5 Methods to Stay Productive in Times of Low Pressure
There are times when we are stressed out - we don’t know what to do, because there are hundreds of things to do. Being stressed reduces our cognitive ability and our productivity makes us a nosedive.
If there is no pressure, this can be equally destructive to our productivity. Fortunately, there are methods to boost your motivation in such times.
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| Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash |
(1) Plan ahead
Struggling to start tasks?
You might be in ”planning mode” instead of ”working mode.”
Planning with self-imposed deadlines helps. It ensures future work is seamless and efficient, but make sure your plans are actionable.
(2) Timeboxing
Timeboxing is a technique where you set a fixed time for tasks to boost productivity and focus. It …
- helps to prioritize tasks
- creates urgency
- separates planning from doing.
However, it is important to leave some flexibility for unexpected changes. Otherwise, you might not be able to catch up with your task once reality’s chaos unfolds.
(3) Someday-maybe list
If you lack pressure to start big tasks, check your “someday-maybe” list (cf. Getting Things Done methodology).
(4) Just start working
Ever faced a task that seemed impossible to start?
We all have.
It often takes energy to overcome that initial mental barrier, but once you start, motivation kicks in.
A trick you can apply is the 5-minute rule: just do the task for 5 minutes and if you don’t feel like doing it, stop after the 5 minutes. However, more than 80 % of the time you won’t stop working!
(5) Ideal week
I started to apply the “ideal week” methodology in January this year by allocating time to the categories of sleep, work, and family in a spreadsheet. I divided my workday by energy levels for deep and shallow work.
Although I might never have such a perfect week, it serves as a practical guide to identifying the best times for tasks, helping boost motivation when needed.