How to create momentum in your day?

When we think of a word to associate with productivity, the word hard work comes to mind- working hard, nonstop, and unbothered. So, when we slack off just a little bit, we tend to get too hard on ourselves and easily call ourselves names such as unproductive or lazy (a very unappealing word to call someone- especially ourselves- who is thinking and trying so hard to do the complete opposite- be productive). 

However, the truth is, hard work alone doesn’t create the best output we highly expect it to do. Imagine a day without a quick rest, mindful eating, and physical activity… just working! 

Does it sound like something that will generate quality results for you? 

Not really.

The illustration below (which also inspired me to write this article) sums up my thought on this:

A day of nonstop working is counterproductive. And it feeds the vicious cycle of feeling insecure and doubtful of ourselves. Especially when we have no one to supervise our work.

Take this for example:

You hit on your PC to get on a project you’ve been longing to finish. You promised yourself you’ll get it done today, and only today. Despite the fact that your fingers are already wobbling hovering on your keyboards, your eyes barely open, and your stomach screaming begging for you to bite onto any piece of food, you refused to stop working.

Anytime your mind and body will hitch to function. And the only energy you fed your body must be stretched to accommodate the rest of the time you allotted to work.

And by the end of the day, the project is not yet done.

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The wide of the mark resolve we take to get productive isn’t actually making us productive.

We can’t bear another day of working the same tasks we set ourselves to do weeks before, so we sacrifice our day (and health) to get it all done in one sitting.

Despite it working for you, the next day will completely feel like a drag and you’ll end up wanting to not work on anything at all. Therefore, you postpone your tasks for today for another day… or weeks and repeat the same mistakes again. 

Working nonstop all day is exhausting, stressful, unhealthy, and unproductive. And we don’t need science to prove this, our experience tells us so.

Sometimes, all we need is to create momentum to keep us on track and mindful of our time and the tasks on hand.

What is momentum?

Have you ever experienced a day when everything seems to roll forward and you get things done so efficiently and effectively? That’s the feeling of having obtained momentum in your work. It usually takes time to develop, but once you have it, you’ll happily get to check off your to-do list.

Here are my 8 tips to create momentum in your day:

1. Plan your day before you go to sleep

Before you go to bed, write down a few tasks you want to do tomorrow. Filter the tasks you got in mind. What are urgent and what can wait? Be realistic about it and don’t just chuck everything in. Your day is limited to only a few hours, so don’t expect too much from it. Write down base on experience.

Why you should do it at night?

Our will to do things is scarce. It is most abundant in the morning and diminishes as we go through our day. Planning in the morning takes so much of it, thus reducing your mental energy to take on your real tasks.

2. Exercise

Stretch your body when you wake up and try to fit in exercise in your day. Some people do it right when their day starts. And some just do it in the afternoon when they finished heavy tasks.

However, it is best advised that exercise should be done in the morning to boost our metabolism to help us burn calories throughout our day. It also improves blood circulation which helps our brains increase focus.

3. Meditate

Getting lost in our day to day tasks can be overwhelming. It can come off as a demanding routine that eventually puts us off. To remind us of our goals or to cleanse our messed-up minds, we should try to meditate. 

Here are just some of the few benefits you’d get when you meditate:

• Lengthens attention span
• Keeps us grounded
• Reduce stress
• Enhances self-awareness
• Elevates compassion

There are plenty of podcasts and apps that provide free meditation. before starting to work, sit down and relax your mind with some breathing exercises. Calm your nerves and be mindful of the present.

4. Journal your heart out

Tell your notebook all your joys and pain. Sometimes making it run in our heads for too long can stress us out as well. What I do is, in the morning, before my day starts, I write down anything that is in my mind- be it how beautiful the sky is, my insecurities, a funny story, things that need to be done, or something I just want to share to someone but can’t. Leaving my burdens on a paper doesn’t necessarily take off the whole burden I feel. But somehow, the mere act of doing a journal comforts me and reminds me of why I should keep going. 

You can do it at any time of your day.

5. Eliminate distractions

In this age where attention-grabbing has become a business, eliminating distractions is getting a lot more challenging. If you work in this industry as well (marketing), not being able to check on your social media accounts can feel like torture. But we are aware of what helps and what just eats our time.

Eliminate all distractions before starting your work. Turn off notifications, put your phone on airplane mode, or hide those distracting apps.

To achieve momentum in your work, you must be able to a lot an ample amount of time working without distractions. 

6. Apply the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro technique is a time management practice that requires the help of a timer to help you work in the maximum amount of time of brain focus (25 mins) followed by the minimum amount of time for taking breaks without getting distracted (5 mins and 15 mins after a Pomodoro).

Basically, you will work for a span of 25 mins and rest in between for 5 mins. 

This has been proven effective for tasks that require a lot of mental focus. 

7. Take 'short vacations' in between work hours

Take vacations without having to travel so far. No, it doesn’t mean going out for a swim in a workday.

Make use of your 5-15 mins break by appreciating the simple things in life: caress your cat, go for a short walk in the nearby park, watch the sunset, buy from a local bakery, indulge in your afternoon coffee… etc. Anything that will take your mind off your busy work but nothing to distract you. 

Avoid checking your social media accounts as much as possible.

8. Find your accountability partner

The most hardworking people are the ones who have stomachs to feed. Why? They are accountable.

If you have a family to feed, they’re enough reason to keep you going. If not, get yourself an accountability partner. Show your progress to him/ her and accept and learn from their criticism. But you don’t really need to expect for feedback, just knowing someone is watching you grow is more than enough.

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That’s it!

Eight tips for a productive day. If you find yourself slacking off, don’t worry too much, you’re not lazy, you’re just demotivated. Keep trying and find your reason.