Assess Your Impact on the Future to Make You Feel More Productive
Even if you’ve spent all day working out your butt, you can relax feeling like you’ve done nothing, especially if you still have something to do. Instead of looking at what’s left on your list, think about how much easier you have made tomorrow.
As the Musa site’s advice points out, often how we feel about our productivity has little to do with how productive we actually have been. If you end the day feeling like you’ve done nothing – even if you did – it will demoralize you the next day. Helping yourself feel productive is an important part of being productive.
One of the key ways to improve your attitude towards your work is to understand how much you have influenced your own future. Maybe you did a bunch of seemingly unimportant things today, but if you have all day tomorrow to work on a large project, then you still achieved something:
Looking back on both Monday and Tuesday, I would not say, “Monday was more productive because I did more.” I would say, “Monday was productive because I cleared my schedule for Tuesday. And Tuesday was productive because I took my time and wrote an article that I’m really proud of. “
It’s such a little thinking switch, but it all matters to me when I leave the office every day. I feel good about collapsing on the couch and watching TV because today, tomorrow and the next day will be productive. Just.
Your workflow is more closely tied to the days around it than you might think. Today’s procrastination complicates tomorrow, and you can easily get stuck in a cycle of constant lag. Every day that you complete your secondary tasks, you are setting your future for a productive one. Even if it seems like you’re not going anywhere.
How to Feel More Productive Every Day Without Doing Extra Work | Muse