The Mojo

Friends, I’ve lost my mojo. You know, that extra bit of momentum, that shining confidence of knowing what you’re doing and doing it well? Yeah, not so much.  

The mojo is usually found in the sweet spot between boredom and challenge. But what do you when you’re in a season of just challenge—when everything is hard, when you’ve hit a dead end with a project, when strategies that usually work stop working, when no matter what you do, the kids just won’t sleep. And what do you do with the boredom of routine—when today feels eerily like yesterday, when you have to change yet another diaper, when your desk is piled with the most tedious of tasks?

See, typically, I freak out when I’ve lost my mojo. Something must be wrong, I think, I must be messing up somehow. And that still might be the case. But as I grow, I’m starting—just starting—to be okay without it.

I’m finding a detoxifying refreshment in the slow satisfaction of hard work.

I’m taking breaths, doing the work in front of me with all the skill that I have, and remembering that seasons pass. One day, you’ll change your last diaper, one day you’ll change roles and your desk will be piled with different tasks, one day you’ll find a new mojo, a new rhythm. But for now, we can know that this—the hard work, the slow work—is good.  

Here are a few things that help me get through the hard, slow days.

1.     Call up a friend. If you’re stuck with a mind-numbing task, invite a work friend to join you in the conference room or get off site if you can and work together. If, like me, you work from a home office, meet a friend at a coffee shop and work together. The comradery will lift your spirits and maybe you can help each other laugh a little.

2.     Create mini goals—with rewards. Just yesterday, I had to slog through a messy project. It was tedious and hard and my mind desperately wanted to think about anything else but the work at hand. I couldn’t postpone the deadline so I split the work into bite-sized chunks and created mini breaks. After completing one portion, I awarded myself with a delicious cup of coffee. After completing another, I read a few pages of my favorite book. I popped open a bottle of wine at the end of the project and toasted to difficult projects done on time. Cheers!

3.     Plan something to look forward. I know you probably just want to crash on the couch at day’s end but resist the default mode. Schedule something fun and outrageous. My husband and I took a friend mini golfing the other day. Neither of us had been since we were single digits old but it became one of our favorite events that week. Having something to look forward to will seed a little excitement and purpose into your day, and the activity itself will shift your mind into a different gear. Shake up your routine and add a dash of fun.

4.     Lean on your strengths. Spend time doing what you love and what you’re best at. If you’re a genius at number games, if your secret power is manifested in the kitchen, if you’re an expert photobook maker, if you’re the queen of the trails, get out there and show your awesomeness. Your morale will be boosted and you’ll be gifting the world with your strengths.

These ideas will help you keep moving in the right direction. I know it’s hard, it’s annoying when you don’t have the mojo. But girl, you already have all that you need to kick today’s butt. You got this.