Feeling Unproductive? These Tips Can Help
Not every day is easy. There are days when you want to just stay in bed, or get back to sleep as soon as possible. Your responsibilities don’t stop, but your motivation to be productive is in the ditch. Sometimes, you manage to still perform, though not at your best. Other times, you don’t get anything done at all, then you cram to complete everything the next day.
This doesn’t have to be your life. Let these tips help you in some of the most difficult situations people face:
Just Show Up
Whether it’s a gym session or a regular workday, you have to get yourself to the venue to make it easier to get the motivation back. Don’t tell yourself you will complete all your reps or that you will outperform everyone in the office. Just the mere act of showing up will already be enough, and you’ll realize that once you’re already there, you will eventually get your gears running. Next time you feel like having a lazy day, do the bare minimum and get to the venue. Everything else will follow.
Dress up
This is a simple trick, but it works on days when you need a boost of confidence. It doesn’t matter if you’re just going to the groceries or cleaning the house. The way you feel about yourself plays a big role in how you go about your day. When you’re skin feels fresh from the skin toner you bought online on your last shopping haul, and you’re wearing your most flattering pair of jeans, you’ll carry yourself with more confidence and even start to enjoy being active. On the flip side, if you haven’t bothered to get out of your pajamas, you’ll feel unproductive and will not be willing to do anything at all.
Play It Safe
You don’t need to tick all the items off your checklist if some of them are more creative in nature or require the level of commitment you just don’t have right now. However, you can get them started at least halfway, to be finished tomorrow or anytime in the near future when you are ready. This is to remind yourself that you don’t have to be perfect all the time and that there is no pressure to always outperform. Sometimes, the simple act of doing is enough.
There is time for you to polish your draft and finish what you’ve started, but first, you have to lay out the foundation of a hardworking character. If you can become a person who does what he can, even if he doesn’t feel like it, you will already be better than half the population. Don’t add pressure to get everything done perfectly at the first try and you’ll be fine.
Sometimes, the only way to be productive is to accept your shortcomings and live with the fact that there will be days you just can’t be your best. But as Nike’s famous logo says, it’s always better to just do it.