{"id":907,"date":"2009-07-13T08:38:27","date_gmt":"2009-07-13T16:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/how-to-turn-around-unproductive-day\/"},"modified":"2013-08-20T12:13:45","modified_gmt":"2013-08-20T20:13:45","slug":"how-to-turn-around-unproductive-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-turn-around-unproductive-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Around an Unproductive Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artwork courtesy of Amy Buchheit<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Some days, you wake up early, storm through tons of work before lunch, and come to the evening feeling as though you\u2019ve accomplished a lot. For many of us, though, those days are the exception rather than a rule. Perhaps you\u2019re reading this in the middle of a rather unproductive day. Maybe you woke up late, spent time procrastinating, had to deal with a dozen \u201curgent\u201d little tasks, or simple got interrupted every five minutes.<\/p>\n

If it feels like your day is slipping through your fingers, here\u2019s how to turn things around and make that unproductive day into a fulfilling one:
\n
\nStop and Take Stock<\/strong><\/p>\n

So often, we end up in \u201creaction mode\u201d, responding in a knee-jerk way to things as they come up. This is generally an ineffective way to work: you often end up dealing with fairly low-priority tasks simply because they\u2019re the ones which present themselves.<\/p>\n

When your day\u2019s running away from you, take just five minutes to completely stop<\/em>. Close your email program and your browser, or simply switch off your computer monitor. Think about what you want to accomplish today. Are you on track? If not, what\u2019s gone wrong \u2013 and how can you pull things back into line?<\/p>\n

Pick One Important Project or Task<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you take stock of your unproductive day so far, work out one important project or task that you want to get done<\/em>, something that will give your day a sense of meaning and purpose. Perhaps it\u2019s something you\u2019ve been putting off, like writing an important letter or email. Maybe it\u2019s the first step in a new course of action, like signing up for a course or seminar. It could be something that will take you further towards an important goal \u2013 perhaps getting your business\u2019s website online.<\/p>\n

Spend An Hour Focusing On This<\/strong><\/p>\n

A whole hour of focused attention is long enough to make meaningful progress. Let everything else slide for an hour<\/em>, and spend that time concentrating on your one important thing. Your emails, and phone calls can wait until that hour\u2019s up. It might help to set a timer. If your task involves writing, try using a full-screen program like Dark Room<\/a>. Shut down your email \u2013 or even disconnect your computer from the internet if it helps.<\/p>\n

Eliminate As Many Distractions As Possible<\/strong><\/p>\n

You might have to struggle to find just one hour to devote to something truly important. To keep your day on productive lines, eliminate the distractions that are sapping your focus<\/em>. That might mean that you close your email and leave it closed until it\u2019s nearly the end of your working day. Perhaps you\u2019ll let your phone go to voicemail. Let your colleagues know you\u2019d appreciate only being interrupted in a real emergency \u2013 or if you work from home, explain to your family that you could really use some uninterrupted time.
\n
\nChallenge Yourself to Be Productive<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some unproductive days aren\u2019t simply caused by us succumbing to distractions \u2013 they\u2019re partially influenced by external events. Maybe you have several meetings scheduled, a lot of family duties, or various chores to run. Challenge yourself to squeeze in as much productive work as you can<\/em>: perhaps you\u2019ll jot down some notes while waiting in line at the post office, or maybe you can blitz through some emails with your toddler on your lap. If you have routine chores to do around the house, listen to audio books or podcasts during them \u2013 it\u2019s a great way to fit some learning into your day.<\/p>\n

Review Your Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019ve had an unproductive day, don\u2019t waste time and energy feeling guilty about it. See it instead as an opportunity to learn about the conditions in which you work best. Spend ten minutes reviewing how your day went, asking questions like:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Where did things start going wrong? (eg. \u201cI woke up late\u201d, \u201cI checked my email first thing\u201d)
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What distractions did I succumb to?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What could I have done differently?
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What helped me to focus?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with making mistakes \u2013 they\u2019re great learning opportunities, and chances to eliminate methods of working that aren\u2019t helpful to you.<\/p>\n

Do you find that you regularly have unproductive days? How do you turn things around?
\n
\nWant Personalized Productivity Tips? Click Here!<\/a>
\n\"\"
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Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How To Become a Highly Productive Night Owl <\/a><\/p>\n

How To Stay Productive When You Make Your Own Schedule <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artwork courtesy of Amy Buchheit Some days, you wake up early, storm through tons of work before lunch, and come to the evening feeling as though you\u2019ve accomplished a lot. For many of us, though, those days are the exception … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":12776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[9,30,21,6,31,39],"tags":[1135,3164,1691,3163,3162],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Turn Around an Unproductive Day - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some days, you wake up early, storm through tons of work before lunch, and come to the evening feeling as though you\u2019ve accomplished a lot. 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