Need A Boost? Strategies For Recharging Your Productivity

Like most people, I look forward to the arrival of the weekend as a chance to unwind, spend time with the family, and recharge my mind and body in preparation for the jump into a fresh work week.

There are times, though, where that continual push to maintain our productivity through the week takes its toll and we can find ourselves struggling to get out of neutral. This is something that happens to me at times and I know only too well how frustrating these moments can feel, especially when we see that large heap waiting for us in our “To-Do” basket. As such, I want to share some of the strategies I use to recharge my productivity batteries so I could complete my tasks for the week:

1. Review what you’ve completed so far

In the drive to maintain our level of productivity, it’s a good idea to take some time to review what we’ve completed up to that point. This will help in evaluating whether it’s really necessary to keep pushing to the max or whether we can afford to throttle down our efforts to give ourselves time to catch our breath. As marathon runners know, it’s not about running as fast as you can, it’s about managing a steady, brisk pace that will win the race.

2. Surround yourself with a support network

Let’s face it – we’re not robots and we’re not superheros either, so it’s only natural that there’ll be times where we’ll find ourselves staring out into a big hole of nothing, unable to get our mind or body moving again. And yet, it’s rare that we cut ourselves some slack for not being ‘always on’. That’s why it’s good to have a support group of people who can offer reassurance that we all have those moments of wading through the proverbial vat of molasses, if not reminding us how we’ll get through it and back on track.

3. Change your scenery

Sometimes all that’s needed to help kick-start things again is simply changing your setting – stopping by your colleague’s desk for a quick chat, going out for a walk, basically anything that will get you away from your work space and thinking about something else. On the surface, it might sound counter-intuitive to avoid the tasks you need to get done in an effort to be more productive. Then again, one can hardly say that staring at your computer screen for an hour trying to figure out what to do next can lead to better productivity. In these situations, you really have little to lose – and much to gain – by seeking out a change in your scenery to in order to get going again.

4. Give yourself a break

Remember, you’re only human and there will be moments where you just need to unplug and go off and play. Of course, there’s nothing wrong in doing that, especially if one considers how going off to play will not only boost energy levels, but it will also create a renewed vigour to take on the tasks you took a break from doing earlier.

5. Get enough rest

Yes, I know – we hear all too often how we need to get a good night’s rest, and yet, it’s still the one thing we all willingly sacrifice. Think of it this way – if machinery requires scheduled periods for “repair and maintenance”, it’s not hard to appreciate how vital it is for us to do the same as well.

6. Listen to your mind

When we face those times where we just can’t get that internal push to keep going, we need to recognize that it’s our brain and body basically telling us that it’s time to hit the “Pause” button and go do something else. I’m always impressed at how the act of simply listening to my brain telling me it’s time to stop and walk away to focus on something else inevitably leads to a flurry of solutions or ideas surfacing from which I can pick the best option.

In the end, we need to remember that we have two finite resources at our disposal – time and energy. And while there’s no way for us to replace the time we lose or waste, we can replenish our energy to keep moving forward. All that’s needed is for us to give ourselves the chance to simply recharge those batteries so we can dive back in to take on the challenges lying up ahead.

So what about you? What have you found works to help you kick-start your productivity again? I’m looking forward to hearing about your experiences.