Bounce Back From Unproductive Days

Not everyday life is going according to plan and and productive. There is a day when you look at the clock and the only thing you do all day was series of unproductive tasks and procrastination. Perhaps you spend your day chit-chatting with a friend, scrolling over twitter feeds, staring at a blank white screen, catching up on previous tasks. Meanwhile your work deadline is just over the corner. You know you can't repeat doing this tomorrow but it's difficult to get back right?

Having to experience that from time to time, these are the things that I do to help myself bounce back to my working flow. Try these tips and hope it might help you.

Get a pen and a piece of paper

Seriously, sit down and write. Think about all the things you must finish. List them all with the deadline time. Don't overthink after looking at the long lists on your paper, just write. Then, save it for later

Next...

Start small

Pick the task from the lists that you enjoy doing first, then follow by the most difficult, then something you enjoy again and so on. Don't overwhelm yourself by always doing the most difficult task from your list.

Let's say you need to finish an essay next week, what can you do to start doing and stop procrastinating? just write the topic, name and the cover. That's it. Then, move further with the first paragraph. It will create ripple effects and you will start finding your flow to finish the task.

Then...

Set a timer

So, you have the list and ready to begin the adventure. Timing is important to make you feel less overwhelmed. Try to do it for 10 minutes and increase by 30 minutes. Stop when you feel tired.

Get enough rest and hydrated

Drowning in revision and deadline aren't fun. You might need a shot of coffee, or whatever kicks you but make sure, to get 7-8 hours rest and plenty water.

Forgive yourself

Forgive yourself for being a sloth. Know that you're a human not a robot. But also remember, not to repeat the same mistake by understanding your distractions. I personally think phone is my inner sloth enabler so I am trying to stay away from it.

With those tips above, I hope it helps you to get back on your productive days and start delivering instead idling. But also don't forget to take care of yourself.

_{Photo of person holding alarm clock courtesy of pexels.}