Beat the Winter Blues: 4 Ways to Stay Motivated at Work in the Winter

With winter’s cold weather, shorter days and less sunlight, you and your employees may feel more lethargic and irritable than usual. This mood shift known as “winter blues” may affect your team’s productivity. According to research done by the project management software company Redbooth, winter is the least productive season in the workplace.

Here’s how you and your team can rise above the winter blues, stay motivated and keep your productivity up throughout the winter:

Make sure to get enough sunlight.

One of the biggest factors that contributes to why people feel down during winter is the lack of sunshine. Less sunlight affects your body’s biological clock that controls certain brain wave activity and hormone production. When you wake up on a dark winter morning, you are likely to want to stay in bed.

This is why, during winter, make sure to make the most of the few hours of sunlight you have. Let the sunlight in and warm up the workspace by opening the blinds or take a walk outside when the sun is shining. A little bit of natural sunlight can make a huge difference. It can subconsciously lift your spirits and give you an extra boost of motivation. Sunlight helps your brain produce the hormones your body needs to function.