Being Productive When I Don't Feel Good
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Sometimes it's pretty hard not to get down on myself for not being as productive as I think I should be able to be, especially if it's because I just don't feel up to it. Then of course if I do get down on myself, I feel even worse, and it's even harder to be productive.
I often feel like I should be able to just ignore how I feel and power through and get something done, but, especially if what I'm trying to do is novel, difficult, or creative, the results of that are never satisfactory.
It's a kind of weird and foreign idea to the sphere of 'productivity', but after reading some of Marc Carson's perspectives on the idea, I'm starting to put more conscious effort into analyzing the 'why' I don't feel up to something, instead of just echoing a lifetime of thinking I'm lazy and not good enough to do the thing. There's always reasons for everything.
So if I don't feel up to diving back into my research on database management systems after a question I asked on Stack Overflow got a negative response, why is that? If I'm more sensitive than I think I should be to a criticism, why is that?
Did I not get enough sleep? Has my diet been bad lately? Do I need more probiotics? Better exercise? Even, gasp, a higher quality social interaction?
Ignoring both the issue and the goal isn't going to solve anything. Losing myself in a fantasy novel or a video game may make me feel better temporarily, but will not improve the overall outcome of my project if I do it as a form of avoidance. (Doing it deliberately as a relaxation, de-stress, mood improvement is a different thing.)
I don't have an easy answer to the question today, but at least I'm asking it. I think I may have overdone the research deep dive a little bit for the past few days. And I think I need to get out of the house (and away from the family I've been cooped up with) more. A little difficult in the era of coronavirus. I'd sure love to take a walk someplace, have a nice dinner and a drink or two by myself, and walk home, but...that hasn't been an option with everything closed. Even as places open up, it's debatable how wise it is, although there are a few local spots with outdoor seating...
Not feeling super in depth today, but wanted to share some of the challenges I'm dealing with, and how I'm trying to address them.