How To Recover From A Productivity Meltdown
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“So how was YOUR day? Did you get much done?”
“Well, I guess. I started off OK, but then I got sidetracked for a couple of hours. Then So and So came over and we talked for awhile. By the time they left, the day was pretty much shot anyway, so I just set my To-Do list aside and decided to mess with it tomorrow.”
I don’t know about you, but this kind of thing used to happen to me all the time. I would start the day off with a positive mindset and a list of things that I was GOING to accomplish, but then I would get sidetracked or start to procrastinate and eventually throw in the towel. The idea was that my momentum was gone so I wouldn’t be able to get much done with the time left in the day and I’d be better off starting fresh in the morning.
Sounds reasonable, right? WRONG!!! This is a terrible way of doing things if you are REALLY trying to get things done. By going this rout you are giving into your lazy side and letting it win. You might think that you are not giving in by intending to continue your tasks the following morning, but your lazy side knows that tomorrow is a new day for IT as well. You will be just as tempted to repeat these unproductive habits as you were the day before. And not only this, but you will be throwing away the precious time that is still left in that day.
How to recover from this.
It’s quite simple actually. Just hit RESET! When your computer gets bogged down, resetting it is the best way to refresh its performance. Here is what I do when I have procrastinated half the day away and still want to get things done.
- Go into a quiet room (turn the lights off if it helps), close your eyes and clear your head. Focus on your breathing and just relax. This is your actual reset button. You are recreating the experience of getting up first thing in the morning.
- After a short time of doing this (how ever long it takes to reboot) go strait to the place you normally plan for your day (office, dinner table, etc…) Get out a piece of paper and re-create your To-Do list. Be sure not to use the old one. The idea is to restart, and using the old list will just remind you of what you DIDN’T get done. Write out the new list as if it’s the first time you’ve seen the tasks. Assuming that a chunk of your day is already gone, make sure to create the list according to the time left. There’s no advantage to running around like a crazy person as you try to do a full day’s tasks in half the time. The point here is to try to recover what’s left of the day.
- Once you’ve re-created your list it is important that you think positively. Remind yourself that you would normally have been on the couch watching TV, but are instead taking responsibility and ‘Getting Things Done’. Be excited that you are actually pulling yourself out of the rut of procrastination that you would have normally laid in for the rest of the day. Then use this positive energy to start knocking out the things on the list.
- At the end of the day be sure to make note of the things you accomplished. Point out to yourself the fact that these are things that would have otherwise been put off until tomorrow and that, even then, they might not have gotten done.
- Finally, write out a new To-Do list for the following day. Not only will THIS now be accomplished, but you can then see all the things that would not have been accomplished had you continued to procrastinate and pushed your responsibilities onto tomorrow.
There are three reasons why this ability to RESET is SO important.
1: How ever you react to certain situations you are training yourself to be a certain way. If you give in once, then it will be easier to give in the next time. And it just goes down hill from there. Anyone can keep up a strong momentum, but what we are doing here is much harder and a much more crucial skill. We are going from a dead stop to positive momentum in the same day.
2: How you end your day has a great affect on how you start the next one. So if you had thrown in the towel you would not only be less productive on THAT day, but you wouldn’t be giving the following day any momentum to work with.
3: One of the goals I have when I make my To-Do list is to accomplish some of the things that will help me get closer to my life goals and dreams. Every day that I REALLY push through my lazy side and ‘Get Things Done’ is one day closer to reaching those goals. So it is that much more important that when I have a rough start, I am still able to finish strong. There is nothing more un-motivating to the pursuit of your dreams than to be no closer to them from one day to the next.
13 Responses to “How To Recover From A Productivity Meltdown”
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Thank you for this post, Eric! What I liked most was to write down a new to-do-list, and to restart. I’ll try this with the next productivity meltdown!
Ulla Hennig’s last blog post..Arts and Architecture
Great post Eric! I sure could relate to this as I am a great one for getting sidetracked. My problem was the Web – a would click on a link in my Email (or blog reader) and get lost for the next few hours on the Internet. I now have a “work account” set up on my computer that does not have the internet enabled. This prevents me from getting sidetracked on the Web when I’m supposed to be working. Hey, we gotta do what we gotta do, right?
I really like your idea of going into a dark room to clear your head to “reset” – will definitely add this to my arsenal.
Roger Hyttinen’s last blog post..Supporting your Local Establishments
My way to reset is to turn away from the computer and take my pen and notebook. I wrote down the essential must do’s and then start at the top. It gives my mind peace do know I’m getting those things that are absolutely necessary taken care of.
Writer Dad’s last blog post..Deja Vuesday: Sink or Swim
Eric, great insight. The need to reset throughout the day is key. I know my productivity grinds to a halt if I don’t take periodic breaks to refresh. A quick walk or a few minutes with my office door closed helps keep the intrusions away and allows me to refocus.
Neil’s last blog post..100 Pushups Day 1
I like the redoing of the to do list. I find I’m often hard on myself when I don’t finish what I’m suppose to. Jack Canfield says to look at yourself in the mirror before going to bed and thank yourself for three things you did that day.
Positive reinforcement works, especially when it comes from yourself.
Tess Marshall’s last blog post..Change Your Perception with Fun and Laughter
@Ulla: I’m glad you connected with the idea.
@Roger: I know ALL ABOUT getting lost on the Internet. Definitely a time trap.
@Sean: I agree. Going back to pen and paper is a great way to refocus.
@Neil: I’m with you on the walks. The fresh air and physical activity always help clear the head.
@Tess: I never thought about thanking myself. Interesting idea. I’ll keep that in mind. Eric
Hi Eric,
You had listed some of the things that I am guilty of too. There are times when I woke up early in the morning and write down the tasks that I am going to complete that day only to end up doing a few of them and having them roll over to the next day.
This is certainly a bad habit and I am going through some trial and errors to see how can I tackle these problems and your article had provided me some great tips for it.
I also would like to share what I had learned on how to get more things done through trial and error and here goes….
1. Ensure that your to do list is not ridiculously long. If the list is too long, just allocate the task into another day.
2. Start doing your important tasks early in the morning when you wake up instead of fiddling around with other things.
3. Ensure you complete a certain task before you start doing others.
Hope these helps.
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Vincent’s last blog post..The Power Of Creating Value
Oh, I am so guilty of this… I like the tip of redoing the to-do list. What I’ve recently started doing is slightly different, but much of the same idea. I have a daily to-do list of the top 2-3 things I really need to do, and then I have a lower priority non-day-specific to-do list with a “sometime this week maybe” kind of priority. The day doesn’t feel wasted just because some time has, because I’ll always manage my to-do list and maybe even cross some things off that really-not-as-important list.
Emma’s last blog post..One week electricity experiment
When I’m not getting things done, resetting is just what I need. Instead of creating a To-Do list, I create a “I Choose” list. This reminds me that I am choosing to do the things on my list and that life is about making choices.
Stacey / Create a Balance’s last blog post..Hungry for Balance Online Retreat
Each workweek (yes, I work for myself but don’t do any work weekends), I allow myself one morning off. That means if I’m reaching that meltdown, I take a morning to do nothing, watch TV, whatever.
I also track my progress towards my goals using Get Clients Now. I don’t expect myself to get everything done each day, but as long as each week each task moves forward contributing to my goals then I’m a happy camper and I allow the mini-meltdowns (or friends visiting or the bf with a surprise day off work or whatever) to happen without getting stressed about it.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..How do you say goodbye?
Now this is good medicine Eric. If I learn nothing else today just the ideas of starting fresh with a brand new To-Do-List(poor trees)and ending the day with positive momentum leave me feeling full & refreshed. I think I’ll Retweet and go get some work done.
Peace
Vernon