Do I Have to be Productive??

How to be productive when you don't want to be.

There are times when everyone does not feel like being productive, so how do you push past that to get things done and feel productive.

First things first, when you feel overwhelmed and unproductive, you need to allow yourself to breath, this could mean that you have overworked yourself and need to allow yourself a moment to fall into the need to be unproductive. I know this sounds counter affective but it is better for productivity in the long run.

These ruts of feeling unproductive and having a hard time getting yourself back to work are not just a random day when you feel like not doing much but these are when you are going through days or weeks of struggling to focus and be productive.

There are also times in which this notion of needing to productive all of the time can be damaging for a person, as they then feel down on themselves if they don't live up to the standards of what others idea of productivity is. To some being productive is simply taking care of themselves.

1. Take A Break

Breath, allow yourself to stay in bed, binge a show, have a good cry. Just do nothing. Give yourself a break and don't immediately force yourself. This allows your body and mind a chance to reset. I am not saying do this for a long period of time, but you SHOULD NOT force yourself to do something you are not mentally prepared for.

Also stop the overstimulation.... let yourself focus on one thing rather than having to do multiple things at once, this will help you really let your brain rest and breath.

2. Let It Out

Write, scream, talk, however you need to let out the emotions you are feeling. I love a good brain dump. This is where you just write down every thought you have for a period of time you give yourself. It can be anything from emotions and feelings to concerns or lists of things you need to do, anything that comes into your head.

Doing a brain dump or talking to someone about how your feeling can allow you to not be overwhelmed with it stuck in your head. A good scream can also release tension and frustration being held within yourself. I do not of course recommend solely doing a scream but it can be a good starting point to letting your feelings out.

3. Move Your Body

One of the first things to go when you start to feel unproductive, is physical activity. So start off by doing simple stretches or easy workouts to just simply start moving. One of my favorite things to do to clear my mind is to go on a simple walk, not an intense hike but a simple walk in my neighborhood or on a walking trail in my area. So if you have these options, this is a good way to get yourself out of your space and get your body moving in an easy manner, to where it feels calm on your body and it does not feel overwhelmed immediately as it would if you just jumped into a full workout.

Progressively add things and give yourself a more challenging workout or a longer time of activity.

4. Take Care of Your Space

Do simple things around your space that make it feel tidier and calmer. When your space is dirty or overly cluttered it can be overwhelming. When you are in an overwhelming space your feelings and lack of want to be productive can worsen as it can look like to much to do. So I am not saying even though you feel tired and overwhelmed to force yourself to clean everything or deep clean. However, I think that picking one small task or small space to clear or clean the basics of can allow your mind to relax just a little more.

A space like what I am talking about is my night stand. I know what is supposed to be on there and their purposes are meant to help me stay calm such as my diffuser, a candle, pillow spray and a cup of water. Yet, somehow it collects the most random items, and when I'm trying to stay calm looking over and seeing all the clutter I know is not supposed to be there can stress me out even more. So, taking time to clean a little bit can make your space feel a little less overwhelming which can encourage you to be more productive and clear more spaces.

5. Get Back into a Routine

Or create a new one. Get yourself into the habit of getting yourself mentally and physically ready for the day in the same way everyday in order to create something that eventually won't feel like a task but just a simple part of your day. If your routine before this productivity rut stressed you out, this could be the base of your problem.

Go over that routine and separate your tasks into four categories. Energy, Self-care, Focus and Productivity are the basic sections I like to look at when reevaluating my routine or when I first was creating my own routine. I suggest picking only one item from each category to start with and then as you are feeling more productive adding more into your routine to get you fully started in your day.

I have created a Routine creator, that I made based on how I found my own personal routine. If you want to working on making a routine for you this is a great place to start.

6. Re-evaluate Your Goals

Now that you are feeling calmer and ready to get back into a productive routine, you need to re-evaluate what your goals are in what you working on. Make sure you have a want and a passion for what you are trying to accomplish so that it will be harder to become unproductive again. If you know why you are doing something and you enjoy each step of it, it is easy to stick with it.

7. Lastly, Create Balance

This can be done from simple things like creating your routine. Having moments in there for productivity mixed in with self-care moments. Another way to add balance is if a lot of your productive tasks relate to your job or school, make sure you are being productive in a personal project or hobby. Having a constant activity of something you enjoy mixed in with the productive tasks that are not enjoyable it evens out and creates a stable routine.

I hope these points are helpful to you as you work on coming out of your unproductive rut. Remember, do not rush it, just slowly work yourself up mentally, emotionally, and physically to be able to tackle the tasks that you classify as productive.

BREATH, you got this!