No matter how much I plan, I still go through a phase where I just have zero motivation to do anything at all. I find myself wasting my day away. I know what I’m supposed to do, but I can’t find any energy to do it.
I used to wait it out until I get tired of being unproductive. However, that isn’t always possible. Especially being adult and having people depend on me. I have to find a way to get around whenever I’m in that state.
I have developed a checklist I follow that helps me back on track.
Getting back on track checklist
- Sort out finances
- This is one of the easiest thing to do because it’s a clear goal. Check bank accounts, credit cards, and cash. Having a clear idea where I stand financially takes a lot of anxiety out of my mind.
- Brain dump – Write down all that’s on top of your head. I don’t have to do it, it just needs acknowledgement that it’s there. Writing forces me to make sense things that’s running on my mind.
- Things I need to do, want to do, don’t want to do
- Things I’m trying to avoid thinking about
- Exercise – Walk, run, push up, pull up
- I don’t even have to finish a whole routine. The only goal here is to have my heart beating fast. There are cases where the body dictates what the mind should feel. When my heart is beating too fast due to exercise, my mind thinks I’m excited and it changes my mood altogether from low-energy to excited.
- Eat right food
- Unbalanced diet affects mood and how you think too. Mind and body works hand-in-hand. If I lack a critical nutrient, or eat too much junk, I will feel off.
- Disconnect
- We have become such experts at being always in touch, informed, connected. Now we must relearn how to be silent, disconnected, alone. – Alain de Botton
- Food for the body is like information for the mind. If I constantly consume anxiety-inducing news, my body can’t helped but feel anxious.
- Pay attention to what I pay attention to.
- Optimize on output