Some days at work fly. You likely know the feeling: sitting down with your cup of coffee in the morning to start on your tasks, and suddenly it’s already lunch. Then, it feels like you blink and it’s time to go home or shut your laptop. But other days lag, the dense dull tasks make it feel like the time is dragging on, your mind drifting and wandering, looking for anything else to do but work.
When we’re having the second kind of day, these are the hacks — that only take a few minutes and cost almost nothing — that we lean on to get through the day.
Stack Your Stims
Layer small sensory inputs across your senses so your space carries you through the boring-but-necessary work. Think about the sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch inputs that energize you, and intentionally bring them into your space. This could be things like background music, a textured pen to fidget with, a woven piece to run your fingers through while you think, a mug you enjoy holding filled with a drink that you love, your favorite snack within reach. Be proactive about having these inputs in your workspace so when the long days come, you can simply reach for them to motivate you.
Scent-Cue Your Tasks
Assign a smell to a type of work and stick with it. Perhaps you have a certain smell for admin tasks, another for deep focus, another for working on emails. If you work from home, this could be a candle, incense, or room spray. If you work in an office or a public space, perhaps it’s a roll-on essential oil, a subtle room spray, or even just smelling a fragrance instead of spritzing it. Studies show that matching a scent between learning and recall improves people’s recall; your fragrance becomes a cue that tells your brain which mode to drop into.
Editor Pick:
We love Aerchitect’s Mood Toolkit for an all-in-one scent-cue system. Spritz Focus at the beginning of your work day to cue to your brain that it’s time to work, Calm when you need to regulate in the afternoon, and Ground when you’re ready to close the laptop and ease back into the world.
Give Your Body Somewhere To Go
Don’t chain yourself to your chair, especially if you know you get antsy sitting in one place for long periods of time. Have a second or even third spot prepared for when you need a shift. Maybe even proactively determine different types of seating for different types of work: a comfy seat for writing, a table to spread out and analyze, a place outdoors for fresh air. Plan ahead so they’re ready before the restlessness hits.
Try Body Doubling
Working alongside another person, even one who’s doing something totally different, can make a task you’ve been avoiding suddenly doable. No coworker availabe? A virtual coworking call or a “study with me” video running in the corner does the same thing.
Use A Temperature Stim
Sensory regulation isn’t only about sound and light. A small desk fan, a warm mug against your palms, or a heated pad can reset an overstimulated system faster than you’d expect. Play with hot and cold and notice which one settles you.
Editor Pick:
Cozy up with a hot water bottle to regulate and ground yourself while you work. We love the colorful, playful hot water bottles from Donna Wilson because they’re not only a warm, soft heating pad, but they’re also perfect for vizzy stimming.
Keep A Transition Ritual.
The hardest moment is often the switch between tasks, not the tasks themselves. Mark it with a tiny cue: a piece of gum, a lap around the floor, a specific song. It tells your brain the last thing is done and the next thing can begin.
Tame The Cubicle
Stuck under fluorescents in an open floor? Add a cubicle cover, put up art and desk joy-toys, or bring a mini lamp so you’re not fully at the mercy of the overheads. Tall plants, real or faux, can also soften the intensity of busy walkways and intense lighting. If you need it, don’t be afraid to ask to be moved toward a window and away from high-traffic paths if you can, too.
You don’t have to change everything all at once. Start by trying 2 or 3 stims, see what sticks, and lean into the ones that make the dull days a little brighter.
