We all have good days and bad days. Somedays, you feel energetic and productive; other days, you don’t feel like doing anything. It might be due to any event that occurred or just your emotions. It can even be without any specific reason that you are feeling low.
On the days when you have no energy or are feeling unproductive, do not try to force yourself to do the work in front of you. Instead, take the day off. It is okay to do it for yourself once in a while.
What does it mean to take the day off? It means not doing any work where you have to think, give a lot of your time and use your brain. Take a rest and chill, go out with your family, watch a movie, or do something that makes you feel good. You can even take a nap if you want to.
If you work at a job, take a leave of absence. If you are an entrepreneur or self-employed, stop working for the day. Similarly, if you are in the creative field, stop creating. It will be an excellent way to reboot your brain. You have been working so hard every day. You deserve to take a day off.
If you do so, you will become more energetic on the days that follow. In addition, you will want to work more other days now that you have taken a day off.
It is not easy to stick to a specific routine every day. Somedays, you just don’t want to have any routines or rules. You might lack the motivation and discipline to do the work. So, you can do nothing on the days when there is an extreme lack of motivation.
A few days ago, I was having an unproductive day. I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. So I was scrolling through TikTok on my phone. Coincidently, I found a video by Ali Abdaal where he talks about the Reitoff principle, which is the concept of “writing the day off” when you don’t feel like doing anything.
After watching his video, I followed the Reitoff principle and didn’t do anything that day. Instead, I watched a movie, played my guitar, and went out to see my friend. It felt good. Even though I wasn’t doing any work, it made me feel better. My brain felt less heavy. As a result, I could enjoy the rest of my day better.
So, in the days where you don’t feel like doing anything, skip the day. Instead, do something that you would not normally do but enjoy doing. It will help you physically and mentally. Routines are good, but sometimes, not following them becomes better.
Take a day off for yourself. Reward yourself by doing the things you like. For example, go eat your favorite snack with your friends, or by yourself. It doesn’t matter. You don’t need anyone to make yourself feel good. You can do it on your own.
It might not be possible for you to take the entire day off because of your job. But just do something less stressful. Take a break. You don’t have to do everything that’s on your plate.