How to Rescue an Unproductive Day

Every has experienced it. A day when nothing seems to get accomplished no matter how hard you try. No one will leave you alone. Your creativity gets tapped out. Everything seems to distract you. Whatever the reason, you being to go crazy over this unproductive day.

Chief Learning Office at the Dale Carnegie Institute understands this feeling all too well. He says, “People get caught up in the tyranny of urgent. Texting. People popping into our office. Phone ringing… cell phone ringing… personal stuff… it can all lead to some pretty bad work habits.”

These bad work habits that cultivate from this unproductiveness can lead to an overflowing inbox, easily guessable password, and other harmful things. Before you can begin pulling yourself out of the unproductively, you must acknowledge that your work habits and you personally are a huge part of the issue.

The key is to not put the enjoyable things over the important things. Procrastination has only gotten people into a deeper pit of sorrow. Crom mentions the dangers of procrastination, “It robs you of vitality. Almost numbs you. If you accomplish those important things, it generates more energy. Keeps you more positive. Your productivity goes up. In essence, we’re talking about creating a proper work environment for being productive.”

But, even that won’t keep us from occasionally hitting that wall that keeps us from moving forward productively. What to do then? Should you just throw in the towel for the day and head to the nearest bar? Not even!

Crom suggests that the weary worker take a bit of a break from the chaos. Go get some fresh air by taking a nice walk, drink a nice cold glass of water, call someone that can lift your spirits and encourage you to move forward, play a song or artists that inspires you to do great work. Everyone is different, so try different things until you find what works best for you. “I think you can always get things back under control. Even a half-hour break,” suggests Crom.