Life-hack my emotions to make me more productive.
October 12, 2011 5:39 PM Subscribe
How can I learn to compartmentalize my feelings in order to focus and remain productive in times when I feel less than positive?
I've been going through a rough patch lately - nothing catastrophic has happened, but it seems like so many things have gone so amazingly meh or not-so-well that it's all just piled up on me. As a result, I just want to coast through life for a bit, licking my pseudo-wounds by taking time alone, watching TV, and doing whatever I feel I need to at the moment to feel insulated. That, however, is the absolute enemy of having a remotely productive life. Not only am I in a period where some projects are requiring my attention NOW or I risk big-time problems in my career, but I've been doing this for about a month now, which has allowed more problems to crop up - problems I could easily have avoided had I not been generally avoiding life for a little while.
Two friends of mine, who also don't have it terribly wonderful 100% of the time, have said that their secret to remaining productive in times of slump is that they compartmentalize - that is, they're able to trade stressing over something for total focus on something unrelated, and save that emotional problem for another time. They say this is something they grew up doing. I grew up on the other side of the coin - wallowing - so I'm not currently able to compartmentalize the way they do. But I'd like to - I can't always hide when things all seem to be going awry, nor can I always rely on having someone in my life to help buoy my feelings.
Can you help me, HiveMind? Tell me how to figure out focusing on a task at hand rather than letting the little things drag me down? Life-hack my emotions?
I've been going through a rough patch lately - nothing catastrophic has happened, but it seems like so many things have gone so amazingly meh or not-so-well that it's all just piled up on me. As a result, I just want to coast through life for a bit, licking my pseudo-wounds by taking time alone, watching TV, and doing whatever I feel I need to at the moment to feel insulated. That, however, is the absolute enemy of having a remotely productive life. Not only am I in a period where some projects are requiring my attention NOW or I risk big-time problems in my career, but I've been doing this for about a month now, which has allowed more problems to crop up - problems I could easily have avoided had I not been generally avoiding life for a little while.
Two friends of mine, who also don't have it terribly wonderful 100% of the time, have said that their secret to remaining productive in times of slump is that they compartmentalize - that is, they're able to trade stressing over something for total focus on something unrelated, and save that emotional problem for another time. They say this is something they grew up doing. I grew up on the other side of the coin - wallowing - so I'm not currently able to compartmentalize the way they do. But I'd like to - I can't always hide when things all seem to be going awry, nor can I always rely on having someone in my life to help buoy my feelings.
Can you help me, HiveMind? Tell me how to figure out focusing on a task at hand rather than letting the little things drag me down? Life-hack my emotions?
Bargain with yourself; if you can focus really hard for an hour and get some things accomplished, you get an hour of total goofing off.
But this, like anything else where you try to change or create a behavior, requires discipline.
It's going to be hard, but you have to push yourself and keep moving. You'd think that if you've relaxed a bit, you've recharged your batteries, but I've found the opposite to be true sometimes: the more I sit still and wallow, the more I sit still and wallow. The more I get up and get moving, the more I get up and get moving.
Hope that helps and you can get back on track soon.
posted by NoraCharles at 5:45 PM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
But this, like anything else where you try to change or create a behavior, requires discipline.
It's going to be hard, but you have to push yourself and keep moving. You'd think that if you've relaxed a bit, you've recharged your batteries, but I've found the opposite to be true sometimes: the more I sit still and wallow, the more I sit still and wallow. The more I get up and get moving, the more I get up and get moving.
Hope that helps and you can get back on track soon.
posted by NoraCharles at 5:45 PM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
As one whose done exactly what you want to do for many years I'd give much to feel any of the negative emotions you want to avoid.
posted by R2WeTwo at 5:58 PM on October 12, 2011
posted by R2WeTwo at 5:58 PM on October 12, 2011
if i am feeling sad or if i find myself in a rut, it helps to schedule or block off time to feel whatever it is i am feeling. if i know my week is going to be terribly busy, i might block off Saturday morning as designated 'laze about' time, and just let myself feel whatever it is i am feeling. it gives you something to work towards (you can think, "no time for wallowing now - will wallow on Saturday") and then you can do whatever you need to do during that time, guilt-free.
posted by gursky at 8:48 PM on October 12, 2011
posted by gursky at 8:48 PM on October 12, 2011
I usually say a prayer at the end of my day before going to bed. I'm agnostic so the prayer usually goes to the Universe. I say something like "Help me have faith in my situation." It helps a lot and I get through my day without wallowing in self-pity if things haven't been going my way.
posted by InterestedInKnowing at 3:12 AM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by InterestedInKnowing at 3:12 AM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Get a new habit that will compensate for the bad times. Try yoga, the gym (excersice does wonders to me), painting, etc.
try to enjoy doing every day things (baking a pie, writing a brilliant report, etc) the best you can, and enjoy them. Do them because you want to do them well, not because you have to.
Also, in desperate times, it helps to just pretend. Remember when you were a kid and you pretended you were a doctor/a teacher, etc? Do the same thing. Play -pretend you are an efficient worker and you'll end up being one. I'm not saying don't do your job, I''m saying pretend you're someone else who is awesome at their job. this strategy has helped me several times!
Good luck...
posted by Tarumba at 6:28 AM on October 13, 2011
try to enjoy doing every day things (baking a pie, writing a brilliant report, etc) the best you can, and enjoy them. Do them because you want to do them well, not because you have to.
Also, in desperate times, it helps to just pretend. Remember when you were a kid and you pretended you were a doctor/a teacher, etc? Do the same thing. Play -pretend you are an efficient worker and you'll end up being one. I'm not saying don't do your job, I''m saying pretend you're someone else who is awesome at their job. this strategy has helped me several times!
Good luck...
posted by Tarumba at 6:28 AM on October 13, 2011
For me, productivity is highly linked to how I'm *physically* feeling. However, I work one of those sit-at-a-desk-8-hours-and-think jobs, so it took me a long time to realize this link because I'm not usually terribly aware of my body or in touch with how it's feeling.
I bring this up because when I'm feeling emotionally bad or exhausted, 99% of the time I feel physically low as well. I'm guessing this might also be true for you, seeing as you want to be alone and watch TV--that sounds like emotional stress leading to a tired, achy, listless body and brain.
If that's the case, I'd suggest systematically noting how you're physically feeling through the day. Maybe every 2 hours, note down in a spreadsheet a score of 1-10 that ranks how energetic and good you feel. Then start paying attention to the common factors (time of day, how recently you've eaten, what type of food you've eaten) that predict physically feeling energetic and rested. For me, I've found that during slump periods I have to be extra careful to eat protein-heavy breakfasts and lunches, work out in the morning before going to work (even just a 30-minute walk or yoga video), and go easy or eliminate drinking at night so I get better sleep. If I don't do this, I wake up feeling tired and dragging and get to the office and get nothing done all day, which just kind of compounds the stress and tiredness.
posted by iminurmefi at 10:13 AM on October 13, 2011
I bring this up because when I'm feeling emotionally bad or exhausted, 99% of the time I feel physically low as well. I'm guessing this might also be true for you, seeing as you want to be alone and watch TV--that sounds like emotional stress leading to a tired, achy, listless body and brain.
If that's the case, I'd suggest systematically noting how you're physically feeling through the day. Maybe every 2 hours, note down in a spreadsheet a score of 1-10 that ranks how energetic and good you feel. Then start paying attention to the common factors (time of day, how recently you've eaten, what type of food you've eaten) that predict physically feeling energetic and rested. For me, I've found that during slump periods I have to be extra careful to eat protein-heavy breakfasts and lunches, work out in the morning before going to work (even just a 30-minute walk or yoga video), and go easy or eliminate drinking at night so I get better sleep. If I don't do this, I wake up feeling tired and dragging and get to the office and get nothing done all day, which just kind of compounds the stress and tiredness.
posted by iminurmefi at 10:13 AM on October 13, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks very much, everyone - there is a ton of good advice in this thread (I'm tempted to mark nearly everything as 'best answer'!). This has already helped - yonderboy, especially your reminder to meditate, which gave me the best night's sleep last night that I've had in a dog's age.
If there are other suggestions, keep 'em coming!
posted by AthenaPolias at 10:07 AM on October 14, 2011
If there are other suggestions, keep 'em coming!
posted by AthenaPolias at 10:07 AM on October 14, 2011
I found this book incredibly helpful, even though I'm not depressed: http://www.amazon.com/Get-Done-When-Youre-Depressed/dp/1592577067 (Getting it Done When You're Depressed by Julie Fast). It's about exactly this - saying to yourself "OK, I feel crappy today" (which we all do some days) and then just getting on with stuff anyway.
posted by acalthla at 6:12 PM on March 26, 2012
posted by acalthla at 6:12 PM on March 26, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
So maybe the thing you need to hack is just getting yourself started? I use two main "tricks":
1) I leave the house and work at a coffee shop. No distractions like TV or bed (I wear headphones), and creates a clear delimitation between "work time" and "relax time."
2) When needed I put a timer on myself: work 10 minutes, rest 10 minutes, repeat. There are fancy names and websites devoted to this technique, but that's the gist of it.
When you literally have a clock running on you, it becomes a lot easier to think of nothing but work.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:44 PM on October 12, 2011