Welcome back to The Productive Life with Megan Minns and this episode we are
talking about seven ways to be productive when you're tired.
Welcome to The Productive Life podcast hosted by me, Megan Minns.
This is the podcast for entrepreneurs who want to be more productive in their
business and their personal life. Because as a business owner,
your business and personal life are connected and we can't talk about one
without talking about the other. Each week you'll learn about productivity,
organization, personal development, self care, business strategies and more.
And now, let's get started.
I'm recording this episode from my office in Houston, Texas.
Maybe one day I'll record an episode in a more exciting place,
but for now they've all been happening in our home,
in my home office and it's in the evening. It's not dark yet,
thanks to daylight savings, but it is still in the evening.
I have my glass of red wine that I'm sipping on and I have been tired lately.
So I am just so excited to be talking to you about how to be productive when
you're tired because this has been something I am personally doing.
And living today and yesterday.
So it comes at a perfect time where I knew I just wanted to share this with you
guys because real life, we all get tired. So like I said,
I have been a little bit more tired than usual.
I feel like last week I was very high energy pretty consistently.
And then yesterday I didn't get enough sleep the night before.
Today has been a little bit better, but I just got so tired so early in the day.
So I have definitely been trying to find that balance of being productive while
still not pushing myself.
I have learned firsthand from burnout so many times that you just really can't
push yourself the same way when you're tired,
at least not consistently or you'll burn out or get sick or something.
So it's really important to make adjustments and shift your expectations on days
where you're lower energy and kind of honor that about yourself and your body.
But still sometimes we just have to get work done.
So these are the seven things that I do to still be productive,
even on days when I'm really tired and maybe just not feeling it and all I want
to do is like lay on the couch and snuggle.
Step number one is to get into focus mode.
So this is kind of a productivity tip that I do no matter whether I'm high
energy or low energy,
but I find it as the most important when I am tired or easily distracted.
So in focus mode, that means your headphones are on,
you've got some kind of music that makes it easy for you to work. For me,
it needs to be a playlist specifically geared towards working so there's no
words, otherwise I'll just dance around and get distracted.
My favorite is Brain FM.
Brain [dot] FM is their actual website and they have an iPhone app,
but Spotify has great playlists and there's tons of other apps out there that
have a great music for working.
The other part about focus mode is to close any and all applications,
browser windows, tabs,
all that good stuff that don't need for the work you're doing. Close it.
That may include social media, most likely, and going into do not disturb mode.
So making sure your phone is on silent,
turning off notifications on your computer, turning off notifications,
even from any apps you're in.
So a lot of project management apps nowadays have a quiet word focus mode,
so maybe you can go into that so you don't get notifications from clients or
team members. And really we just want to create a little space for you to just,
when you're working, you're getting stuff done, you're not distracted.
And that is what I call focus mode.
So step number one, getting anything done, especially when you're tired,
you've got to be in focus mode.
Step number two is to have a drink that you like. That might sound so silly,
but I find that when I,
am just not feeling it a good cup of coffee or tea or wine or a soda or whatever
floats your boat,
having something besides just water makes the whole thing feel way more
enjoyable.
So step number two,
it's high up on this list is to make sure you have a drink with you that you
like. That feels fun and special and like it's going to make you feel cozy and be
like, oh, that's a word I might say a few times here. To me when I'm tired,
I just want to feel cozy and if I'm comfortable and cozy I can still get work
done.
Step number three is, ironically, exactly that same word, is to get cozy.
That's what I wrote down. And it is whatever that means to you.
Whatever cozy or comfortable is you. For me, it's sitting on the couch, probably,
when I'm tired. I, I really just, I can't get anything done sitting at my desk.
So I like to go sit on the couch. I have a blanket,
I want to wear comfortable clothes, so maybe leggings,
and my favorite sweatshirt or just something super comfortable.
So whatever that means to you, get cozy, sit in your favorite place,
maybe it feels a little indulgent.
That's kind of one of my secret tricks to this, also.
When I am tired but have to work is how can I just feel a little indulgent?
So sometimes I'll work from bed,
so you have to make sure you're not going to fall asleep, you know,
be propped up and a lot of pillows, lights on, all that good stuff.
But if you work from home and you can,
try to work somewhere a little bit more indulgent and comfortable and be sure to
be dressed comfortable and have a comfortable environment.
Step four is to create your "must do" list and then prioritize those.
I know a lot of people talk about a top three. I am pro having a top three list,
but sometimes on days you just have more than three things you have to do.
But we really still can prioritize them from your list of 20 that you might have
in your project management system or in your bullet journal or your planner.
So look at your list, look at your task list and get really honest with yourself.
What are the things you have to do? And maybe, you know,
maybe you just don't need to answer emails that day. Maybe you do,
but you probably don't.
So are there things that maybe were on your list that you can kind of just push
off to tomorrow? So go ahead and do that.
Bump off what you can make the list of things that actually have to get done
today. There's deadlines, people are relying on you,
you can't bump them and then prioritize those through however many there are.
So now we know what you have to do today and we have a prioritized list of those
tasks. So number five is to use the Pomodoro Technique and take breaks.
I actually have a whole YouTube video on how to use the Pomodoro Technique that
I will link to below this podcast if you've never heard of it,
but at a high level,
the Pomodoro Technique is a time management strategy that allows you to get more
work done in less time. Isn't that the dream? Isn't that the dream come true?
I find that when I'm tired in particular and you know you're just sitting there,
you're looking at your to do list that we just prioritized,
and it may not even have that much stuff on it, but you're just like, wow,
I really don't want to do any of this,
and it just feels like the hardest part is getting started.
I have found that the Pomodoro tTchnique is how to really easily overcome that.
You just set a timer for 25 minutes and you just start.
You just do it and it's so much easier to be like, okay,
well I'm just going to work for 25 minutes since I'm in do not disturb mode
since I'm in focus mode like we talked about.
I'm not going to get distracted during those 25 minutes and I'm just going to
knock out what I can, so do that.
Step number five is doing the pomodoro technique. Again, if you don't,
if you want to know more about what that really means,
be sure to check out that YouTube video and actually have a blog post that
accompanies it as well. With more instructions.
So definitely check that out if you need more info,
but if you're familiar with it, then just use it.
Step number six is to just knock out as much of that work as you can without
getting stressed out.
So I don't know about you,
but sometimes when I'm just tired and there's so much to do,
I just kind of like get in this really negative emotional cycle where I just
like spend more time frustrated that I have to work when I don't want to.
And that's fine. I'm not saying ignore your emotions,
but they're not helpful for you in this instance.
So try to identify when you're getting kind of worked up into that stressful or
frustrated state (state of mind). Identify it,
pause, take a deep breath,
and then do something to chill out. So maybe just doing a little meditation,
doing a breathing exercise. Maybe you just,
you need to go stand in the fresh air or get a new refill on your drink or
stretch or my favorite,
put on some Stevie Nicks and dance around for a few minutes.
Whatever you need to do.
But don't just sit there in a state of stress when you're already tired.
It's really just going to prolong how much longer you have to work before you
can rest. So it's not productive and it's just really gonna make you feel worse.
So when you are feeling stressed, just identify what's going on.
Pause, breathe and do something to chill out so that you can come back and not be
stressed out.
Step number seven is to look at that prioritized list of must do tasks and just
cross them off one by one as you get through them.
Steps one through six are really all about how to even get to this point where
you're working, where you don't feel as terrible working,
where it feels like a little bit more of an indulgent process.
But we're trying to be productive. We've got to get the stuff done.
So by the time you get one through six,
hopefully step seven feels much easier and there's less resistance than it did
before. And the key here is that once you get through that list of must do items,
stop what you're doing and go rest.
So especially if you work from home or you're an entrepreneur,
a small business owner, if you can,
stop what you're doing and go rest and don't even try to do anything else
productive the rest of the day. You did your must do items, you are done,
go chill out,
get a full night of sleep and hopefully you can feel better and more energized
tomorrow.
So that is what I have been doing the past few days while I have been tired.
It's exactly what I did today.
I was recording this so I hope all of these tips where it's helpful to you as
they were for me,
I do actually have a free download for you that if you are interested in having
a more strategic plan for your day,
whether it's a day that you're tired or a day that you're energized,
I would love for you to go ahead and download my free Ideal Day Planner.
It's going to work you through the process of creating your ideal day so that
you know exactly what you want to accomplish and tackle on an average day when
you're feeling good so that when you are having a more tired day you can make
little adjustments and still get the top priority stuff done.
So you can download that free Ideal Day Planner right now by clicking the link
below this podcast and you will get it straight to your inbox after you opt in.
So I hope you enjoy that free ideal day planner and I hope you enjoy these seven
ways to be more productive when you're tired.
If you find yourself using these tips when you're tired,
I would love to hear from you on social media.
My Instagram handle is Megan, m-e-g-a-n,
underscore Minns, m-i-n-n-s (@megan_minns).
And I will share your posts on Instagram stories if you tag me and that way I
can share with the world what we're all doing to be more productive when we're
tired. Thank you so much for listening.
I hope you have a more energized day tomorrow and I will see you in the next one.
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I'll see you in the next episode!