4 Tips for Maintaining Productivity After a Long Day
After a long day of classes, I often find myself so drained of energy that all I want to do is crawl into my bed and pass out. I’m not going to lie, I still fall victim to the urge to do absolutely nothing. In fact, on most days, I start with an okay amount of productivity, which peaks around noon, then falls to near zero after dismissal. This lack of energy and motivation serves as a major barrier to completing the demanding tasks thrown at us. So how are we supposed to accomplish everything? Here are 4 ways you can stay productive when you’re tired:
At this point, doing more work might seem like the last thing you want to do. Because of this, you should first aim to increase your energy and improve your productive potential. You could try:
Eating a snack. Try to avoid junk food and opt for healthier snacks, such as a sandwich, a smoothie, or some fruit or vegetables. I often eat corn with cheese (I’m not actually sure if this is healthy but corn’s a vegetable, so).
Taking a nap. Napping requires quite a lot of self-discipline because you don’t want to oversleep and end up with less time to do your work. It also depends on the type of person you are as some people become energized by sleeping while others only become more drowsy. I normally sleep in the car on the way home from school, but sometimes I’m so exhausted that I need an extra 30 minutes of sleep.
Taking a shower to relax your body and mind. Right after I get home from school, I usually take a hot shower as it releases tension, but other people prefer to take a cold one to make them more alert. Afterwards, put on some fresh, comfortable clothes and get to work!
Set small, realistic goals for the day
Nobody likes looking at an overwhelming to-do list especially when they have almost no motivation to do them. Instead of demanding too much of yourself, the first step to completing your tasks is to think, “How hard am I capable of working?” Here are some things you could consider:
How many things you can do for the day. Do you think you’ll be able to finish three worksheets and study for the test tomorrow? Or would it be wiser to only study for the test and complete the worksheets the next morning?
How much time you can spend studying or working. Can you sustain your attention for an hour? Or would you lose focus after 20 minutes and require a short break? What time do you plan on sleeping? I usually study and do homework for two hours straight, but if I’m especially tired, I would use the 25 to 5 pomodoro method.
Set a quit time, a time when you stop doing work, stop being busy, and rest. Your brain will think that it’s working towards a sort of reward and as a result, you become more productive. My ‘quit time’ varies with the amount of workload I have for that day, but it’s usually around 15 to 30 minutes before I go to sleep.
Based on these three things, you should be able to create a rough schedule of your evening. As your evening becomes more organized and adjusted to your mental/physical state, you’ll be able to be as productive as possible.
Alright, here’s something a lot of people are still confused about. Should I punish myself for not completing tasks, or reward myself after completing them? In most cases, it depends on the type of person you are, but I think after a tiring day, you wouldn’t want to risk harming your mental and physical health even more. I would choose to reward myself, but be mindful not to overdo it, e.g. choosing to read a chapter of a book could result in reading for an hour and falling behind on tasks. I’d suggest doing something that takes a short amount of time, or can be broken up into smaller chunks (i.e. no TV episodes unless you have a lot of spare time after you’ve finished everything).
Pay attention to your internal dialogue
This is something I’ve only found out recently but helps a lot. The way we talk to ourselves, be it out loud or in our heads, impacts our outlook and attitude. If we speak negatively to ourselves, we won’t get anything done because we view our tasks as chores. Therefore, we should always aim to manipulate the negative thoughts into more positive ones so that we may have a more enthusiastic outlook towards the things we have to do. Instead of preparing yourself for hell, tell yourself that this work will get you to heaven (does that make sense?).
Being productive is hard enough, but even more so when you have no energy. Hopefully these techniques will help you stay on top of all of your work even when you’re feeling down. If you have any other amazing tips for staying productive, feel free to add them!
Additional links I’ve found to be helpful:
How to stop being lazy and get productive by Jenny Mustard
5 productivity tips for lazy people by Huffington Post
5 ways to get energized and motivated when you feel lazy by Tiny Buddha
7 ways to be more productive when you’re feeling lazy by Business Insider
How to be productive when you’re not feeling motivated by Abby Lawson
3 essential tips for staying productive after a long day by The Cosmic Road
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