Is it too ambitious to be productive on those ‘can’t even’ days? I mean, who invented those anyway? Getting stuff done during those moments when even a potato seems more active than you—now that’s a real challenge. I used to really struggle with procrastination and motivation, I mean I still do, depending on the day but I think overall I have gotten better… How? After extensive research (okay, a lot of googling) – I’ve gathered some life-changing lessons on surviving those ‘can’t even’ days and here I am, sharing it with you:
The 5-Minute Rule: The hardest part is getting started. 90% of the time, just the momentum of starting is enough to keep us going. Set up a timer for 5 minutes. Work on the task that you are avoiding. After 5 minutes, stop it, if you want.
Give yourself limited time to learn: If you want to grow – Learn and then apply it, you might fail and learn something new, OR you might succeed and learn something on the next level. If you want to procrastinate – Learn and learn and keep learning all you want. But at some point, this excessive learning would turn into delay. Theoretical knowledge is useless if not applied into practical life.
Motivation depends on action: Commonly, it is believed that one would act on something if they were motivated. People look for that Eureka moment. Reality is, we should start with small action, which would motivate us a little when we see results and that’s when we be inclined to do more actions. So, Actions >Motivations
Eat what you do not like, first: Do the hardest part of the task first. This way, you will be getting the weight off. Everything will seem so easy after that, in comparison.
Remove Digital Clutter: iPhone and internet can be a big distraction in getting things done. Put phones on airplane mode or put your phone somewhere physically away. Half the time, we lose precious time and energy just “scrolling for 5 mins.”
Don’t be afraid of Failure: Don’t try to do it all and don’t’ be a perfectionist. Confusing performance with self-worth will bring you no good. Start however you can, and then try to master it with time.
Acknowledge that it is ok not to know when we start: You are not sure what to do and feel overwhelmed. And it is Okay. Accept the confusion and know that it’s totally normal to feel scared when just starting out, especially if you’ve never done the task before. Create “Figure out Steps” or a “To Do List” or a “How to Solve Step 1 and then Step 2” list.
