We all have those days when we have a lot of things to do but we don’t have the mental capacity to do that. Maybe we didn’t get good enough sleep or were just unwell.
Either way, that day you are presented with two choices – to take it easy and have a rest day, or, to gather your focus and conquer your tasks.
Both of those choices are great. They depend upon you and what you need that day. No matter what you choose to do, your day will not be wasted.
Notice that I say “choose” because often times we linger on our decisions without making a solid pick. This lingering can be a punch in the face to our ‘relaxing’ or ‘productive’ day plans. Lingering on undecided things wastes more time and mental energy than deciding on either one of them.
You must have noticed that you decide to rest but end up sneaking in your small tasks, or vice versa. In such a case, you might just end up feeling worse from the guilt of not actually working, or resting while you’re supposed to be working.
The way out from this guilt is to commit fully to whichever side you pick. If you want to rest, take a nice long nap, cosied up in your blanket with the lights off and the fan and ac on. If you feel like your tasks take priority that day, collect your focus, sit on your desk, set a timer and get to work.
Go whichever way you wanna, but don’t stand there at the crossroads. That’s a risky place with a lot of commotion.
P. S. If you find yourself unsure of which way to go, here’s a hack. I use this often when I’m stuck between two things, neither of which I am sure about. Take a coin. Assign each side of the coin to each of your alternatives. Now flip. You’ll have an answer. Hold on, it’s not the answer yet.
Is that side of the coin the answer you were hoping for?
Yes? Good, you now have your answer.
In case that side wasn’t the one you were hoping for and your first thought is “Hmm maybe another toss?”, the other side is your answer.
If you weren’t hoping for any answer at all, the one you got is just as good as the one you didn’t.
I like this trick ‘cause it makes me realise I did want one thing more than the other, even if just a tiny bit more but I wasn’t able to put a finger on it. Ultimately you end up going with your own choice.