Work From Home Productivity Strategy
Part 2
There is much advice given if you will search online about “how to be productive”. I’ve done some of the ways mentioned in the articles I’ve read, but only one stick. I have done this on and off; when I was a student and an employee. This helped me produce good or great outputs in the eyes of my classmates, teachers/professors and employers. The awards I received when I was in school and the verbal appreciations from my former employers made me believe that my strategy to be productive is effective. This strategy is written below in bold letters. I was even forced to write and finish this article with not less than 1,000 words because the blog post titles I wrote have checks on my must-do list. That means I am running out of articles to post in this blog. Thanks to this strategy, I am on a streak and followed my sched.
Write and post must-do tasks strategically.
Writing down what must be done is not enough. It might not even help as you proceed doing your tasks. I found many to-do lists on my notebook and smartphones that I have not accomplished. That made me think of other ways to be productive.
I realized I do not see my notebook often and my phone battery drains faster because I keep the app called "Speaking Alarm" runnin'. With a lot of things going on in my brain without knowing where to focus, I ended up procrastinating. Most of the time, my games become my priority. These games took a great portion of my time because I also have an aim in these games. My frustrations are relieved through these games, but as I come back to my senses, my brain is exhausted. I cannot do what I need to on that day. That leads me to play my games again and accomplish a task (or more) there.
That became a habit, and the things I can accomplish in the real world diminish both in quality and quantity. My games became my priority. I became delusional and started believing in fantasy. In my games, my dreams are almost at my reach, but I’m too far away in reality. I often wish life in this world is as simple as those games. To succeed in those games is easy and fast as long as I dedicate most of my time and effort to them, but sadly, the real world is too complicated. There are many forces that hinder my success that almost made me give up.
I refused to take my own life, and started thinking of ways to solve my case in the real world. That led me to remember my main problem, my forgetfulness. I often forget the things I must do and even the people I met or talked to when I see them again a few days (or more) later, I may not recognise them.
That made me write and post must-do tasks on areas I often (or daily) use and see. The table in the photo below is where I drink coffee, read, encode, write and relax. The things I use daily are on this table. “This is a great place to post my must-do tasks.”, that’s what I said to myself while leaning on a chair, thinking and facing that table. I used color coding of my tasks and put boxes on each, so that when I see these posts, I know that a task has not yet been done if there is no check on a box. All the tasks in those notes were accomplished on the morning of the day I did my final editing of this post (which is 2-weeks ago). There are days that I cannot write articles so I do my best to write as many articles as I can when my brain is fully functional. Then I will write down the titles of those articles on my colorful notepad and post the notes on my table. The editing and scheduling of blog posts are done according to their relevance with the current situation or the latest stories I’ve read/heard.
Putting a date on a post or on a task became a part of this strategy too.
My parents see those papers as trash and as a cause of headache. They are the kind of people who do not bring work home (often) probably because they’ve learned their lesson. Their priority now is family, and their work became a source of headache for them.
That’s the negative side of getting a job that you do not love or the people in the organization you belong are toxic. You get more exhausted and reap stress more than the feeling of accomplishment as you finish a task. That’s just some of the ironies in the real world that we cannot avoid and eradicate, unlike in the games.
Many left their job and took risks because of these. Despite the positive mindset we bring as we enter the office, it slowly diminishes and then disappears. Toxicity in the workplace can contaminate a positive mindset. It can even traumatize an individual that may cause insanity or worse, death. I’ve heard and watched stories related to this incidence. My friend got the trauma of a phone ringtone. She graduated Cum Laude but was insulted by her boss publicly and got to do the commands sent via text or phone call (even it’s almost midnight) immediately. Thank God she has recovered and she looks happy today.
It is a sad reality that no matter how productive we can be, the real world will still be cruel. It’s not the world that is harsh, but it’s the people (most, if not all of them) in there who destroy an individual. Even those who we believe are kind-hearted, weak or helpful people change and become the worst version of themselves after a year (more or less) of striving there.
To work independently is the choice of those who do not want to be affected in a huge way with toxic co-workers or employers. Many have succeeded and I am very glad they did because their story gives hope to those who also want to get out from the toxic world.
Working independently gives a person the freedom to choose and do what he/she wants to do at that moment or on the days to come. That may lead him/her to procrastinate often especially if he/she is not used to that kind of system.
When that happens, this strategy can be of great help.
As long as you love what you are doing, keep on doing it unless it already ruins you.
It cannot be denied that there are things or people we love that cause more harm than good to us. They said, “That’s the reason why your brain is put on top and your heart is only below it.” What that statement implies can be understood in this cliché (the line I often hear when people give love advice), “Use your brain before your heart.”
Our decisions must be practical so that we can be productive and effective in whatever we do. We must not let our heart control us and cause our emotions to change our mind.
I became a victim of my heart. I allowed my emotions, specifically fear and nervousness, to change my decisions that left me stranded until now, but with this strategy, I am always reminded of my purpose and priority.
This makes me happy :)
