I've made a post on productivity before which you can read here. In this post I want to focus more on the idea of being productive, but most importantly - how to be productive even when you don't feel like doing anything.
Firstly I'd like to emphasise the point I made in the post linked above that productivity by no means defines your self-worth. You can do absolutely nothing all day, and that will not make you a bad person.
I do, however, believe in the power of being productive and the wonders it can do to our mental health. It is always a good idea to try and be productive as it does make you feel good and today I just want to give you a little guide on being productive and the difference it can make to your mood.
Picture this: your room is a mess and there's dirty laundry scattered all over the floor, which is all too real for me at least. You know that the mess in your room is primarily clothes. Maybe you don't have the energy to pick it all up and take it downstairs and put in the washing machine. Maybe you don't have the energy to sort through it all or maybe you don't have the energy to put anything away.
Now picture this: A tidy room, the window open and getting fresh air and that beautiful freshness that comes from the outside world filling your tidy bedroom. Your bedroom no longer feels or smells stuffy. You have so much room to move around and your mind is also not stressed about how you need to tidy your room.
The only thing standing between the first picture and the second picture is ten minutes maybe even less of activity. My tip for being productive is this: Think of the end result. Try and focus on why you want to do something and that thing will become easier. Also realise that if you pick up all of your dirty washing and just put it in a laundry basket and nothing else, or maybe just folding up clean clothes off the floor and putting them on the end of your bed. It doesn't matter if you 'half-ass' something. The ultimate goal in this example is to clear your floor. While I don't think throwing your laundry all over your bed instead of your floor is productive, it doesn't really matter where things end up, as long as the end goal is met.
A short, seemingly terrible workout is still a workout. If you do some studying and decide that you can't focus because you're having a bad day, you've still studied. Can you see a pattern here?
If you are having a bad day, but know something needs doing and if you're like me and can't settle your mind until that thing is done despite the fact you have absolutely zero motivation to do that thing, the main thing is that you do something. Anything is always better than nothing and trust me, even if you only do a small amount, you'll feel better. Bonus points if you start doing something with the intention of only doing a little and end up doing the entire thing, and even more bonus points if you completely finish it and decide you're not done being productive! That is always a possibility, and the feeling of wanting to do more when ten minutes ago you didn't even want to get out of bed is so good.
This is only a short one, I've been doing uni work non-stop for the past couple of days and just want some time away from the screen. I will be back on Friday. If you have any suggestions for posts, please feel free to let me know either in the comments or on twitter (links also at the top and on the side).
Until next time,
-M x
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