When you have a project to work on but just can't get started or make significant progress, it's easy to beat yourself up about it—which also doesn't do much to put you in a go-getter mindset. When you're feeling stuck, you can certainly choose a productivity method that might work better for you, but before you do that, it's a good idea to orient yourself by asking yourself a handful of questions about what you are hoping to accomplish.
Here are five questions to ask yourself the next time you're stuck and feeling unproductive, so you can get moving again.
"When was the last time I was as productive as I wanted to be?"
We all go through periods where we're less or more productive, so don't feel bad if you're having an off week. Instead, try to recall the circumstances of the last time you felt really productive. Maybe it was before the holidays, when a sense of urgency propelled you to get everything done before a vacation; this aligns with the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which posits that you work better with when you're under a bit of pressure. Maybe it was when you had a clearly-defined goal in mind (I'll get to the value of that in just a moment). The more details you can piece together, the more likely you'll be able to replicate that environment and get back in action.
With this in mind, it's helpful if, whenever you do feel your next burst of productivity, you jot down some notes on what worked, what didn't, and what could have gone better. That way, you can generate an "after-action review" that you'll be able to look back on when it's time to ask yourself this question again.
"What is my ultimate goal?"
Sometimes you get into the routine of doing something because you know it has to be done, but you don't think about the higher purpose being served. Menial tasks, like clearing your inbox or doing the dishes, often fall into this category. All in all, it's hard to find the motivation to do those boring things that take up so much time—unless you think bigger.
Asking yourself about your ultimate goal can help. Take clearing out your inbox: This will make it easier to see important messages and respond in a timely manner, yes, but the ultimate goal is that responding more quickly will make you better at your job, which could lead to making more money, getting a promotion, or leaving the office earlier so you can enjoy more time with your family. Doing the dishes serves the ultimate goal of keeping the house in order, but that could lead to the bigger goal of having things tidy before your friends come over, avoiding bugs showing up in your sink, or having fresh plates on hand for when you try a new recipe tomorrow.
Defining the larger goal behind what you need to do is a key part of prioritizing your tasks and getting the motivation to do them. Work backward, asking yourself what your ultimate goal is, and then come up with the tasks you need to do to reach it. It'll keep you on track and make you want to get started. (Bonus points if you lay everything out using a SMART goals formula.)
"Why don't I want to get to work?"
This is the question I ask myself whenever I'm feeling unproductive. Most of the time, I know my ultimate goal already, and I know when and how I work best, so when I'm putting off a task, I try to figure out why, and address the root cause. Sometimes, I'm afraid to send an email because I'm nervous about what the response will be. Other times, I don't want to work on a project because I'm just not fulfilled by it. Obviously I can't control how someone will respond to my email, but I can work to make that email as clear as possible to make sure it's communicating what it needs to, and remind myself that the response could very well be positive—and that I won't know until I send it. I also keep track of times I find I'm avoiding something because I don't feel fulfilled by or interested in it. If that happens a lot, I know it's time for an after-action review and, possibly, a complete course-correction.
Figuring out why you're avoiding something is, in some ways, more important than forcing yourself to buckle down and do it. Try applying the hierarchy of needs to your current circumstances to get a better sense of what's not working, and what's holding you back.
"Can I break this work down more?"
Other times, the reason you're struggling to be productive is because the task in front of you is too big. Imagine you're attempting to prepare for a work conference in another city, but you keep putting it off. That could be because "prepare for the conference" encompasses too much: Scheduling your flight, booking your hotel, submitting for reimbursement from your company, figuring out your travel to the airport, packing, planning what you'll do every day of the trip, coordinating responsibilities with coworkers, and putting together your presentation—these are all related but are all pretty different activities. Breaking them down into smaller categories (handling travel, taking care of scheduling, and preparing for the conference itself) and then breaking those down into individual tasks can help you feel less overwhelmed.
This is where you use a system like Kanban or the jar method, which can help you prioritize and track the work you need to do on a given day. Trying to take on a bulk project without breaking it down into manageable parts will only frustrate you. (This is why I never recommend cleaning your whole house at once; you should instead focus on cleaning one room for a short period of time.)
"Is this work really necessary?"
Asking yourself whether your work is really necessary might feel like a cop out, since you're almost giving yourself an excuse not to do certain things.But there are always going to be tasks that are less important or even unnecessary, and eliminating them will allow you to focus on getting started on something that really matters.
First, use a prioritization technique like the Eisenhower matrix or ABCDE method to figure out which of the things you need to do are actually pressing and which ones are fluff. Once you've figured out what is and isn't immediately necessary, call on the 4D approach, which is often used for sorting through emails but can be applied to a variety of uses. The four Ds are delete, do, delegate, and defer. Delete (or forget about) anything that doesn't need to be done, delegate minor tasks to someone else (like asking your kid to clean up the living room or a coworker to take on part of a larger project), defer things that aren't important now but will be eventually, and then do the important stuff.
If you don't prioritize everything you have to do, you'll end up with a list of responsibilities that is much too long, which will overwhelm you and lead you not to do anything at all. Spending a little time weeding through it to determine what is most pressing will leave you with just the necessities, and working through that list is guaranteed to feel more fulfilling.