5 Productivity Tips for People with Anxiety
When I first started writing this article, I was writing it from a place of wanting to potentially help people who struggle with anxiety and productivity. I had no idea we would be where we are today, in the midst of a global pandemic – a period in time where even the average person who doesn’t have an anxiety disorder is experiencing higher levels of anxiety than they might be used to.
To be clear, I am not a doctor, a psychologist, or a medical professional of any kind. I am, however, a human who has been living with anxiety my entire life. This advice comes from personal experience. I have spent years adding tips and tricks to overcoming anxiety to my anxiety tool belt, and I think now is as good a time as any to share some of those tips with you.
I also want to take a moment to recognize that everyone reacts and responds to situations differently. There might be ideas in here that work for you, and others that don’t. And that’s okay. Take what resonates with you and leave everything else.
I personally have read countless articles and watched numerous videos on productivity tips that don’t particularly work for me. So I am here to share what productivity tips do work for me as someone with anxiety.
1. Make it Bite-Size
By this I mean, break down big goals into smaller, more digestible pieces. I have found that when I have huge projects with a million steps or a never-ending to-do list, I often become overwhelmed. And if left unchecked, that overwhelm can turn into a full blown anxiety attack. Additionally, if something seems too overwhelming, I become frozen in indecision on where to begin.
So by taking a big task, and breaking it down into smaller goals, it becomes less overwhelming and more manageable. For instance, say your task is to build a website for a client. You could write “Build A Website” on your to-do list. But that’s a HUGE project. So instead, you could break down the website task into smaller tasks of focusing on one individual page at time.
You can even go one step further and break the task down even more to list things such as: Source Images, Edit Images, Write Copy, Design Banner. You get the point. This will help tasks seem less overwhelming and help you avoid procrastination or feeling defeated. It also creates more opportunity to celebrate the small wins and feel more productive.
2. Take a Break
Rest when your body, or your brain, tells you to. Even though taking a break can seem counterproductive when you have a long to-do list of things to complete and you’re not even half way done yet and how are you ever going to get everything done let alone sleep!? Stop. Breathe. Okay.
Taking a break, even when it’s hard to pull yourself away from work, can help you be more productive in the long run. Allowing yourself to rest and relax can prevent getting worn down, overworked and burnt out which are all things that can lead to general anxiety, or anxiety attacks.
So if you’re feeling tired half way through the day or find yourself struggling to stay focused, take a break. Go for a walk. Have a snack. Or take a nap. And most importantly, don’t judge yourself for it.
3. Write it Down
This one is huge for me! If I don’t write something down, it might as well not even exist. As a creative solopreneur, I am constantly busy. Not only do I allow my workload and schedule to get a little chaotic from time to time, I am also constantly managing the never-ending chatter that exists in my brain.
Because of the constant busy-ness, I need to write everything down in order to keep track of it and be sure I don’t forget anything or end up with last minute surprise tasks that I technically knew about (which definitely causes anxiety!)
The second part to writing everything down as it comes up, is to then prioritize it. Can you do this right now or should it wait until later? Is this simply a reminder you can add to your list and get back to later, or does it have a hard deadline? Prioritizing my to-do list keeps me on track and focused which means productivity goes up and anxiety goes down.
4. Avoid Procrastination
Try to avoid procrastination as much as possible. I’m not sure why, but people with anxiety are notorious for procrastinating. I know I am! I have found that when I become overwhelmed, or honestly just kind of lazy, I wind up procrastinating and leave myself scrambling in the final hour to get things done.
As much as I value my ability to work well under pressure, when I allow myself to get into a cycle of procrastinating often, my stress levels increase and this contributes to my anxiety. Which then contributes even further to my procrastination. And the vicious cycle goes on as long as I allow it. So by avoiding procrastination in the first place, my work days run much more smoothly and I get to check more things off my to-do list, allowing space for new projects or relaxation.
5. Give Yourself Encouragement
Use productive and positive self-talk throughout the day to keep yourself motivated. This can include celebrating small wins, reciting affirmations, reminding yourself that you’re doing a good job and doing the best you can, or expressing gratitude about the things you’ve attracted into your life. It’s also good to avoid things like putting yourself down, spiraling on “negative” outcomes (they’re only negative if we label them as such) and allowing perfectionism to get in the way of productivity.
As someone living with anxiety, you might already realize that slipping into negative thought patterns is pretty easy to do. It’s almost our default mode. Which is why it’s so important to utilize positive self-talk. This isn’t to say you should ignore your other feelings, but it is important to recognize when you’re allowing unnecessary thoughts of negativity get you down.
One thing my yoga teacher says at the end of every class is “tell yourself you did a good job and thank yourself for coming out.” It’s such a positive way to end the class and a great way to acknowledge and appreciate the effort I put in just by even showing up. And everything else I did was extra. And it was great.
Start your day off with positive self-talk, use encouraging words during rough patches throughout the day to get you through, and give yourself something to look forward to (such as an incentive or reward) when you’re done.
When my anxiety levels are high, I am not at my best. And while I am still on a path of learning about my anxiety and how to control it, I try everything I can to not let it control me. Other tools that help me stay focused and on task throughout the work day, and keep my anxiety levels in check are:
· Staying Hydrated and making sure I’m drinking enough water
· Getting enough sleep at night
· Limiting the amount of time I spend on social media (this is an easy rabbit hole to fall down when you’re looking for a distraction or do social media management for a living)
· Gentle movement such as going for a walk or stretching
· Going outside to get some sunshine and fresh air
· Meditation, either first thing in the morning or at some point during the day
· Bringing my attention to my breath whenever I start to feel stressed
We live in a culture that celebrates hard work and measures success by how much we can accomplish in a day. This article is not about that. In fact, I can probably write an entire article on that topic alone. More than ever, this is a time when we all need space to rest, grieve, and take care of ourselves.
Whether you are someone who is used to managing anxiety or are new to feelings of anxiety (100% understandable with the general heightened anxiety of society right now), if you are struggling with productivity, give one or 2 of these and try and hopefully they make a noticeable difference in not only helping you get things done, but in lowering your anxiety levels overall.
Do you have tips for increasing productivity or combating anxiety?
Drop them in the comments section below!