Stop Being Productive

There are a lot of productivity bloggers and podcasters out there. And we're all looking for ways to get better, faster, and create higher quality products. That's pretty obvious when you read our articles.

But if you were able to see my side of the screen you would see my daily fight to be productive. I want to waste a day on YouTube every day. I could do that. I would hate myself for it, but I want to do it anyway. It's a struggle that I think we all fight at some level.

I review my weekly goals every morning. That's what matters to me. I want to get my work done so I can spend more time with my family. And I want to spend time on projects that I find important. That single step is easily the most vital component to a productive day for me.

I can do that routine day after day and I will do it day after day. It's the only way I have a chance of accomplishing anything. And if I'm honest and open with you, I would admit that there are many days I fail.

I have days when I'm doing good to get through my email. I have no idea why, but I really don't want to do anything that's on my lists. I have deadlines coming but I'm doing research for a project that I won't even consider starting for another year. I'm great at procrastiworking.

But stop

Here's the thing. We can all find ways to do work in transitional times and maximize every minute of every day in our calendars. But, I'm tired. I just want to blow some time on Twitter. Is that okay?

I think that's perfectly fine. I do it. I don't recommend doing it a lot and I try to limit the amount of time I blow, but I think it's important to stop being productive once in a while. Or maybe it's best to stop being productive multiple times a week or day. It just depends on what you've been doing, how tired you are, and how much you have coming up.

I've been working really long hours trying to get my book finished. It's tiring and at the end of each day I struggle to think straight. When the girls go down for bed I blow a little time reading articles or cruising Twitter-land. I'm unable to do any work at that time. I don't even want to look at my lists. I just need to stop.

And do what?

When you stop, don't always blow it on YouTube. The number one way I stop is by playing with my girls. They need me more than I need to catch up on Instagram. I try to stop for a while after work every day. I don't check my lists and I do my best to set my phone down. I've been on the computer all day and I have a cycle of catching up on inboxes every 30 minutes or so. When I've done that all day my brain expects me to continue feeding it with new things whether I'm working or not. It doesn't care that I need a break.

But I do care. I don't want to continue feeding that addiction. It's hard, but sometimes it's best to just stop being productive.