Languishing at Work? Here's How You can Bring Back the Magic to Your Job

Last updated: July 24, 2026

If work’s felt flat for a while, like you’re going through the motions without really caring, you’re not imagining it. That feeling has a name: languishing. It became the word for how a lot of us felt once the scramble to make remote work function had passed and the rush of just surviving the year wore off.

Vaccination rates went up. Restrictions lifted. And still, for a lot of people, that hoped-for jolt of normal never quite landed.

After a year of isolation, grief, and general uncertainty, getting back to feeling like yourself again takes more than a calendar flip. It takes real, specific effort, but it’s doable, and that’s what the rest of this post is about.

What does languishing actually feel like?

Languishing sits in the middle of the mental health spectrum: not flourishing, but not a clinical condition either. It shows up as trouble focusing, a sense of emptiness, and the feeling that you’re muddling through identical days, each one pretty much like the last and the next.

The word itself isn't new. Sociologist Corey Keyes coined it for the middle of a mental-health continuum that runs from flourishing down to depression, and organizational psychologist Adam Grant made it a household word in a 2021 New York Times essay that called it a defining feeling of the year. According to Keyes' landmark 2002 study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, only 17.2% of American adults fit the criteria for flourishing, while 12.1% were languishing, so if you're stuck in that flat middle, you're in a very big crowd.

It helps to see where languishing sits next to the states people keep mixing it up with:

Related: Quiet Quitting at Work: What it Means For You — a related pattern where checked-out, going-through-the-motions work becomes a deliberate choice rather than a mental health slump.

It’s not dramatic. That’s exactly what makes it easy to ignore and hard to shake.

Want the fuller picture of what languishing is and why it happens? Read How to Get Productive Again After Languishing: 7 Tips for the definition and a productivity-focused path back.

How do you get out of languishing and start flourishing again?

Mental health is a tricky subject at the best of times, and it gets trickier in the workplace, especially with a remote team. But there’s a lot you can actually do to get out of that pervasive languishing feeling and move back toward flourishing.

Here are 7 ways to get out of it:

1. Why concentrate on small goals?

Large goals, on their own, can seem daunting and difficult to start at the best of times. But if you are experiencing languishing, it is infinitely more so. Breaking large goals and projects down into smaller, more manageable steps can help improve concentration and productivity.

And these goals don’t have to be only work-related, they can be goals for your home life as well. For the office, breaking large projects and tasks into smaller steps and goals helps to stretch your skills and provide an increased sense of accomplishment.

2. How do you block uninterrupted time?

In the digital age, it is easy to get bombarded by messages, calls, and emails. Finding the time to focus exclusively on one thing can be difficult. For those who are languishing, who are finding it difficult to be motivated, or to care, interruptions are the ideal distraction. And the ideal excuse.

After all, it is not your fault someone emailed you with something they think is urgent. You had to do it. Obviously, this does not help with productivity, but it also makes it harder to go from languishing to flourishing. Or, from languishing to not languishing as badly.

The easiest way to stay on track and help yourself is to turn off notifications while you’re working. If you are not a fan of turning off notifications the whole day you work, you can turn them off for a few hours. This will help you better focus on what’s in front of you.

3. Why take a break?

Taking a break is good for two things: your mental health, and productivity. In fact, you’ll notice a lot of these tips to help manage languishing are very similar to tips on productivity.

Go on a holiday. You do not have to go far, but having a 3- or 4-day weekend can make a world of difference to your mental health. Whether that be relaxing at home or booking into a hotel for a few days taking time off can significantly help recharge mental batteries.

Related: Sunday Scaries: How to Stop Work Anxiety Before Monday — for the dread that creeps in before the workweek starts, and how to defuse it before it snowballs into languishing.

4. How does mindfulness help?

You can do yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises. Essentially you want to immerse yourself in an activity that will help you to live in the now. That is: to learn to work with what is happening rather than work against it.

Read more on how to practice Deep Work to increase mindfulness.

5. Are you chasing the right kind of happy?

What makes any of us happy? It’s a big question. But it’s important to focus on what makes you happy. Not what you think should make you happy. And the distinction is an important one. It does not have to be anything big.

Maybe you start a little herb garden in the kitchen, read a book, go for a walk in the park, or start a hobby. Essentially, find what brings you joy and it will do great things to help improve your mental health.

6. Why look for connection and community?

We humans are social creatures. Even hermits and recluses crave the occasional conversation and human connection. It does not even have to be a long conversation. The briefest of exchanges from a passer by can help energize and invigorate us.

The internet has helped keep people connected and in touch. But it’s that in-person interaction that really helps to make us feel better.

7. How do you find meaning in the everyday?

To go from languishing to flourishing research has found that finding meaning and purpose in everyday life is key. It comes down to three things: daily routines, connection and meaning.

Finding daily routines, starting new hobbies, talking daily with friends and family. All of these things can help you feel that you are more than just okay. It can help you feel like you have a sense of purpose.

A sense of purpose can help one go from languishing to flourishing. Or, at least, start on the path to flourishing.

Read more on how to win as a remote team and some more valuable advice from Quire Communication Manager.

How can project management software help you get out of languishing at work?

Staying connected, breaking tasks down into small steps, and blocking out time during the day are all things that can be done with project management software.

Stay connected using in-built messenger, and real-time commenting on tasks and projects. This makes staying in touch easy. Which is great for remote workers who often find it difficult to stay in touch. And for employers that often find communicating with remote workers clunky.

By being able to directly comment on tasks, and then reassign to the necessary person ensures tasks don’t go missing and everyone stays accountable.

Projects are broken down into task lists and subtask lists. Making projects easier to manage and easier to get started on. These tasks lists are great for those who like progress, meaning you get to tick off a whole lot of tasks and feel an increased sense of accomplishment.

Languishing is a real problem, not some marketing buzzword. The most important thing to do if you are feeling like this is to try and reach out to people and have a conversation. Or, if you are a hermit, go for a walk, watch a movie that makes you feel good.

Ideally do something that makes you happy, and understand that languishing is a real problem many are facing at the moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get out of languishing at work?

Start with something small, like blocking uninterrupted time or taking an honest break. Reconnect with people and activities that make you feel like yourself again, and rebuild focus one habit at a time.

How do you manage languishing in a remote team?

Break large projects into small goals, block uninterrupted time, take real breaks, practice mindfulness, and build connections. These habits shift people from languishing back toward flourishing.

How is languishing different from burnout or depression?

Languishing sits between flourishing and depression, while burnout is exhaustion from overwork specifically. People who languish aren't clinically ill, but persistent languishing raises the risk of anxiety or depression later.

Why does languishing hurt productivity?

Languishing employees struggle with focus and motivation, which slows output and increases time off. The cost compounds over time as the risk of more serious mental health problems grows.

How does project management software help with languishing?

It keeps teams connected through built-in messaging and real-time comments, and breaks projects into smaller tasks so progress feels visible. That supports the small-goals and connection habits that counter languishing.