If you're reading this at any point in the middle part of the year 2020, chances are high that you are feeling emotionally spent and you're craving a better way to stay productive. If this sounds like you, keep reading because this blog post is all about introducing simple ways to stay productive so you can stay emotionally well during these stressful times.
While working with my psychotherapy patients recently, I noticed a pattern of patients getting caught up in thinking about their work without realizing clearly how their patterns of thinking blocked their ability to stay productive. We think we are reasoning with ourselves to get closer to starting, when in reality, just thinking about our work sometimes makes us want to run. Read my suggestions for ways to stay really productive below.
6 Ways to Stay Productive in Stressful Times
- Take a deep breath. Whichever way you tend to clear your mind, energy, and body, use that technique. Oftentimes a few deep breaths will do the trick. Simply remove the feeling of stress that might be piled high right now.
- Choose one to-do list item to focus on. Make this choice count though. Pick something that when done, will have an impact on more than one area in your life. For instance, by shopping for groceries, you will improve your chances of eating healthily and saving money by avoiding ordering takeout.
- Start right away. If you feel like you’re dreading getting started, take that as a cue that you’ve already waited too long to start. When you make it a habit to start as soon as you can, you spare yourself that tension between the work and your desire to start. Reduce the tension and enjoy being in the process of working instead.
- Avoid perfectionism. Instead of thinking you’re going to do a bad job, start talking more positively towards yourself. Do yourself a favor and start saying, “I do good work. I can do this quickly and well.” Speaking to yourself in this way will greatly facilitate your ability to get focused and get working.
- Set a start and finish time. When we don’t set start and end times for our work, all sorts of things can happen, including:
- not starting
- wasting lots of time
- wondering what will make us start
- being forced into doing last-minute work
- taking too long to finish
- not finishing
Don’t set yourself up to get bad results. Stay productive instead. You deserve great results, and you are more than capable of setting time frameworks for yourself and keeping to them.
6. Tell yourself a good story. Look forward to finishing, but also look forward to enjoying the process of working. Show up at each stage of your work and be the proud owner of it.
You don’t need to avoid your work anymore if you don’t want to. You can feel grounded and purposeful when you work. Simplify how you're approaching your work and savor the free time you’ll create for yourself when you do.
Work without getting in your own way. And in times like these, if you find you just can’t get started, reach out for assistance, help, or support — you’ll save yourself gobs of time and stress (and who couldn’t use more time and less stress right now).
If you’re interested in getting support for productivity right now, please consider joining the Freedom from Procrastination Membership Program — I would be happy to welcome you into the positive and productive community of members inside the program.
