work when you want if you are not being pressed. Of course, being pressed is mostly the norm. So just blow the day off and have fun!

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Echo the small ball comment above. If you’re a litigator, do some basic but relevant discovery, break it up, rogs, rfp etc. for example. Add in a research project. Take a break, have a long lunch. Get in a workout. Then do another couple hours. Take another break. Rinse and repeat

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This is me the past few months. All trials pushed out, no crucial deadlines and mostly easy things I can do quickly. I'm thinking about going to my car to take a nap to kill time (boss is hardly in the office nowadays).

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Everyone has bad or otherwise unproductive days. If you can, find time to recharge yourself so you can be productive. Like exercise to clear your head. Read something enjoyable. Talk to a good friend. Etcetera. It sucks to feel like you’re slogging unproductively through work. Do something to help your mindset. You cannot invest enough effort in taking care of your mental state.

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Had 2 hours of billable work today 💀

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