Healthy productivity guide
We are not robots. We are human, with human biology. Human bodies were not designed to sit at a desk for hours on end, staring at a screen. Nevertheless, we've been conditioned into judging our "worth" based on how much "output" we can churn out. I'm here to remind you that there's a way to approach productivity in a more balanced manner.
Your productivity is mostly based on the way you’re taking care of yourself. You can’t be the best version of yourself if you’re running on motivation or determination only. You need reliable self-care systems.
This goes double for my neurodivergent friends. We can’t rely on ourselves, we need external, hard rules, and most importantly, we need to set these systems up so that our mind aligns with what our body is feeling.
To be productive, you need to:
Sleep enough (7-9h per night. It’s hard sometimes especially if you get woken up by anxiety or other problems, but it’s a good goal to try to stick to)
Eat well (nutritious food AND enough calories to keep you energetic. Blueberries and bananas are my favorite evening snacks!!)
Drink enough water (coffee and tea are tasty but they’re not enough! Keep a water bottle at your side AT ALL TIMES. It’s life-changing honestly, you begin to realize how dehydrated you’ve always been)
Exercise (work within your limits, and start small, but don’t skip this one. This has been the biggest contributor to my mental and physical well-being by far. It’s contributing to your health, it’s a great way to de-stress, it boosts energy, your body releases happiness hormones, you feel accomplished, you sleep better, you become more confident... It’s literally win after win after win)
Take care of your mental health (whatever that means to you, for me it means writing things that bug me, trying not to get too emotional over things I can’t control, positive affirmations, listening to music, drawing, etc.)
Meet new people (I know it’s scary, I’m an introvert. BUT, meeting new people lets you learn from them, broaden your perspective on life, get inspired, and make friends! Search up local events on meetup.com, there are plenty of different ones for all kinds of people, both outgoing and not-so-outgoing)
This list is quite long but it’s necessary to do all of those things (in a balanced way that feels right for you) in order to become a well-rounded person.
Once you’ve made changes on different “fronts“, the positive effect compounds: your nutrition affects your energy level which boosts your ability to exercise which then impacts how well you sleep, and round and round we go.
Once you’ve created a healthy system to fall back on, productivity at work or in school only becomes one part of a larger image. Doing one thing in excess is not healthy or sustainable.
Take care of yourself lovelies ❤️