Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative

Each day we are faced with escalating expectations and a continual squeeze to do more with less. We are asked to produce ever-increasing amounts of brilliance in ever-shrinking amounts of time.

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Not all days at work are going to be filled with joy, curiosity, or optimism. There will be days when lack of energy or overwhelming challenges put us in a mood where we are not at the right mental space to put in what we may consider our best work.

I came across these four strategies to rekindle a workday in an HBR article:

1. Find your why? - It can be your Ikigai (What brings you joy, what you are uniquely good at, and what the world needs from you are the fuel that keeps you going). It can be something that makes you check in at work.
2. Embrace a beginner’s mindset. - It can be Shoshin (We learn best when we approach learning with the openness and curiosity of a novice unencumbered by past knowledge and biases).
3. Sprinkle gratitude and joy. - Celebrate the wins and shout-outs in team meetings.
4. Fuel your joy. - Maintain a Brag or Happy folder and look at it to identify moments of past accomplishments.