If you feel like you’re constantly struggling against yourself to get work done, you’re not alone.
I used to feel that way often, especially when I started freelancing and working on my own business from home.
But something changed when I started thinking of productivity differently.
What if productivity is just about finding an easier way to do things – one where you don’t have to constantly struggle against yourself?
Think about this: When you were a toddler, you crawled to get around, until you eventually learned that walking is an easier way.
Now, it’s not easy at first! Think of how often a toddler falls when she’s learning to walk. You were the same way! But you kept getting up and trying again.
And now, you wouldn’t ever dream of going back to crawling to get around, right? You know that walking is the easier way.
Finding the right productivity system for you is like learning how to walk. It may seem harder than crawling at first, and there might be some failures and setbacks along the way, but eventually you’ll get to the point where you’re not fighting yourself to stay productive. You’ll know that it’s the easier way.
Today I’m sharing the top 7 things that can bog down our productivity.
Picture a toddler learning to walk, and imagine that she has a 15 pound weight attached to her hip. It’s going to make it harder to walk, right? Maybe eventually she can learn to walk with weights on her, sure. But while she’s learning, that will just make things more difficult!
If you compare walking with productivity and that imaginary weight to distractions, you’ll see why I’m such a big proponent of eliminating distractions as much as you can while you’re learning to be gently productive. It will just make it easier for you!
What’s bogging down your productivity? The top 7 things:
1. Your phone
Your phone is a constant distraction, even if you don’t think it is. The very fact that it could ping any moment, giving you an important (or not-so-important) notification is mentally distracting.
Plus, the ease of access to all sorts of information is also a potential distraction. The option of picking it up and googling the question on your mind, checking your friend’s Instagram page, or scrolling on TikTok will bog down your productivity.
Try turning off your phone, putting it in airplane mode, or keeping it in another room while you work.
Recommended Article: How to Resist the Craving to Pick Up Your Phone
2. Too many tabs on your phone or computer
This is something I’m 100% guilty of. I’m the queen of 20+ tabs open at once. But when I close the tabs I don’t need and try not to open new ones, it makes a huge difference in my ability to focus.
In my experience, those other open windows will tempt you to just check something else, real quick… and then you’ve broken the momentum of your productivity.
If you stick to only having one or two tabs open at once, you won’t give yourself the option of opening new tabs to get distracted by. Quick web searches, random articles, and checking your email, will be kept to a minimum.
3. There’s something nagging at your mind.
You know those thoughts that just kind of nag at your mind when you’re trying to work? Things like, “I can’t forget to make that cake for Suzie’s party tonight. I wonder if I have all the ingredients” or “I have so much to prepare before we go out of town this weekend.”
If there’s something nagging at your mind, that’s because it’s in your mind and not outside of it. Your brain is trying to remind you of something important that it’s worried you’ll forget. The solution is to write it down in a place where you’re sure you’ll look at it at the right time.
Here’s a simple example: The back of your mind is niggling at you because you’re worried you’ll forget to bring your friend’s borrowed book to her when you see her that evening. Solution: write down “bring book” on a Post-It note and stick it to the door, where you’ll see it before you leave. Your brain can now relax about that.
4. You’re not clear on what you should be doing.
The task you’re trying to work on may be too vague. Let’s say you’re tackling the project “Organize closet” but feel like you’re not getting anywhere. That project may be too generalized and vague to know where to start.
I recommend giving yourself a specific task with a clearly defined end goal. “Take out all of my shoes from the closet, select the 10 pairs I want to keep, then put them back in the closet” would be a much more specific and clear way to start the task.
5. Trying to do too many things at once
This is so tempting, but it will make your brain scattered and divide your creative and mental energy between different tasks.
Choose one task you’ll complete and don’t stop or switch tasks until it’s done.
6. Trying to make it perfect
I’ve learned that perfectionism is the enemy of productivity.
Set a goal of doing B+ level work on your current task. Seriously – set out to do a poor job. It will help you to get started, and if you really need to, you can go back and improve it later.
7. You’re tired, hungry, uncomfortable, or overwhelmed.
Trying to do effective work when you’re feeling negative emotions is no fun. (Again, it’s not impossible, but it’s a major weight that’s going to make it more difficult.)
If you find that you don’t think as clearly when you’re hungry or tired, take the extra time to make sure that you’re rested and fed. A 30-minute break to eat something or take a power nap can help you to be 10x more effective after you start working again.
If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try taking a short break and going on a walk, journaling what’s on your mind, or meditating. (Don’t scroll on your phone during this time–it will probably make you feel even more overwhelmed!)
Recommended article: The Coziest Productivity Tips (That You’ll Actually Want to Do)
Final Thoughts
Sometimes we make things so much harder on ourselves than we need to! If you feel like there’s something that’s bogging down your potential to be peacefully productive, I promise there’s an easier way. Make a plan to eliminate one of these “weights” and see how much higher you can soar.
Best of luck!
