How to Be Productive Even When You're Tired
Everyone who is starting a business or juggling a full-time job with a side hustle probably knows the feeling of getting home after a long day and wanting nothing more than to just lay in bed while mindlessly watching HGTV. The LAST thing you want to do is be productive and work on your hustle. There are plenty of nights or weekends where I just don't feel the fire. Maybe I'm tired or maybe I'm stressed but some days, it is a struggle to get anything productive done. BUT, hustles wait for no one and most of the time, work needs to get done, emails need to be answered, and to-do's need to be checked off the list. So I've come up with a few strategies that help me to be productive even when I'm tired.
5 ways to be productive even when you're tired
Run it out
I've mentioned this before but I'll reiterate it here, working out in the morning can change the course of your whole day! If I know I'm not getting enough sleep the night before a day where I need to be really productive, I will purposefully sacrifice 45 minutes to an hour of sleep to get a workout in. That might sound counter-intuitive but I find that the extra hour of sleep doesn't leave me feeling more rested, but that hour at the gym always makes me feel more focused and prepared for the day ahead!
Coffee, coffee, coffee
A nice jolt of caffeine is always my first step to getting up and going or sitting down to focus on my work. I usually like a shot of espresso or cuban coffee and maybe a cup of normal coffee or, in dire circumstances I'll grab a Monster energy drink and really get things going.
Pump the jams
I like to turn upbeat music up pretty loud as I make and drink my coffee and get myself set up and situated to work. I find something with a really great beat (Despacito anyone?) helps to wake me up.
Stand UP
When I'm really struggling to get work done while I'm tired I like to work standing up. Just starting off my work while standing helps to keep me from getting drowsy. Oftentimes I'll sit once I've hit a good rhythm that I can ride to keep getting my hustle on but starting off standing helps to keep my energy levels up.
Check off your list
On the days that I'm struggling to execute, I like to re-write my to-do list and try to focus on completing one task at a time. Some people like to start with the hard stuff first but I actually like to start with the easy but somewhat creative tasks. This way, I'm not bored by dry administrative tasks BUT I am checking items off my to-do list at a pretty quick pace. This usually gets me into a good rhythm of work and focus that I can ride for a few hours at least.
Everyone is different when it comes to forcing yourself to focus on days that you're feeling tired and I hope my strategies and experiences help!
What do you do when you're feeling tired but still need to get work done?
