Why It's So Difficult To Be Productive Everyday

The reason your productivity decreases over time

In your mind, you can make plans with great enthusiasm for your health, finances, or a project you want to launch.

But over time, you lose that motivation, and as a result, your productivity wanes. A conflict, an event, or just “life” itself interferes, causing you to slowly forget what you wanted to achieve a few months ago.

As a human being, you are constantly changing. And with those changes, your desires change as well. Due to everything that happens, both unpleasant and positive, you create plans and ideas that you eagerly want to accomplish.

There are various ways to make sure that you can be productive everyday.

1. Planning vs. Flexibility

If you want to make the most of your productivity every day, you might think that you need to schedule every task meticulously.

However, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s more important to determine what you want to accomplish and how much time you need for it.

If you don’t feel inspired to do something you have scheduled for a particular time, you’re more likely to get frustrated rather than give it the attention it deserves.

That’s why it’s beneficial to create a flexible plan.

Make a list for each day of what you want to accomplish, but don’t set specific times for each task. However, ensure that when you do something, you give it your entire focus and attention.

This approach allows you to have more freedom and, consequently, be more motivated in your work, creativity, and overall well-being.

This type of planning also prevents unconscious multitasking and attempting to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

2. Set Deadlines

“When you have a deadline, there is time pressure. Under time pressure, your critical voice no longer has a say.”

The drive to complete something becomes greater than merely focusing on quality. Quality naturally emerges when you start working. It is the fear of never being good enough that robs your productivity.

Without a future date, it becomes easy to neglect things. Getting a deadline “forces” you to give it your all and be productive everyday because you have made a commitment to yourself.

This timeframe can be one week, four months, or even a year. It depends on what you want to achieve.

If you find it unpleasant to stick to a deadline, it actually means you prefer staying in your comfort zone. Because what if you don’t meet that deadline?

You can easily overcome this fear by telling someone you know about your goals and when you want to have something completed—a sort of accountability.

3. Minimizing Distractions Is Not Easy

Almost everyone struggles with real focused work where you’re 100% engaged. When your motivation wanes, there are a few other things you can escape to.

“Distractions temporarily free you from the feeling that you have to perform when you lack the motivation.”

We often try to justify distractions by saying they contribute to our workflow, like making a coffee or watching educational videos on YouTube.

While these activities may have some benefits, they are often excuses to avoid confronting the fact that we’re not giving our all. Before you know it, your thoughts are completely elsewhere, and you’ve abandoned your work or studies.

Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is whether you’ve done what you set out to do.

How to Reduce these Distractions:

It’s actually quite simple because the key lies entirely with you. If you get distracted and, as a result, can’t get to what you want to do, you need to be stricter with yourself.

Ensure that you save all small tasks like groceries, coffee, or household chores for another moment. Alternatively, establish a set break time.
Turning off your phone prevents you from getting distracted by notifications.
Reward yourself with small things.

Motivation will be present when you start, but it may diminish as things get challenging.

You will always notice, whether it’s after three weeks or months, that your motivation has either grown or waned.

The key is to create a habit that becomes so ingrained in your system that you do it regardless of whether you feel motivated or not.

4. Forget About the Details – Forget about frustration

It’s often the smaller obstacles that are so frustrating that you may feel like giving up altogether. Focus your attention on another aspect of what you’re working on when you’re unsure.

Create a framework that provides clear context for what you’re doing. Since this approach can be applied to almost anything, it works incredibly well for maintaining motivation and discipline.

If you find yourself forcing your attention on a detail that just isn’t working out, it’s best to shift your focus to something else. Insights often come when we’re not hyper-focused on them.

5. Quality of sleep

It’s no secret that sufficient sleep affects nearly all aspects of your life. Think about your mood, social skills, and productivity.

It’s not just about getting enough sleep; it’s also about the quality of your sleep. When you sleep well, your mind and body have enough rest to provide you with the energy you need to be productive the next day.

If you wake up tired, it’s easier to let things slide that you had wanted to do.

How you can increase your quality of sleep for a better productivity:

Avoid screens one hour before going to sleep.
Find a sleep routine that fits your life.
Spend a few minutes meditating before or after sleep.
Wake up at a fixed time.

You can also sleep for too long, which can leave you feeling tired during the day.

“You often have a good night’s sleep if you fall asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed. This leads to more energy the next day and, therefore, increased productivity.”

6. Long-term productivity

If you want to achieve something, you prefer to have every day geared towards it. However, there is a pitfall here.

You can end up doing more than you can actually handle. Not that you immediately get a burnout, but rather that over time, the excessive pressure causes you to lose your motivation.

Example:

The biggest reason many people fail to lose weight is because they follow a diet that becomes unbearable over time. A balanced eating pattern that allows for gradual weight loss often works best.

Small steps are big steps.

The feeling that you have to make the most of every day is not wrong, but it’s the reason why you often end up disappointed in yourself because you set too high expectations.

If you make 1% progress every day, it is sustainable in the long run. But if you keep trying to reach a point where you lack sufficient knowledge or skills, there’s a high chance that you will quickly give up.

7. Fluctuating dopamine

You had a party. In the days and sometimes weeks following, you often feel lethargic. It takes a while before you’re back to your usual self.

That is because your body needs time to recover from the sleep deprivation and the amount of alcohol consumed.

During this time, you are often more sensitive to negative emotions, which affects your ability to focus 100%.

“Alcohol causes you to use more dopamine than usual, which needs to be replenished in the following days or sometimes weeks.”

It has a significant impact on your motivation to take action. Ideally, you would prefer to do nothing and feel lazy. If this lasts just a little too long, a lot of time is wasted that could have been spent productively…

What you can do: If you think you are experiencing this, it is good to reduce your alcohol consumption or abstain from drinking once in a while. That is entirely up to you and how you feel after a party.

Remind yourself of the goals you set. Make sure you drink enough water and establish a good sleep routine so you can quickly get back to your normal self. Instead of postponing it, it is best to get back to your intended resolutions as soon as possible.

8. Balancing mental and physical activities

Do you get energy from a workout, or do you prefer to spend a few hours on the couch after exercising? It is advisable to have a good balance between mental and physical activities every day.

Then determine for yourself whether you plan these activities before or after your productive day. Some people find them energizing, while others may feel tired from them.