We have all had bad weeks that don’t go to plan, where the work piles up and it feels like nothing is getting done.
You look at your mounting to-do list and feel like it will never be clear.
Unproductive weeks often have a way of seeping in to create a negative mindset, tempting us to just call it quits and try again next week.
But before you throw in the towel and give up on your to-do list completely, take heart in the fact that it’s never too late to turn an unproductive week around!
There are simple ways to lift your attitude and get on top of things again before the weekend hits. Here’s how:
How To Turn An Unproductive Week Around
Do One Quick Task You’ve Been Putting Off
When you are feeling frustrated and unproductive, it often comes down to being overwhelmed. Maybe you have too much to do or are facing some intimidating tasks that you aren’t quite sure how to tackle.
Often, all it takes to get over that hump of overwhelm is a burst of motivation.
One of the best ways to create motivation is by getting the dopamine kick of completing something! That little bit of momentum can spur you on to the next task on your list.
Keep it simple by choosing a relatively straightforward task from your list that you’ve been putting off. It could be something like replying to an email or organising files and folders on your computer.
Choose something that will take less than ten minutes to complete. Once you’ve done it, use that little psychological win as fuel to keep going.
Revise Your List
If it’s Wednesday afternoon and you are still staring at the list of jobs you made on Monday morning, it’s time to do a hard cull on those tasks!
Prioritise the jobs that are most important to get done before the weekend – the ones that will have the most impact on your business. Then, break those down into bite-sized pieces so that you have clarity on how to tackle them without feeling overwhelmed.
Any tasks that don’t make the cut can be recorded elsewhere and dealt with at a later date, or…
Delegate!
Is there any chance you are trying to do too many things and, as a result, are unable to achieve much of anything?
We thought so. This is a common affliction for many business owners! When you review your to-do list, look for jobs that you could delegate to other members of your team or outsource.
Delegate those jobs and fine-tune your to-do list so you can focus on what you need to do.
This has the added bonus of getting things ticked off the list without you actually having to do them yourself. Your experts can be working on the jobs you were struggling with while you focus on something where you can be productive.
Upgrade Your Focus
Unproductivity can hit when you are trying to do too many things at once or haven’t appropriately organised your time. Multi-tasking is the enemy of productivity.
So, kick it to the curb. Single-tasking is the new big thing!
Instead, of trying to do six jobs at once, you should be batching similar jobs together, eliminating distractions, scheduling your day appropriately, and being firm with yourself (and others) about your commitment to that schedule.
Take A Constructive Break
Taking a break may feel counterintuitive to getting stuff done. But science shows that regular breaks help improve productivity and focus.
If you are really struggling to make progress, take a constructive break from your work. We don’t mean sit at your desk and scroll through social media, or end up binge-watching Netflix.
Go for a brisk half-hour walk around the block, meditate to calm your mind, have a massage… whatever it takes to clear the cobwebs out. Then, head back to work with a clear head and turn that week around!
Feel like you are having too many unproductive weeks lately? You can turn that around by outsourcing the tasks that are bogging you down.
Get in touch with the team here at Admin Army and we will take those tasks off your hand. Then, you can focus on what you do best and be incredibly productive when doing it!
Know you need to delegate, but not sure which tasks to start with?