With the rise of the internet and how this incredible tool has managed to share a lot of information all around the world, awareness of mental health has never been this present in society. With that said, a lot of people tend to ignore or disregard its importance, as well as ignore the fact that being mentally healthy is an essential stepping stone for success.
In this article, I’m going to talk about the ways you can improve your proactivity, as well as some habits you should try for the sake of slowly, but steadily, achieving success.
If you are someone who struggles to keep on riding the wave of productivity and maintain habits that you know are tools for success on your way towards achieving your goals and dreams, and you also feel like procrastination is slowly ruining your life, this article is definitely for you.
The Motivation is Hidden Within You
A lot of people struggle with motivation. Keeping yourself motivated to do things can be difficult and tiring since the more things you need to do, the more energetic activities and responsibilities will take from you. Not only that, but the fact that motivation is heavily connected to your mental and physical health makes everything even more complicated.
A lot of people struggle with certain things that others might take for granted on a daily basis. I often find myself having serious problems when it comes to sleeping schedules and insomnia. Sometimes I just crawl on my bed for hours without being able to sleep, and this affects my performance during the next day because of how tired I am. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to this, being unable to rest while sleeping or just not sleeping enough.
Others might feel a severe lack of energy due to leading very stationary, sedentary lifestyles or overall lacking a good diet or enough sunlight. Some people might lack focus when it comes to studying or focusing on a single activity that requires all your attention.
The truth is: the motivation and capacity to be productive and do things right are within you, but we need to focus on ourselves and make some changes to make use of it.
Daily Habits and Routines: The Key for Success.
People often make the mistake of believing that great and big changes are the key to success, but the truth is far from that. The things that truly make a change are the small things that we do with discipline and constancy, as mentioned in this article.
A good example is how I have been dealing (or at least, trying to) with my insomnia problems. I started to follow certain habits that have definitely started to help, and although I don’t follow them 100% of the time, slowly and steadily I’m following them through, and it has helped me a lot.
Not using any electronic devices before going to sleep, reading a book, not drinking or eating sugary stuff before sleeping, as well as maintaining my mind clear while trying to sleep after doing some meditation, are the things that help a lot.
It also helps to have a constant sleeping schedule to stick to, and always go to bed at the same time to get your body used to the idea of sleeping and waking at specific times of the day.
I can say the same for people who suffer from a lack of energy. Did you know, for example, that exercise is one of the best ways to maintain your mind clear and focused, and improve your overall energy levels and motivation?
Men and women have main hormones that work in our favor as long as they are balanced out along with other hormones. These hormones are known as Testosterone and Strogen. These two hormones are heavily linked to our physical and mental state.
Sleeping well, eating enough protein and carbs, and performing physical activities can help your body balance out these hormones, which when unbalanced, are directly linked to depression and lack of motivation. Taking enough sunlight also helps a lot, considering that it is our main source of Vitamin D.
What About Procrastination?
Then, there are problems related to a lack of focus and procrastination. The idea of how we, as human beings, manage to trick ourselves into believing that we have more time than we actually do and that we are capable of pulling through with stuff that, normally, we would never be capable of achieving, is outstanding. I’ve been there, and I believe you might as well.
Tricking ourselves into believing that we will study all the info of a test in 2 hours, or finish 5 hours worth of progress in our jobs in just half the time… That’s how procrastination, in most situations, work.
Fixing procrastination is all about the power of our will. But we don’t have to leave out everything to our will power. I, myself, have started doing some stuff to keep myself focused on work.
It depends on what you work on, though. A good example of this is how I started to block websites that know are bad for me whenever I start working. As a writer, I need to focus on what I’m writing since any distraction or interruption can directly affect my flow of creativity, thus, reduce my performance. YouTube and Facebook are definitely not good additions for my creativity...
As a student, programmer, artist, or whatever type of work you do, this situation might be very similar and for you. But there’s a way to fix it: You have to find the root of the problem and talk things out with yourself to find a solution.
A lot of people suffer from procrastination because they don’t actually believe procrastinating is that bad when deep inside themselves, they know it is slowly but surely ruining their lives. I, myself, included, used to procrastinate quite a lot back in the day.
The best approach to fixing this is simpler than you think: get rid of everything that threatens your productivity. Whether it is a specific website, toy, person, activity, music… Whatever obstructs your focus, should be thrown away. It’ll be a really hard adventure in the beginning, but it gets easier the more you do it.
I’m not saying that you should quit watching those videos of animals on YouTube or checking your friend’s accounts on Instagram, but at least while you work, those things should disappear entirely from your life.
To not burnout yourself with work, try to take create certain goals and rest between goals. Work or study for one hour straight and take ten minutes to rest to do something you really enjoy, then go back to work afterward.
Mental Health and Procrastination
A lot of people might struggle with procrastination because of more complicated reasons, such as poor mental health and depression. This can be a big problem for people who needs to be productive on a daily basis, and pulling through with difficult situations, although it is a part of life, can be really tough at times.
Losing a family member, for example, can ultimately put you in a deep sea of sadness that will make even the simplest activities, hard for you. And with the whole situation of Covid-19 happening now, I wouldn’t be surprised someone relates to this.
Sadness, depression, and loss can be huge anchors weighing you down through your path for success, but on these occasions, working to get better is absolutely necessary. You see, although a lot of people hate to be depressed, it is normal that they just let it consume them without taking proper actions.
Some people start exercising and eating well for the sake of improving their mental health, while others engage in a hobby or activity they are passionate about to reward themselves for their hard work. Meditation is another way to deal with grieve and sadness since it literally is a way to train your brain and mind to be better with you and those surrounding you.
And of course, seeing a specialist is another great option that a lot of people should consider doing at least once in their lifetime, for the sake of understanding what they are actually going through and how to deal with it.
If you are someone who doesn’t believe that mental health is that important, you can read this article https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/324721 to reeducate yourself on the matter.
And believe me when I say this: you are not at fault for feeling the way you do, but it is your responsibility to treat yourself with enough kindness to improve your situation. Ultimately, you are the only person in the world that understands exactly how you feel and can do something about it. It’s up to you!
You have the power to master your strengths, find your energy, and steady your flow. Success is but a stone’s throw away.