Getting Out Of An Unproductive Funk
I don’t know a single person who hasn’t had a hard time starting that passion project they had an idea for, or doing work on something they think is more important or fun than their day job after work. As neurodivergent people, sometimes the productivity we need is just doing chores or taking care of ourselves. I want to chat about how to get out of that funk, and get going on whatever productivity task you want or need to get done.
I have learned I have to hack my brain when I’m in a bad spot. For most neurodivergent people (and I think to a certain extent all people) our energy can come in fits and bursts. While the best way to make sure we don’t burn out and aren’t able to do anything for the next day is definitely to learn to pace ourselves, we also need to learn how to harness our energy when we have it to get the most important things done. The first thing I want to talk about is learning how to prioritize tasks, since this is something that many neurodivergent folks struggle with. I have found a variety of tools over the years that are supposed to help, so I’m going to step you through a few of them that have worked for me.
First up is something that works so well for me that I made a printable for it: https://ko-fi.com/s/989a35fb0c This is a priority matrix that is based on the Eisenhower one (he used urgency and importance instead of impact and effort), but tweaked to work better for my more literal brain that struggles with knowing the “urgency” and “Importance” of a task. When it all feels urgent and important, how do you prioritize? I like the metrics of “impact” and “effort” better, because I know what things will make my life better overall and how much effort something will take for me. I didn’t invent this, but I did resonate with it, and create a system I use with it for daily life. Start by making a list of all the things you need to get done, then tag each of them with high or low impact and high or low importance. Once you have tagged each item, I’d start with no more than 10, you can move it into it’s box on the matrix. It will fall under one of four types of tasks: Quick Wins, Schedule It, Fill Ins, and Do I Need To Do It? If it’s impactful and low effort then it’s a quick win whereas impactful and high effort needs scheduled so that you take the time you need with it. If it’s low impact and low effort then it’s a fill in task, and if it’s low impact and high effort you should really evaluate if you absolutely need to do it. This has helped me so much with figuring out how to create a productive flow. I start with a quick win or two, then move into my scheduled tasks so that I already have a few things checked off and feel like I’ve had a good start to my day.
Second let’s talk about if the matrix doesn’t work for you and you need more assistance. Sometimes there’s someone you can talk to, but sometimes there isn’t, and that is where new AI tools can be helpful. Tools like: https://goblin.tools/ can be helpful in learning how to break down a task into it’s smaller elements and figuring out how long something will take. They are not perfect, so may give you bad time estimates at times, AI is just a chatbot right now, and can only learn from what it’s read. If the predominate idea online is that a task takes 10 mins but it takes you 20, the estimator (https://goblin.tools/Estimator) will still estimate it at 10 mins. This still gives you an idea of how long something will take, and then as you use it you learn where you are faster or slower than it estimated you will be, either way it increases your awareness of how much time certain repeated tasks take. This isn’t a perfect tool, but it definitely can help a lot.
Now for a list of things to do to help you get to your productive space. Most of these will be sensory based, so knowing where you are sensory seeking or avoidant is important. If you aren’t sure about your sensory patterns, then experiment until you learn yourself and your needs. It’s a process, and not knowing every need you have right away is fine.
Sight - What do you need for your sense of sight to be ok?
Do you need lower lighting/sunglasses?
Can you dim your monitor, or increase the light/contrast?
Light-up keyboards can also help if you are sensory seeking in this area, or if you want to be able to control more dim lights in the room.
Smell - What do you need for your sense of smell to be ok?
Do you need to light a candle/use wax melts?
Is your space full of a smell you don’t like? Can you move temporarily?
Sound - What do you need for your sense of hearing to be ok?
Do you need noise cancelling headphones?
Do you need music?
Try music that has no words or is in a language you don’t know.
Have lists that amp you up and that focus you.
Is your space noisier than normal? Can you work somewhere quieter temporarily?
Taste - What do you need for your sense of taste to be ok?
Do you need a flavor to get you going?
Do you need to have a snack on hand to feel like you can focus?
Touch - What do you need for your sense of touch to be ok?
Do you have fidgets handy?
Do you need to be chewing something like gum?
For me personally, I like to work with a cat nearby. The combo of soft fur and purring is great! I also have a small Ty stuffed cat on my desk I can touch for fuzzy needs if one of my girls isn’t around.
The key to all of these is to know your own sensory needs, which can be hard and take time. I’m learning my own still, so don’t feel bad if you miss the mark and have to readjust. It’s all a process, and needs will change over time. Always be re-assessing your needs, especially if you find yourself in a funk.
My ideal work space includes a smell I like, music that helps me focus (always with no lyrics, I cycle through classical/lof-fi/scores), and low lights (natural light is best). I have in-ear headphones I can pair with my over-ear headphones to cancel noises outside of them if I need them. I keep that kitty I was talking about and a fidget cube at my desk, as well as some cherry lifesavers and different flavor lip balms. I use timers to help me track how long a task is taking and whether I need to switch to something else temporarily/for the rest of the day.
I hope this helps you get out of you unproductive funks, they can be hard to pull out of for anyone. Know that you aren’t alone, and that you can get back on the track you want to be on eventually. Sometimes things just take a little time, have some grace with yourself.
