We all have off days. Days that make you think "what have I actually done today?". For many, Monday is a typical #offday. Whoever follows GaryVee thinks 'Own Your Monday' (He uses a different language, but we keep it PG-13). It sounds easy, if you prepare your Monday on Sunday, you can really be super productive. But sometimes days just don’t go the way you planned. A real "Off Day". We have them all, but how do you get over it mentally.
There are different options:
A) Go to bed early, as tomorrow is a new day. You can say tomorrow is a new day, but if you go to bed at 2 am and sleep for less than 5 hours, there is a pretty good chance the next day won’t as big of a succes.
B) Attack. Just start at 10 PM full of energy and finish some tasks in the middle of the night. Or just work out a whole concept in the process.
C) Accept the loss and procrastinate. This looks a lot like A, but with a few hours of uselessly streaming /swiping through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Steem or staring at YouTube videos.
These options do not seem to matter in short term, but in the long term they do. They determine your personality. How you deal with off days certainly contributes to your success in the long term. Here are some tips to help you recover after a bad day:
- Determine a plan of action based on what works for you. Are you an evening person and do you suddenly have the energy for an extra round at 10 PM, get started. If you are more productive in the morning and your eyes keep slipping shut, go to bed and start early in the morning.
- Focus is key, therefore eliminate all distractions. Being interrupted always affects your productivity.
- Find out for yourself why you are doing the things you do. And why certain tasks are more important for them to be completed. Motivate yourself with the goal in mind.
- Break up large tasks into smaller tasks. Sometimes the feeling of getting just a small task done helps to find motivation for the next one.
- Evaluate the positives of the day and continue with what works.
- But most importantly ... start ... either the same evening or the next morning. Start...
Start with the task that you want to take on. Start by completing what you want to finish first. Start solving a problem you have. And if you have to do something now instead of scrolling on Social Media and reading status updates. Put it away and start or continue what you should be doing.
I will be 35 in less than 229 days.
This is my #Road235.
Short disclaimer: On this photo I am 22, not 34 😉 ...