My Key to Productivity.

How I am able to get shit done on a daily basis.

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

We have all had days where we have not been productive. And, at the end of those days, you feel bad that you didn’t do anything during the day. You wake up past noon and feel like you lost your entire morning, sometimes you start a new series on Netflix, and before you know it, you watched an entire season in one day. Some days, you just feel burned out and can’t get yourself to work. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to get yourself to focus.

Having non-productive days sucks, and I think its worse when it goes from one day to one week. All of a sudden, you are in a rut where you cannot get yourself to do anything, and it takes a lot to finally get out of that rut.

For me, I’ve had plenty of these days. Where I couldn’t get out of bed and get to work. Especially as a student who works full-time, I can’t afford to have those days sometimes because before I know it, I’ve got a dozen assignments and quizzes that I have not even started preparing for yet.

So, I did something about it and found a way that I am able to be productive everyday without facing a burn out. Now, this does not necessarily mean that it is going to work for you, but I believe that sharing this idea, for some it might help, and for others, it might be a source of inspiration to find their key to productivity.

For me, I have a simple rule: Do at least one thing that makes me grow everyday.

After reading Atomic Habits, one of the principles that James Clear presents is that one way to build a new healthy habit is focusing on getting better 1% a day. Rather than trying to make a huge change immediately, growing 1% everyday is a much steadier and a long lasting approach.

So, even if I have days where I do not do anything that is related to school, I try and fill the void with something else.

Writing articles and improving my writing skills is something that I am always striving to get better at and grow, so I still consider it productive. I love reading, but I don’t always find the time, so when I am not in the mood to do school readings, I read a book that I actually enjoy and have been meaning to get around to.