Working Sideways for Yoyu: A Productivity Hack?

In today’s world, with the rise of remote work, it’s becoming increasingly important to stay productive while working from home. However, sometimes we find ourselves lacking the yoyu and or the motivation to get things done. In this blog post, we’ll explore a unique approach to overcoming this productivity slump and getting work done – working sideways.

What is Yoyu?

Before diving into the topic, let’s first discuss what yoyu means. Yoyu is a Japanese noun used to convey one’s capacity to handle a task or situation, including having the time, money, energy, experience, or emotional fortitude needed to accomplish it. When we lack yoyu, we may feel unmotivated or overwhelmed by our workload.

In an ideal world, when we don’t have the yoyu to do our work, especially the physical wherewithal, we wouldn’t. Instead, we would take the day off and rest.

What about the days when we’re physically okay, but we still don’t have the oomph to get going on the tasks that need to get done? What if we don’t feel like working? In most cases, I’m still an advocate for taking the day off to play. But what if we’ve been doing that day after day?

It’s important to acknowledge that if you’re feeling a lack of yoyu day after day, then something more serious might be going on. Perhaps there’s a chemical imbalance in the body or an issue that would be better handled with a professional.

For me, however, on days when I can’t muster the yoyu to work and find myself stuck at a standstill, it’s rarely because I need professional help. Usually, I just need a way to get moving, and on those days, facing work head-on rarely works for me. Instead, I have to approach it sideways.

Approaching Work Sideways

When we’re lacking motivation, facing work head-on can be daunting. That’s where the concept of working sideways comes in. Instead of tackling a task directly, we can approach it from a different angle. 

For example, sometimes I have a project I need to do that requires my desktop computer in my office, yet I can’t find the yoyu to walk down the hall. However, I can magically find the yoyu to walk down the hall to check on the plants sitting on my desk. I know I’m fooling myself. I know I don’t have to sit down at my desk after I finish watering, but I usually do.

Or maybe it’s “Finance Friday,” and even though I need to do some invoicing, punching the numbers feels like a burden I should put off until next week. I know I should be making the invoice and preparing the email to go with it. Instead, I organize my folder of invoices. Or make an email template I can use in the future. On a roll, I realize that I now have the yoyu to create the invoice and send it.

By working on something related to the task, but not the task itself, we can often trick ourselves into getting started.

The Benefits of Working Sideways

Working sideways helps us get moving when we’re feeling stuck. Does it work every time? No. Sometimes the sideways approach leads me down a rabbit hole. But I don’t care because the real magic is that I often end up moving another project forward.

I know that if I resist something now, it’s okay because I’ll do something else. Moreover, the very thing I’m resisting today will very likely become the sideways work I choose to do another day when I’m resisting something else.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. “But Marci, isn’t this just procrastinating in disguise?” And I hear you. But the beauty of working sideways is that it can often lead us down a productive rabbit hole.

While working, we may end up moving another project forward or finding the yoyu to tackle the original task. By approaching tasks from a different angle, we can often find the motivation we need to get things done.

Procrastination Becomes an Asset

The point is, we don’t have to write off the day as a waste when we don’t have the yoyu to do something. Instead, embrace and enjoy moving forward the projects or tasks that we do have the yoyu to do.

Working sideways is a viable way of working that turns procrastination into an asset.

So, next time you’re lacking motivation, try working sideways and see what you can get done. You might be surprised!

Learn more about cultivating yoyu

Whether or not I have yoyu often depends on what I’m thinking. Listening to affirmations is another way I get myself moving on days when I don’t feel like I have yoyu. Get Your FREE Audio & PDF for Cultivating “Yoyu” here>>