Is Your Productivity Still On Lockdown Level 5?

Working from home has been great for the most part like attending zoom meetings in your pajamas, napping at free will, and spending time with your family more than you have before. We have all been wishing to work from home, but it might not have worked so well for your productivity. After months at home with a flexible schedule, your self-discipline and willpower may have seemed to stagger without the stringent environment of the office. You might feel less organized, more stressed, and definitely far less motivated as a result. Quarantine jetlag is a thing and you are not the only one. 

Surely there is an elixir out there in the form of a  self-help book but that too requires time and effort. To save you the energy and the time, here is a bite-sized solution to your quarantine jet lag: a rulebook.

You have been following rules since you were a child, so why not create your own? Rules are a great way to hold yourself accountable and push you to follow through with your plans, goals, or commitments. When adhered to diligently, they can transform your life; reduce your stress, and maximize your productivity. 

Here are 3 examples: 

Rule 1: Confront yourself

Whenever the day comes when you just do not feel like lifting a finger, confront the feeling, and ask yourself if you are tired or lazy. Answer the question honestly so as to confront the real cause. It is okay to feel tired if you have been overworking yourself. However, if the answer is lazy, you now have a character flaw that you have become aware of and thus have the responsibility to overcome. 

Rule 2: x number of important tasks a day 

Making a rule of the number of important tasks to complete a day reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed. This rule requires you to be organized as you will need to make your to-do list the night before. To beat quarantine jetlag, make a strict rule about the important tasks that you will tackle and only reward yourself once you complete them. Stick to those tasks and shift others to the next day. 

Rule 3: Restrictions 

This rule is the fulcrum of the process of ebbing your quarantine jet lag. Make a rule or multiple rules that strictly state the length of time you will spend doing non-productive tasks such as going on social media, watching TV. What is possibly to blame for your jetlag is the lack of discipline to do important work when you need to and spending too many hours on unnecessary tasks. 

Make a list of rules and place them where you can see them every day. The rules in your book are purely up to you, but the trick is to set rules that aid your productivity rather than impede it. Manage yourself so that you can manage your life.