Feeling unproductive & feeling bad about it?
Last week, I was feeling less productive and less efficient than I normally feel. I felt “meh”
There’s a part of me that was hoping that I feel differently.
I felt tired and lethargic even after 8 hours of sleep.
In the past, I would feel very bad about not feeling “upbeat” and would keep inquiring “what’s wrong with me?”
It would feed into a cycle of frustration and guilt.
“Why am I not as productive?”
I would then try to push myself even harder to “push through” it.
Sometimes, “pushing” through works. More often than not, it left me feeling so much more exhausted.
When it happened last week, I decided to be kind to myself and embraced the slump.
Today, I invite you to embrace that we all have different seasons and cycles in life.
We have different seasons in a month, in a week, or even in a day
There will be days I can show up with 120% energy and days I can only muster up 60% energy.
I am not a robot.
As much as I can try my best to lead a lifestyle that supports me to be energetic (eating well, working out, having enough sleep) – I am still not going to experience the same energy and mood every day.
So, I have learned to ride the waves of my energy.
There will be days when I feel like I am on top of the world and things happen with such flow and creativity. It feels so easy and everything takes up much lesser time. On these days, I allow myself to do more and reach out more.
There will be days when completing tasks feels like pushing a rock up the hill and feels more dreadful. On these days, I allow myself to be slower and have some time to myself. Instead of beating myself up, I am now choosing to accept and be kind to my body and my pace.
And it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy my work or my life.
I am just human, after all.
Expecting myself to show up at the same intensity, positivity and efficiency every single day is not realistic.
Expecting that is as though I am expecting the same weather outside my window every day.
You don’t have to beat yourself up on hard days. You don’t have to give up either.
You can accept that you are not at your peak that day and that’s okay.
You can still show up and take small actions. Even if it’s slow, it’s okay.
You don’t have to feel super motivated to do work every day.
Sometimes, momentum picks up and you may feel better by the end of the day.
Sometimes, the day is just “meh” and you feel better tomorrow.
One day or two days do not define you. The more you judge yourself and label yourself as being lazy or useless, the harder it is to bounce back.
When I am kinder to what I am going through, I often recover better and my flow comes back more easily.
Don’t ruminate and beat yourself up. Be kind to your ups and downs.
Today, I am not sharing tips to bounce back and feel better instantly.
Today, I am reminding you to accept that you are human with different emotions and that’s okay.
PS: If you are feeling consistently down and unproductive (>50% of the time), you may want to inquire further if you are making life and career choices that are aligned with your values. Just sticking it through will not make the situation better in this case. Reach out for support, I am here for you.
PPS: If you resonate with the article and find it helpful, please forward this to your friends and family. They can choose to subscribe to the upcoming newsletters here.
Love,
TJ
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