How to make yourself work when you’re not feeling it

The hardest part of work is getting started.

It’s never been easy — there’s something about human nature that makes many of us wait and wait for the ‘perfect moment’ to open that Word doc or switch on the phones. However, science has shown that today’s plugged-in workforce genuinely has a tougher challenge than our ancestors.

Researchers at the University of London discovered that the barrage of emails, instant messages and phone calls we receive each day can effectively reduce our IQ as much as a sleepless night and twice as much as cannabis use. And that’s just the external pressure. Inside, feelings of boredom and frustration can hold us back from taking the first step each working day, even if we know it’ll becomes much easier once we find our flow.

So rather than beginning what feels like yet another day’s work, splitting your work into separate tasks and defining today’s workload as a discrete project can create a feeling of purpose. This is just the dawn of your new start — our new infographic provides a raft of further scientifically-tested methods to get you working when procrastination keeps on getting the best of you. Find the solution that works for you, and your productivity should rise as fast as your morale.

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This article first appeared on Netcredit.com.