7 Habits That Are Likely Making You Unproductive
Whilst it's important to have periods of relaxation and self-care, it's also important to have days where we're productive in order to keep our lives in check and to keep those wheels turning. I find it quite frustrating when I fail to do things despite the fact that my whole plan for the day was to get jobs done. So I took a step back and wondered where I could be going wrong in terms of productiveness, or lack thereof, and I thought I'd share those with you in case you've also adopted the same habits.
1) Giving yourself too much work to do
I often find that if I have a list of things to do as long as my arm, I'll fail (99% of the time) to do everything I had set out to do. This is mainly because I'll feel slightly overwhelmed and so I'll spend most of the day dreading getting started because I know there's so much to do - whether that be at work or at home.
If I give myself a modest list of quick, achievable and realistic jobs to do then I'll most likely get everything done. I'll then feel satisfied that I've been relatively productive that day and go to bed that night knowing that jobs have been completed that I no longer need to worry about or put off until another day. If I continue to put tasks off then they probably won't get done at all and that's also quite annoying.
But having a small list of simple tasks to do can help to ensure that things are continually ticked off my to-do list without too much effort.
2) Checking your phone
If I added up the amount of time I spend checking my phone in one day, I think I'd be unpleasantly surprised. All that time spent scrolling Instagram or updating Twitter could have been spent doing something a million times more productive. Mobile phones are often a major distraction, but we don't really realise it until we've run out of time to run our errands.
I've been making a conscious decision to spend less time online and more time doing something worthwhile, like putting my efforts into my blog, for example. By putting my phone down and focusing on something else, I often find that I get a lot more done - so give it a try.
3) Taking long rest periods
We all need a rest after a long day, but napping in daylight hours can often be quite damaging when it comes to productivity - hence why I never do it. But what I lack in naps I make up for in sitting, meaning I'll often spend a couple of hours on the sofa or outside on a lounger in the sun rather than actually getting jobs done. Once I'm comfortable I can happily stay like that for quite a while, hence why I like to get jobs done beforehand, then use a relaxation period as a type of reward.
I could be putting several washes on in the day, but think to myself "once this is done, I can chill out with a cup of coffee and a good book", and that often motivates me to just tick the job off my list, then I can relax knowing that I don't have anything to get up for - bliss!
4) Being surrounding by clutter
Clutter can often make me feel unproductive. I'm not sure why, and I'm sure there's a reason, but I simply cannot work surrounded by disorganised mess - even my desk in the office is very clean and clutter-free. Clearing clutter can be a daunting task as you often need to be in the mood to do it. BUT, I published a blog post about ways to live a clutter-free life, something you can read here if you're interested.
Have a clear out of things you no longer want or use and seek out ways to get rid - don't just throw things away, there are many sustainable ways of clearing out your home that doesn't involve the hiring of a skip. Give items away to charity shops or homeless shelters, ask family or friends if they would like anything or even bring items to recycling centres. It's important that you do some research so that you don't add to landfill sites unnecessarily.
That aside, if you clear your living space of clutter you may feel more motivated to do things as opposed to lacking the inspiration to get up and get jobs done.
5) Not having a (somewhat flexible) schedule
I'm not saying to sit down and draw up a rigid schedule of things to do and when to do them. My schedule is often in my head as opposed to formally written down somewhere, and often, that's all you need. If I decide that, this week, I want to going running four times and these are the days I'm going to go on those runs, then I'll stick to that. It is really that simple.
If you have clutter to clear out then set aside a couple of hours one day this week to do that. If you decide that it's going to be Wednesday afternoon after lunch but before dinner, then you'll most likely do it when you wanted to do it, rather than wait to 'feel like' doing something, if that makes sense?
More important engagements like doctors appointments or dinner arrangements can be written down on a calendar or in a diary, but if it comes down to when you need to do your big weekly shop, then that stuff is fine to be held in your own head - this week, my big shop will be done on Thursday evening after dinner but at no specific time.
6) Comparing yourself to other people and situations
You can waste so much time doing this and it's a pointless, sometimes damaging task. Other people and their situations often don't compare to the lives of everyone else in society. We all live our own lives, we live with different people, we see different people, we have different lifestyles, we make different choices, but that doesn't mean to say that any life is better or more important than anyone else's, and so to compare them is pointless.
You do things on your own terms and in your own time, don't look to other people for inspiration or motivation as it can often cause more harm than good in the long run. Life isn't a race and nor is it a battle ground to see who can get the most done in as little time as possible whilst also appearing to live a life of luxury - it's just not possible. Life is all about balance, so make the time to take care of yourself, be kind to others and take steps to remain productive.
7) Eating the wrong foods
As silly as this sounds, food can have an impact on your mood. Eating the wrong foods can make you feel overtired and sluggish, and so you'll be much less likely to want to be productive. Start your day off right with a porridge and a cup of green tea and the day will be yours to do with what you will.
Foods such as bananas and avocado can also help to boost energy levels and they can also promote healthy bowel movements, so you won't get uncomfortable tummy aches half way through the day either, meaning you'll always feel up to completing any tasks you might have laid out.
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Have you adopted any of these habits over the years? Are there any that you've adopted that haven't made it onto my list? Leave them in the comments below! I will see you again really soon with a brand new blog post :)
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Great post! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo true! Lots of useful tips here. Thanks! R x
ReplyDeleteI checked this post because ypu had liked my tweet about an article of mine. This post looked like it is straight from my diary. "Today I did not do anything', 'I am not finding motivation', 'I am only preparing my To Do lists, not doing anything in my list'.. These are all in my diary. Glad that sometimes others go through it too and that I am not alone.
ReplyDeleteClutter is something I constantly tackle and find myself more productive without it! I totally relate to giving myself too much to do though and everyone always tells me it. I'd rather get something right than not do it at all but having so much to do is like a mountain in front of me. I should know better by now.
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