5 Things You Do That Sabotage Your Productivity (and What To Do Instead)
by Tiffany Walking Eagle | 6-minute read
As I write this, there is a global pandemic going on. Suddenly, now that a good percentage of us are home more and have extra time on our hands, there’s this pressure that we need to be reorganizing our homes and learning new skills and starting side hustles and constantly doing all the things to fill the time.
You don’t need to feel guilty whatsoever if you’re struggling to be productive right now.
It’s a stress-inducing, anxiety-ridden, uncertain time for all of us, and I think we all are going to handle it a little differently. We must give ourselves grace right now and just do our best.
I see conflicting messages everywhere ranging from “You need to be taking advantage of this time because if you don’t, you’re lazy” all the way to “If all you did was get out of bed today, you’re doing great.”
Here’s what I think:
Yes, you absolutely should give yourself time to process and just feel what you’re feeling. It’s 100% okay to not be okay right now, so be patient with yourself and give yourself time off to recoup when you need it.
At the same time, I don’t think any of us should use this as an opportunity to just be lazy either, and here’s why: productivity can be just as kind of a choice to your well-being as rest.
We often feel better after being productive, so here are some ways to enhance your productivity minus all the guilt and overwhelm.
Putting 8901839280 things on your to-do list, and then beating yourself up for never finishing your to-do lists.
Sound familiar?
I used to never ever be able to cross off all the items on my to-do list. I’d write these long lists of tasks that were virtually impossible to get done in one day, then be defeated at the end of the day for not getting it all done.
This cycle of trying to do too much and failing all the time turned me off to lists completely.
Lists can be a useful tool for productivity, but not if we keep teaching ourselves that we can never accomplish what is on them!
What to do instead: Write down all the things you’d like to get done. Get it all out there so you can get it out of your head and into writing, so hopefully, you don’t have to keep worrying about it. Then, look through your list and pick out the top 5 things that are the highest priority that you can do, and make that your to-do list. If you finish it and have time to add more items, great! But the important thing is to be realistic about what you can get done and prove to yourself that you can finish your to-do lists. Ditch the cycle of taking on too much and feeling guilty!
Related post: 6 Powerful Yet Simple Ways to Transform Your Mindset
Looking at tasks as one large, overwhelming job.
I need to clean this explosion of a kitchen is something I think to myself nearly daily.
Then, I shift my perspective and remember that every dish that gets washed, every spice jar that gets put away, and every item of trash that gets tossed is one step closer to a clean kitchen.
Breaking down large tasks into smaller ones is an effective way to get started.
What to do instead: Set a timer for 10, 20, 30 minutes (whatever you have time for) and spend that time working at the task you’re trying to procrastinate. You’ll likely get more done than you thought! It may get you moving and motivated to finish the rest of the task, and if you’re not done when the timer goes off, at least you made progress toward your goal.
Hesitate.
As soon as you think of something you want to get done, instantly your brain is going to start thinking of reasons why you should put it off.
You basically have just a few seconds to jump up and get started before you start to overthink it and make doing the thing much harder.
What to do instead: When you start to hesitate, count down 5-4-3-2-1 and start doing when you get to 1. Don’t give your brain the chance to talk you out of it! (This is a principle I learned from motivational speaker Mel Robbins called the 5-Second Rule.)
Another weird trick that works for me, is as soon as those thoughts of oh maybe I’ll just do it tomorrow start to creep in, I clap one single, loud clap. Sounds so strange, I know, but I swear that physical clap snaps me back to the reality that there is no reason to keep putting off this task.
A third idea for this is to have a go-to phrase you say to yourself (whether out loud or in your head) that pushes you to get started. One of mine is “make it happen.” For some reason, that particular phrase gets me motivated and I now associate it with getting stuff done. Pick one that resonates with you and try it!
Related post: 3 Brain Hacks to Defeat Procrastination: The Lazy Way to be Productive
Trying to please everyone else instead of valuing our priorities.
People pleasers, listen up.
It’s great to want to help people. It’s wonderful and kind of you to want to be there for others.
However, you know that there are times that you take on far too much in the name of being helpful, and it leaves you feeling stressed and anxious about the fact that your own to-do list gets put off.
What to do instead: Before you say yes to doing something for someone else that will eclipse your own to-do list and valuable time, pause. Just pause. Then, take a moment to really think about if you can really afford to do the thing for them. Will it push off tasks you need to get done and cut into your personal/family time too much? Will it add unnecessary stress you can’t afford? Do you truly have the capacity to help? Practicing just pausing and thinking can help you win back some of your time from those who tend to take advantage of it.
You may also like 12 Signs You're a Chronic People Pleaser & How to Find Your Self-Worth
Complaining “I have to do this.”
The mindset shift from obligation to gratitude can really boost your productivity.
One of these things I tend to complain about is meal prep, but then I try to remember that having the ability, time, and money to cook nourishing, tasty meals for myself and my husband is a huge blessing.
What to do instead: Work to shift your mindset from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this.” Sure, not all of the things you “get to do” are super exciting or even enjoyable at all, but that simple mindset shift can help so much with your productivity. It’s way easier to get things done with a grateful attitude than out of frustration.
How have you been holding up during this time? Do you feel like you’ve been more productive or struggling to get anything done? Let’s chat in the comments! As always, thanks for reading. <3
Related post: The Unsexy Truth About Self-Care