How I Stay Productive All Day

Even during my midday slumps and when I have zero motivation.

If I could have majored in productivity, I would have.

There’s nothing worst to me than the idea of going to bed feeling unaccomplished. I’m not saying I write 10+ articles a day and edit dozens of videos, but I’ve gotten pretty good at knocking things off my to-do list with ease.

Over the last few months, I’ve managed to increase my following on numerous platforms (as well as my earnings), and I’m reading book #14 of the year; I’ve lost 4 lbs (yay!), and I’ve rediscovered my love for cooking again, something I thought I was done with which would truly be unfortunate as I run a food blog. I’m feeling pretty good about it.

How do I do it? How do I manage to write and edit dozens of articles per month, film and edit dozens of videos per month, read multiple books, lose weight on top of balancing a healthy lifestyle and have time for fun?

With careful planning and a lot of discipline. It’s certainly not easy, and I’ll admit over the last few weeks, I’ve essentially lost one of my closest friends because of my lack of time for social events, but at the end of the day, hanging out with your friends doesn’t build your career nor pay your bills so sometimes you have to make tough decisions.

With that being said, here’s how I manage to stay productive all day throughout the week and even on weekends.

I wake up early.

I usually wake up between 5–6 am. Not because I’m trying to make a statement by waking up early, but because I can fit more things into my day this way. I start with a coffee or two, get on my computer to catch up with everything that has happened overnight, and then assess what to start working on.

I like to have some plan from the previous night; it doesn’t have to be anything crazy, usually 2–3 tasks I can start with instead of sitting there wasting time agonizing over what I should do first.

I’ll always be an advocate for getting my day started early. While the rest of the world is having their morning cup of coffee at 9–10 am, you’ve already had yours, completed your workout, and knocked 2–3 things off your to-do list.

The longer you wait to start your day, the more you have left to do in the evening so you might as well get a headstart.

I always have my priorities set.

I’m a content creator, and my goal is to make writing and video-creation my career.

This means that every single day, I have to do things that will inch me closer to those specific goals. Sure, I could go out with my friends for a drink and do some shopping, but will that benefit my future? Probably not. Unfortunately, when you’re in the beginner stages of building your career, you’re going to have to say no to a lot of things you want to say yes to.

And unfortunately for everyone, those same people you say no to might not be very happy with you. The thing is, if those people genuinely care about you, they’ll understand that you’re working on something that matters to you.

They won’t hold it against you. Instead, they’ll encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing, and they say,

“Hey, it’s fine. You have stuff going on; you’re working towards your goals. I’ll still be here when you do have time. I understand.”

I’m okay with hurting other people's feelings.

A few weeks ago, I decided to give up my long-awaited and most favorite event of the week; my 1-on-1 date night with my partner for a double date with one of my closest friends. I canceled my original reservation and made another for four people.

When it came time for us all to go out to dinner, my friend contacted me, saying her date was unavailable despite our reservation being minutes away. I was pretty frustrated; she had the whole day to confirm with her date.

She begged me to push the reservation to a later time slot which I did with a lot of trouble. Nowadays, it’s almost impossible to get a reservation anywhere.

An hour later, neither one of them showed up, and our table was given away (I also noticed on social media that she had posted a story of herself at a party with her other friends.) I tried to make another reservation for just my partner and me, but they were all booked up.

I know how this sounds; big deal, my friend bailed on me. However, the problem wasn’t that she bailed; it was that she wasted my time. I could have been having a nice and romantic evening with my partner after a hard week of work, but instead, I went out of my way to spend time with my friend, who clearly had other intentions.

The next day, she asked to go out for lunch, and I said no. The following week she asked to do a double date, and I said no.

It wasn’t the first time this particular friend had wasted my time, and at this point in life, I don’t feel like going out of my way for people who aren’t reliable.

It’s better to have a small circle in your life that you can count on rather than include people that are okay with wasting the little time you do have.

I always refer back to my vision.

I’m human, and there are days I wake up with little to no motivation and in such a mood that you’d think I’m the grinch.

On days like that, I refer back to my vision. The one I created for myself that has been pushing me for the last year. The one that promises me the life of my dreams.

The one in which I’m able to support myself and my family fully. I want to send my sisters off to whatever college they’d like to attend; I want to retire my mom early and move her closer to me so I could take care of her. I want to never have to stress about finances ever again so that I could spend my time doing what I’m most passionate about.

That is the vision, and that is what I think about whenever I want to lay in bed all day or watch Netflix nonstop. Sometimes, you need to be your own biggest encourager.

Having a visual of what you can accomplish just so that you’d keep pushing can benefit you in so many ways. While it sounds so minuscule, it’s truly changed my life.

My desktop wallpaper is a picture of the empire state building; it reminds me that my goal is to live in New York City. The first page in my journal has several bullets with specific goals I have for myself. My wallpaper on my phone is a picture of my family to remind me who I’m doing all of this for.

Refer back to your vision in times of frustration and stress. It always helps.

I fill my time with productive activities.

I’m not wired to do nothing all day. I get irritated, grumpy; sometimes, I even start to think I’m catching a cold or something. Why else would I be lying around the couch all day watching TV?

Instead, even on my days off, I try to do something productive. On Saturday mornings, I go for a long hike with my partner, and we chat about politics or whatever topic is challenging for me, and he tries to educate me.

On Sundays, I plan my week and utilize the time to find new recipes to try out or new books to dive into.

Midday slumps are the absolute worst, and I get them almost every day. However, instead of being lazy, I try to fill up my time with something that makes me feel like I’m relaxing, but at the same time, it’s a productive task.

Usually, I read or listen to an audiobook. Sometimes, I edit a video because I really enjoy the editing process. It truly depends, but ever since I started doing something beneficial during that midday slump, I’ve realized that it sort of sets my mind on the right track again.

My brain goes from, “I’m tired, let’s relax and not do anything” to, “Hey, I feel sort of energized right now. Want to get back to work?”

You need to do what works best for you, but don’t be afraid to try new methods and strategies to increase your productivity. Being productive doesn’t mean you’re sitting at your computer all day with laser-like focus, and you never do anything fun.

Being productive is all about doing things that benefit you in one way or another.

Reading benefits me because it opens my mind but, at the same time — allows me to relax. Hiking allows me to dive into topics I otherwise wouldn’t. It’s also a great way to move your body and get some fresh air.

Planning my day on Sundays lets me ensure that my week starts on a positive note.

Find what works for you and do it until it becomes habitual. The more you do it, the quicker the time goes by, and soon enough, you’ll notice that you don’t even have time to slack off or be unproductive. You’re too focused on your vision, and the vision is much bigger and much better than slacking off.

Let’s stay in touch.