You know those moments of hopelessness when you can’t seem to get anything done and nothing goes your way and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel and your todo list just keeps growing instead of shrinking? Try some of these tips:
01: If you can’t seem to finish a task you are working on, break it up into smaller tasks – it will be easier to tackle.
02: Do one small and easy task first to get your self-confidence up.
03: Take a walk. At least walk around the office. Allegedly, you need 17 minutes of rest after 52 minutes of work to be in peek productivity mode.
04: Drink a glass of water. Your body, especially your brain, needs hydration. If you divide your weight in kilograms by 25, you will get the number of liters of water you need per day. Have you been hydrating properly?
05: Careful with caffeine though. Even green tea contains caffeine. Your body needs 8-14 hours to process it, so try to align the peak of your caffeine high with your prime time at work and stop drinking coffee 8 hours before going to bed.
06: Have you eaten in the last three hours? You might be hungry.
07: Ladies, don’t hate me for saying this, but are your hormones fluctuating at this moment? I speak from experience here: PMS can alter your perception of the world, and usually for the worse. Things might not be as bad as they seem.
08: Stressing about a tough decision? According to studies, humans can make 5-7 decisions a day, including what to wear in the morning! In the evening you are already drained, so set it aside for when you are rested, if at all possible.
09: If you are working from home, have you gotten dressed for work? Working in pj’s might seem comfy, but not having a difference between working place and living place is not good for your productivity, nor your optimism.
10: Have you talked to a living being lately? Humans are social animals, and being alone can make us feel generally negative. Give someone you love a call.
Bonus: Watching videos of cute baby animals for a couple of minutes will, according to some studies, boost your productivity. If nothing else, you’ll feel better! Why not give it a try?
If you have some tips to add to this list, please let me know, I would love to extend it with something useful!