10 Reasons why you are having an Unproductive Day

 

We all have unproductive days. But if you’re finding yourself with nothing but unproductive days then you may need to take a look at why. Here are 10 Reasons why you are having an unproductive day and how you can turn it around.

Let’s face it, being productive 100% of the time is just not possible. We are all human after all.

We are all going to get distracted from time to time and that is completely ok. You don’t need to be a working machine. But if you can’t seem to get out of an unproductive slump, then it may be time to take action and do something about it.

However, I feel it is important to remind you that you should take rest days. And you shouldn’t feel guilty about it!

In the age of social media it looks like everyone has their lives together, and everyone is able to keep on top of all their work and miraculously have time for a picture perfect life too.

This is not true.

Social media shows you less than 1% of a person’s life and I guarantee you they all have bad days and all feel unproductive at times too.

So don’t feel pressured into being perfect 100% of the time and please do not compare what your working day looks like to anyone else’s. That will only make you feel guilty for not accomplishing everything you want to all at once.

 

The Unproductive Spiral

 

Through many years of working on my productivity, I have noticed a very clear pattern, which I’m going to refer to as the “Unproductive Spiral”. Essentially, it is a cycle of behaviour that many of us fall into once we start feeling unproductive. This cycle is very hard to break, and as a result it is very hard to break out of and become productive again.

1. Feel unproductive
2. Don’t find out why or do anything about it
3. Don’t get a lot done
4. Feel guilty about it
5. Don’t feel like doing healthy habits
6. Don’t feel motivated
7.  Feel Unproductive

 

The key to beating this vicious spiral is to recognise it and break it, preferably before you get to far into it. Don’t worry if you have already gone through the whole spiral once or more, identifying and rectifying why you feel unproductive should still help you break out into a more productive mindset.

Here are 10 things that could be making you feel Unproductive and how to you can turn that around to Double your Productivity.

 

Not enough or too much sleep

 

Obviously, if you didn’t sleep very well last night, you are not going to be able to perform at your best today. Lack of sleep can make you feel lethargic, irritable and generally overwhelmed and unprepared. So it is a good bet that if you are not sleeping well, then you may be feeling quite unproductive at the moment.

A study from Havard took 7,480 adults and found that 23.2 percent of them presented with insomnia. It was estimated that these poor sleepers lost an astonishing 11.3 days of productivity. In fact, it is thought that poor sleep is causing 23-45 percent of the population to lose more than two work weeks every year in productivity.

On the other hand, sleeping too much could also be having a detrimental impact on your productivity. It is thought that sleeping for more than 10 hours per night on a regular basis can negatively impact your overall mental health. And when you are not doing well mentally, your productivity is sure to suffer.

The amount of sleep needed per night varies from person to person. Adults should generally aim for between 7-9 hours. I would recommend seeing what works best for you within this range.

If you are looking for ways to improve your sleep, you should look into How to Become a Morning Person as this has many great sleeping tips that you can implement into your life from today!

You don’t feel ready for the day

 

Sitting down to work straight after you have woken up is a recipe for disaster. Your brain needs time to wake up before it can properly focus. And even if you start to feel productive once you have fully woken up, the unproductive 30 minutes you just spent sat at your desk could push you into an unproductive slump for the rest of the day.

I am a firm believer in a solid morning routine. Although everyone’s morning routine will look different, it is important to give yourself some time at the start of the day just for yourself, so when you go to work, you feel fully prepared. I would personally prefer to delay work, or wake up earlier so that I can have a proper, relaxed morning routine as opposed to rush my morning just to sit at my desk and feel unmotivated and overwhelmed.

Because my workday changes from day to day, I often change my morning routine. No matter how it changes though, I always make sure to include these 3 non-negotiable steps, and I would encourage you to do the same.

1. Dress to impress– Even if you are working from home for the day, get dressed for work as normal and get out of your pyjamas. This will get you into a working mindset and out of any sleepy slump!
2. Eat Breakfast– Food is your fuel! To get the best out of your brain you have to make sure it is properly fuelled. Starting the day with a  a nutritious breakfast will set you up for the day and should prevent any snacking later in the day which could interrupt your work time.
3. Go Outside– No matter the weather, getting outside in the morning is sure to invigorate you for the day ahead. This is especially enhanced when it is sunny out as it will boost your mood and put you into a great mindset for the rest of the day.

No matter what your morning routine looks like, make sure that when you come to sit down to work, you feel fully prepared and mentally ready to face the day and crush your goals!

 

You don’t have a designated workspace

This mainly applies to those of you who work from home, whether that is for a company or for yourself.

You would be surprised by how much having a designated work space can seriously boost your productivity. If you have to work on your bed or on the sofa in the living room, then your brain does not automatically associate where you are with working.

For example, if you are working from your bed, then your brain assumes you are supposed to relax and sleep, instead of focus on work. This could mean that every time you go to work you will feel lethargic and unmotivated. This can also have the opposite affect, where once you go to bed to sleep, your brain is wide awake thinking it should be working. This will impact your sleep and once again damage your productivity.

It is therefore, very important to have space that is designed only for working in. To learn more about why a designated workspace is so important have a look at my top 14 Work from Home Essentials to Boost Productivity.

 

Too many distractions

 

Distractions are the quickest way to kill your productivity. There is no way you can get into the groove of working and start smashing your daily goals if you are being distracted by something every few minutes.

Unfortunately, it seems like modern life provides nothing but distractions. The biggest one being those pesky smartphones. I am certainly guilty of losing lots of work time to the endless scroll of social media. If you want to stay productive I would highly recommend setting some no-phone times during the day so you can actually focus on working.

You could leave your phone in another room, give it to a colleague or family member for safe keeping, or even buy a timed lockbox to keep yourself from being tempted.

Eliminating as many distractions as possible should significantly help your productivity and you may even be surprised by the amount of work you can accomplish in a day.

 

Forgot your “why?”

 

I have always believed that productivity goes hand in hand with motivation. If you are motivated then it is much easier to be productive. Conversely, if you are feeling very unmotivated, chances are you will not be feeling very productive either.

This is why it is so important to stay motivated when you want to accomplish something. If you have lost sight as to why you are working, then it may be hard to keep your spirits up and your productivity high.

One of the best ways I have found to stay motivated is remembering my “why?”. What made you start this job or business? Who are you doing this for? What are your goals?

If you have forgotten your “why?” you may be feeling unmotivated, unproductive and like your work has become monotonous or even pointless.

Make sure to regularly remind yourself why you are doing this and how great you will feel once it is accomplished.

 

Haven’t made a plan for the day

You can be extremely motivated for the day ahead, but if you sit down and don’t know what you should be doing, there is no way you can be productive. Having a plan is essential for productivity.

Start by creating a to-do list for the day. Then once you have that, you can break your tasks down and schedule each task in the most effective order. For example, I plan a really quick task first so that I can kick my day off with an easy win. I then plan in the tasks I dread most so that I am not tempted to procrastinate them for the rest of the day.

Find a schedule that works best for you so that you can ensure that you are working efficiently. Feeling organised and in control of your workload will work wonders for your daily productivity.

 

You have too much to do

 

Surprisingly, planning in too much can also make you feel unproductive. If you have a never-ending to-do list, you can easily become overwhelmed or even paralysed by your workload. This could result in you getting even less done and push you further into the Unproductive spiral.

Break your workload down into more manageable tasks, and if need be, start by planning in less tasks than you think you can fit in a day. You can always add tasks to your to-do list once you have finished everything for the day.

Overloading your to-do list could easily overwhelm you and discourage you from working, thinking that you will never get it all done anyway.

Of course you should always strive towards goals, but if pushing yourself further causes you to get less done, pulling your expectations back is the most productive thing you can do.

 

You don’t have any reward system

Now, I’m not saying you should give yourself a gold star sticker every time you do something good, but sometimes knowing there is a little after-work pick me up waiting for you can work wonders for your motivation.

Of course, your main motivation should be reaching your goals. But, sometimes, on a day to day basis it is hard to stay motivated when those goals could be months or even years into the future.

Having a small reward system in place can break the monotony of the day and give you that little boost of motivation you need to kick your productivity into gear.

I often reward myself with an episode of my favourite show after a good day of work. Whatever you choose as your reward, make sure it is something that can motivate you through the most tedious of days.

 

You don’t take enough breaks

 

Sitting at your desk for 8 hours may be seen as dedication. But if that translates into sitting at your desk staring at the wall for hours, well…

…that accomplishes nothing.

Breaks are an essential part of any work day, and without them, your productivity can dwindle rapidly into nothing.

Personally I often use the Pomodoro method. This is a time management technique where you work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break. You repeat this cycle 4 times and then take a longer break. I find this method helps me keep on track with work, without burning myself out or losing any momentum I have built through the day.

 

Fear of Failure

 

This is particularly a problem for perfectionists. If you fear failure or don’t believe you can do something well, then you may do everything you can to avoid even attempting it. Afterall, if you never try, then you can never fail… but as the much more widely known quote states: if you never try you’ll never know!

If you are subconsciously sabotaging yourself in this way, it may present itself as feeling unproductive.

To combat this, try writing a list of why completing this work is worrying you and what could happen when you do complete it. For example, if you start your own blog to make some extra money, the worst that could happen is you waste some time (but learn a lot along the way) and feel embarrassed for putting yourself out there and not succeeding. But the best-case scenario is you find your calling in life, you build a dedicated audience and you are able to quit your 9-5, work for yourself and create a dream life for you and your family.

My example may be a little extreme, but this is a great exercise no matter how big or small the scenario. In most cases, working towards something you are passionate about will always bring more positives than negatives.

 

 

I hope that by using this list to identify and rectify why you’re feeling unproductive, you can start towards a happier and more productive work week.

Let me know which of these reasons why you’re having an unproductive day affect you the most, and what changes you’re going to make today!

 

• 14 Work from Home Essentials to Boost Productivity
• How to Become a Morning Person and How it Changed my Life
• How to Stay Motivated when starting a New Business

 

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