Which is a better way to get things done: stretching tasks out over a long period time or trying to get everything done as quickly as possible? My answer is neither. As is usual for me, I’ve found a middle way that works better than either extreme. I call it being leisurely productive.
My process is pretty simple. I just move at a relaxed pace throughout the day and typically alternate between doing something productive (such as practicing my Spanish) and doing something leisurely (such as watching an entertaining YouTube video). I don’t always alternate between the two types of tasks; sometimes I juggle and unicycle back to back with no break in between or go straight from playing a computer game to watching a YouTube video. Either way, I move at a steady pace and refrain from trying to get everything done at once. This way I can get a lot of stuff done while still enjoying my day and having plenty of time to relax so that I avoid getting overly stressed or burnt out.
I do this a lot with my writing. I prefer to write my blog posts a little bit at a time over several days instead of writing them all in one day. Several of my posts begin as voice recordings on my phone. That’s usually the first day. The second day involves typing everything out without making too many changes right away; my goal at that point is to just get the words written. Sometimes I’m satisfied with that and publish the post as it is. Usually I spend more time editing it before I hit publish. This process allows me to write a lot on a regular basis without feeling overwhelmed because I divide the work into small chunks and work on one or more chunks each day for several days.
Perhaps the most important point in all of this is that I allow myself to do what I feel like I need in the moment. If I’m exhausted and need to lie down for a while, I don’t try to force myself to be productive or hate myself for having to take a break. Instead, I recognize when I need to slow down and don’t beat myself up for it. That way, when I’ve rested up, I’m ready to accomplish my next task. In addition to preventing me from feeling bad about myself, this also gives me the energy I need to get a lot of stuff done. It’s much easier to be highly productive when I’m rested and at peace with myself than when I’m tired and being hard on myself. Keep this in mind if you decide to try this for yourself as it can make all the difference.
I mostly think about being leisurely productive on my days off but I still do it on my work days, either before or after my shift depending on my work schedule. It’s a nice way to get a lot of stuff done in a timely manner without wearing myself out and still leaving myself plenty of time to smell the flowers. And if I don’t feel like doing a particular task, I find another one to do in that moment and I complete the original task later on when I feel like doing it. I often don’t realize how much I’ve accomplished this way until I get to the end of the day and look back. It often feels like each day lasts two or three days and I much prefer that to feeling like I don’t have enough time to do everything in one day. Being leisurely productive works really well for me and I encourage you to try it if it sounds appealing to you as well.