How to Stay Productive When Life Gets Messy
Life can get hectic, crazy, and/or messy at times. Things can spiral out of control, and chaos can rule the day. However, the world doesn’t stop spinning when your life gets messy. You still need to be able to perform at work. Bills still need to be paid. And, your house needs to stay in order. As much as we would like life to slow down while we deal with our crap, it does not. So, what can we do when life is messy and troublesome?
Make Work Fun
Here I go again, talking about making the boring tasks fun and gamifying your work. I may talk about this a lot, but it really helps. Making things fun will help keep you focused on them and not on your troubles. It is beneficial to have some fun both in terms of productivity and healing through a difficult time.
Delegate
If you are less than productive at the moment, delegate the tasks you seem unable to do right now. If you can, give some of the things that are tough for you to get done to someone else. It can help productivity while you deal with whatever is going on. Find some way to see tasks through, even if that means not doing it yourself. However, do not delegate too much.
Keep Your Calendar Full
Another way to keep your mind focused on what needs to get done is to keep your calendar full. Schedule meetings, body-doubling sessions, or whatever else you need to do to keep your mind off your troubles and on getting work done. Having a full calendar does not allow you alone time to sit and ruminate. It keeps your mind active. One of the worst things you can do is to sit alone in your office working on non-exciting work. The ADHD brain is attracted to whatever is most interesting to it, and for better or worse, our troubles are interesting to the brain. Make sure your work is more exciting to your brain than your troubles. Mundane tasks are going to be brutal. Find something else to help you stay on task. After work, engage in time with family and friends. Sitting alone with your thoughts will only make things worse.
Don’t Ignore the Problem
Am I saying you need to ignore the problem and stay busy? Not exactly. While you do want to be able to get stuff done, you do not want to ignore the problem and pretend it isn’t there. It is there and needs to be dealt with. Make sure you are taking care of yourself and allowing yourself to process what is going on in your life. If a breakup is getting in the way, make sure you mourn the relationship. If it is the death of a friend or family member, also mourn. If it is depression, make sure you are dealing with the depression and getting the help you need. Find the support you need to get through this difficult time. There is no magic switch to flip that will instantly make everything okay. Talk it through with a trusted friend or family member. Deal with what is going on in your life.
Externalize Your Thoughts
Process your emotions. Don’t let them spin around your head. That leads to all sorts of rumination and trouble. One way is to journal about what is going on. Take your thoughts and put them on paper, so you are not stuck with them. Another way to externalize your thoughts is to talk with someone about what is going on. This could be a therapist, a family member, or a trusted friend. Pick someone who cares about you and is a good listener, and process the situation with them.