9 unobvious reasons why you don't have time to do anything

Do you have rush syndrome?

If you constantly feel a lack of time and live in endless stress, you may have “rush syndrome.” This term was coined by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, who noticed that many of their patients complained of time pressure.

Experts described the disease as follows: “Relentless attempts to achieve more or an obsessive desire to do as much as possible in less time.”

People with “rush syndrome” think quickly, speak quickly and act quickly. This seems to be peak productivity. But no. In fact, they cannot afford to take even a minimal break, they feel constant stress and because of this they become less effective. In addition, “rush syndrome” leads to increased production of the hormone cortisol, which, in turn, can provoke serious health problems, such as depression. Prolonged secretion of cortisol as a possible mechanism underlying stress and depressive behavior.

How to become more productive

To overcome the “rush syndrome”, review your schedule. Do not take on several tasks at the same time and complete tasks one by one: first the important ones, then the unimportant ones. The main thing is to calm down, take a deep breath and allow yourself breaks.

Get organized

Why can't more people become more organized? Someone might think that a person lacks willpower. But in fact, everyone has the ability to self-organize. It just needs to be developed. How to do it? The first thing a person must understand is that it is uncomfortable to work in chaos. When unnecessary things come into view while working, they take away attention and the person stops concentrating on his main work. To prevent this from happening, a person must tidy up his desk. Do you work with papers? Designate a separate drawer for them in your desk. Are there no papers in your work? Then leave only your computer and pen on your desk. No mugs, figurines or pencil holders are allowed. A sterile clean desk helps a person concentrate and get into a working mood.

The situation with a cluttered workplace shows the situation with clutter in a person’s head. The cleaner the space around a person, the better self-organized and disciplined she is. Professional self-organization begins with order. After you've cleared your desk and cleared your office shelves of clutter, you should organize your computer and planner.

You have no deadlines (or they are too vague)

You probably feel freer if you have a whole week to complete a simple task. You can do it slowly, double-check it several times... or rest the whole week, and on the last day throw yourself into work headlong and make a lot of mistakes in a hurry.

How to become more productive

Deadlines discipline you and prevent procrastination from taking over all your time. Make a to-do list for each day and for the week ahead. This will help you distribute the load and get everything done. And remember: you can’t put off tasks until the last minute.

Plan your time

The work has been prioritized, now you need to think about time management. You need to get into a good habit: every evening, plan things for the next day. And so that you can easily write a plan for the day, you should first make a plan for the week, month and year.

Any good employee understands what he will be doing in the near future and what he needs to do in order to improve his competence. Do you want to get a promotion? Then strive to get a lot of work done. Your schedule should contain ongoing projects that you receive every day, as well as long-term projects that are updated quarterly. Depending on your activity, you need to learn how to divide your tasks so that they can be entered into a diary, and then check off the completed parts of the project.

You refuse help

Perhaps you like to do everything on your own because you are afraid of showing weakness or you hate teamwork. But not all tasks can be completed alone.

How to become more productive

If you feel tired, don't be afraid to delegate responsibilities and ask colleagues or friends for help. If they are all busy, there is also a solution - invite them to work next to you. This will make it easier for you to concentrate Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are: the example of your neighbor will inspire and prevent you from being distracted and procrastinating. This method is regularly used to treat people with attention deficit disorder, but it also works for those who simply have difficulty concentrating.

Find a colleague you trust

It’s good if you have a colleague who understands what you do and can support you in difficult times. Replace you for a couple of minutes while you cope with your emotions, give you some advice, listen to how everything bothers you. Ideally, this should be someone you can show your overloaded to-do list to and ask if he can take on some of the tasks. You will find our tips on how to work productively with female colleagues useful.

You always say yes

If you are up to your neck in deadlines, but agree to take on one more task. If you respond to any request from your colleagues and participate in all discussions at work, even when they do not relate to the common cause. If you are in a hurry to help a friend, although you don’t have time to do anything yourself. It's time for you to learn to say no.

How to become more productive

If you've watched the comedy Always Say Yes with Jim Carrey, you probably know that failure doesn't lead to anything good. Don't be afraid to say no to a job offer if you're too busy, or not to go out with friends if you're not in the mood.

How to organize your working day

What to do when there is constant pressure at work and you don’t have time to do anything? There are several ways to cope with stress and plan your work process more effectively:

1. Stop panicking and repeating phrases in the style of a popular quote: “Chief, everything is lost!” Just start doing it.
2. Take 10 minutes to plan your day. Which tasks require immediate solutions, and which ones can be returned to later?
3. Eliminate distractions. Turn off notifications in instant messengers, put your phone on silent mode, remove solitaire games and panels with access to social networks from your work computer.
4. Learn to say “no” to colleagues and those who steal your time. Do not agree to extra work that they are trying to delegate to you not according to the company’s charter. Refuse to participate in gossip and empty chatter.
5. To be less tired, use a change of activity. For example, after 1 hour of mental work, take 5 minutes to walk around the office, do a stretch, and get some fresh air if possible.
6. Group similar tasks. Doing different things requires different types of thinking. If you don't switch from one task to another, you will be able to concentrate better and save time.
7. If it doesn't affect your reputation, try to attend fewer meetings. As a rule, most of them are unproductive. Important issues can be resolved in instant messengers or by mail.
8. Stop multitasking. This is an ineffective way of working that leads to psychological and intellectual exhaustion.

On a note! Get yourself a task calendar. This could be a paper planner or an electronic app like Trello or Wunderlist. This is a great way to create a daily routine and save a lot of time.

You lack motivation

There are a little more tasks this month, but the salary is fixed and will still not change. There is no point in cleaning, because within a day the apartment will be dirty again. Going to the gym in winter is a waste of money because your body is hidden behind layers of clothing. If you think that it’s easier to let everything take its course and relax on the couch, stuck in some new series, you lack motivation.

How to become more productive

Finding motivation is not an easy task. But it can be solved! First, look at your affairs from a different angle and think about positive results: do the job perfectly - your boss will praise you, and maybe you’ll also receive a bonus; If you do the cleaning, the apartment will become cleaner; go to the gym - you will feel better. If that doesn't work, try the carrot and stick method. “Stick” - scold yourself if you are too lazy, “carrot” - mark your small victories on paper and rejoice at even the slightest success.

If you were lacking motivation and were waiting for a magical sign - here it is! The third stage of the Great Lifehacker Challenge starts in December, which will help you become mega-productive and, in addition, win an iPhone XR. Over the course of a month, we will tell you where to look for inspiration for work, what to do if you haven’t gotten enough sleep, how to achieve your goal, and much more.

Your task is to carefully read texts and listen to podcasts, answer test questions and earn points. If you score more than others, you will get an iPhone XR, no, it doesn’t matter, but you will become the best version of yourself and have the opportunity to win a trip to Thailand. A trip to the sea can go to anyone who accumulates more than 70% points in at least one of the challenges. It's time to act!

Participate in the Big Challenge

Consult someone from another field

Getting feedback from someone who works in a different field can also be useful. He may not know the specifics of your work, but he can look at everything with a fresh look. This could be a colleague from another department or even another company. Suddenly you will get from him a fresh idea for your project or advice on how to simplify your work.

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Read on topic: 7 ways to cope with hating work

You strive to bring everything to perfection

The desire to bring everything to perfection is commendable, but if you constantly do not have time to do anything, it is better to forget about it. Research by Dr. Simon Scerri from Dalhousie University showed implications for understanding the (mal)adaptiveness of perfectionism: the higher a person's perfectionism, the lower their productivity. This happens because perfectionists:

• spend more time on each task;
• they don’t start work for a long time because they are waiting for the perfect moment;
• forget about the big picture and focus on the little things.

How to become more productive

Remember that there is no perfect moment. Therefore, there is no need to wait for him. Just take action.

Set your priorities

How to keep up with everything at work and at home? You need to set your priorities correctly. A person must know exactly what is important and valuable to him personally. A person must highlight those areas of life in which he plans to self-actualize. Remember that being a good mother and businesswoman will not work. One area of ​​your life will be deprived of your attention. And if you decide to scatter yourself on everything at once, then you will not be able to realize your potential at all.

How to keep up with everything at work? The step-by-step instructions look like this:

• Write down all priority tasks on a sheet.
• Arrange each number, starting from one, in order of importance.
• Write the tasks in the order in which they will be prioritized.
• Get started.

In such a plan, there may be exceptions when two things are a priority at once. Then divide the work. You can do one task in the morning and another in the evening.

You are working at the wrong time

If you arrive at the office a little late, first drink tea with your colleagues and look for the strength to start, most likely you will get almost nothing done during the day. The fact is that the most productive time for work for most people is the morning, and peak activity is 11 o'clock. After this, the desire and ability to work decline rapidly. When Do People Actually Get Work Done? And after 16:00 productivity generally begins to approach zero.

How to become more productive

Conduct an experiment: for two weeks, write down in your diary how determined you were to work at different hours. For example, “13:00 - I just can’t concentrate; 19:00 - I feel a surge of energy.” This way you will find out your most productive time and be able to redistribute the load.

If you have a strict eight-hour schedule, try to complete all your major tasks in the first half of the day. And after lunch, do some revisions and minor things.

WorkHow not to burn out at work and manage to live: 10 tips

Alexandra Savina

universal rules on how to arrange your work schedule so that you have time and energy for personal matters. Everyone puts their own spin on the concept of work-life balance. However, this problem is faced equally by entrepreneurs, office workers, and freelancers working from home. We have put together some general recommendations to help you build a suitable regime.

Mark the boundary

The first and most obvious advice: it is impossible to talk about balance between professional and personal life if you yourself do not know where one ends and the other begins. You can draw the line literally - with the help of rituals. Julianne Miles, co-founder of the consulting company Women Returners, for example, advises that when you come home, you should immediately change out of your work clothes. If you work from home, it is better to allocate a special area for work - when you move from your desk to your favorite sofa, you will immediately understand that it is time to relax. Find something that helps you switch from one mode to another. This could be a book you read on the subway, a short walk around the house with the dog when you're not thinking about business, or the habit of taking a moment to pause when getting into the car and mentally saying that the work day is over.

Almost everyone has situations when they need to take work home - but even in this case, boundaries can be drawn. Choose a time when you won't do anything (weekends, a few hours before bed, whatever you can) and try to stick to a clear schedule. It won't be easy at first, but a stable routine and rules will help.

Set your priorities

To ensure that work does not interfere with your personal life and vice versa, the first step is to determine what matters to you. Be honest with yourself: everyone's goals and priorities are different, so don't rely on the expectations of your parents or others. Try to build your schedule in accordance with what is important to you: the ability to independently pick up your children from school or receive additional education in the evening, go to a doctor’s appointment during the day or go to the pool in the morning. Employers are often ready to make concessions to employees; the main thing is not to be afraid of an honest and open conversation.

Learn to refuse

Only you know the limits of your capabilities, and if you can’t do something, it’s better to say so directly. Don't be afraid to tell your boss if you're struggling with task flow: it always ends up affecting your productivity, and it's better if the situation can be prevented.

It will be easier to separate your work and personal life if you learn to say “no” to additional tasks for which you do not have the energy and time. Coach Melanie Allen advises not to immediately agree to requests to do something beyond the norm, but to take a short break and think: “Say that you will answer a little later, and use this time to decide whether to agree or not. If you want to say yes, that's okay. But if you want to refuse, say no and stand your ground.”

Stop checking messages

Smartphones allow us to be in touch 24/7 - and if in the case of friends and family this makes us happy, in the case of work it only hinders us: we continue to solve business problems even when we have left the office. E-mail and instant messengers can be inconvenient: while checking correspondence with friends, we willy-nilly read other messages. Unlike other forms of communication, such as a traditional phone call, there are no clear boundaries - a work email can arrive either at seven in the morning or at one in the morning. Therefore, you must set these boundaries for yourself.

For example, you can turn off notifications in email or instant messenger, or turn on night mode on your smartphone after a certain hour. On weekends, you can set up an auto-reply so that your interlocutors know when to expect news from you: people don’t always need information urgently; for many, it’s just important to know that you received the message and will contact them later. Of course, there are exceptions and urgent situations when it is impossible not to respond, but they should not become the rule - otherwise you yourself will not notice how you burn out.

Try to work not longer, but more productively

The time when unions fought to reduce working hours is long gone. Now we are seeing the opposite trend: regular overtime is becoming the norm, and many people take working on days off as something for granted - even though scientists believe that it is harmful to health. We often think that if we sit a little longer, we will definitely get everything done - but this is self-deception: the longer we work, the more our productivity drops. In addition, having finished one task, you can always start the next one - and so on ad infinitum.

The rude phrase “You need to work not for eight hours, but with your head” fits here perfectly: in order not to get bogged down in routine and business, you need to be able to prioritize (not all tasks are equally important - although it often seems so to us) and highlight strictly defined time to complete each task. This is where the advice not to waste too much time comes in handy: don’t try to do several things at once and don’t get distracted by email and instant messengers - you’ll be surprised how much time the habit of checking messages every ten minutes takes up.

Don't put pressure on yourself

We have already talked about how perfectionism harms self-development. Over the years, we have more and more additional tasks and responsibilities, and it becomes more and more difficult to do them perfectly - and is it necessary? It is useful to sometimes let go of the situation and be prepared for the fact that you have to sacrifice something. If you don’t have the strength to cook a complex dinner after work, don’t blame yourself for having to limit yourself to pizza: this way you will protect yourself from burnout. In both work and personal affairs, you don’t need to strive to do everything flawlessly—it’s enough to try to perform your duties well.

Consider a different schedule

In the modern world, in order to be a good employee, you don’t always need to be in the office from nine to six: many issues can be resolved via work email, and instead of a meeting, you can have a Skype call. It is believed that in the office it is easier to control what an employee is doing, but for many, working from home, without noisy colleagues, helps them concentrate better and ultimately work more efficiently. So if this is your option, don't be afraid to talk to your employer about it: if you can easily finish the task from home after putting the kids to bed, there's no point in trying to get it done by 6pm. At the same time, if you choose a flexible schedule or work from home, set restrictions (see the first point) - otherwise there is a risk that you will work as before or even more, because you will not be able to disconnect from the process in time.

When choosing a company, pay attention to the working hours adopted here: if everyone stays in the office until 11 pm and is used to going to work on weekends, you are unlikely to be able to come home at seven.

Delegate tasks

We often try to do as much as possible ourselves because we think we can have more control over the process - but this is not the most productive approach. Focus first on what only you can do, and try to delegate some of it to others - be it small tasks that will allow you to finish your work earlier, or chores around the house that you don’t have the strength to do. Stuart Friedman, a professor of management at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, advises agreeing on the division of responsibilities with key players in different areas of your life - colleagues, partners, loved ones. Situations like this can help those around you learn something new, and it can take some of your workload off so you can do other things.

Be more attentive to yourself

Only you know how much effort you really put into things - so listen to your feelings and work at a pace that is comfortable for you (yes, there are emergency situations in any job, but they should not become the norm). The British non-profit organization Mental Health Foundation advises paying attention to how fatigue from work accumulates: for several weeks, monitor how much time you spend on business - not only in the office, but also thinking about upcoming projects or, for example, answering calls and letters during out-of-office hours. This is all part of the job (although we are used to not paying attention to it), due to which fatigue also accumulates. If you are aware of the scale of the disaster, it will be easier for you to control your condition.

Start changes small

Don't expect to be able to change your lifestyle instantly: change requires willpower, and the more ambitious the goal you set for yourself, the more likely you are to quit. If you want to start leaving the office on time, don't expect to be able to do it five days a week right away. Start gradually: try to leave early one day a week, such as Friday, and then try to do it more often.

Do you have chronic fatigue syndrome?

If you can't concentrate at work, return home, immediately collapse on the couch, and after a lazy weekend you feel exhausted, you may have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Other symptoms of this condition include apathy, aggression, poor sleep and forgetfulness.

Chronic fatigue syndrome can occur for two reasons:

1. Physical fatigue. It appears if you constantly do hard physical work or exhaust yourself with workouts in the gym. In this case, the body develops a lack of actin and myosin - proteins responsible for muscle contraction. As a result, you feel constantly weak and cannot work normally.
2. Mental fatigue. It occurs if you think a lot and rarely exercise. Then cortisol accumulates in the body, and you become irritable and exhausted.

How to become more productive

You need a rest! Go on vacation or at least take a day off on Friday, then you can do nothing for three whole days in a row. The main thing is don’t work during the weekend, otherwise nothing will work out.

Divide the elephants into frogs

How to highlight one important thing if you are working on one big project. Approach the distribution of tasks correctly. The basics of time management start with a basic rule: always divide the big elephant into small frogs. What does it mean? Do you need to prepare a large report that you will be fiddling with for days? Break the work into parts.

For example, you work in appraisal and need to appraise 500 pieces of equipment. On the first day, you should find analogues for each of the items from the order. Then make calculations and compile a report. And only then print out the papers, sew them and staple them. The work will take you two to three days. With the right approach, you can immediately assess your strengths and not work in rush mode. The better you initially calculate the time, the calmer you will be in managing the project.

You don't like what you do

Everyone has encountered this. A terrible and complex report, an exhausting workout in the gym or general cleaning of the apartment - we try to put these tasks off until last, and then we forget and simply don’t complete them.

How to become more productive

To tackle an annoying task, you can try two ways:

1. Find something you don't like even more. For example, you can't finish a difficult book that you were asked to read at work. At the same time, you hate washing dishes. First, get rid of the dirty dishes, and then start reading: the brain will perceive the latter as a pleasant activity.
2. Make a list of tasks. To motivate you more, write down how long it will take you to complete each item. For example, “disassemble a closet - 40 minutes.” Then you won’t spend a long time tuning in and looking for strength within yourself, but will simply go ahead and do the annoying task.

How to increase concentration

There are no ideal working conditions. Usually you have to work in the noise and bustle of colleagues, a microclimate that is not always comfortable, from time to time equipment fails, and often circumstances. And whoever wants to work finds opportunities, and whoever doesn’t want to, looks for reasons. For those who want to tune in to work, we offer effective practices to increase concentration.

• The boss is pestering you - what should you do?

Exercise to increase concentration. Take the dial with the second hand. Learn to watch the arrow first for one minute. It's harder than it seems. Practice, try every day. When you can calmly watch the measured movement of the second hand for 5 minutes, you will notice that you have become more diligent while working.

Meditation to maintain attention. The basis of meditation practices is the ability to free the brain from thoughts for a certain time. Few people can think about anything; it’s almost impossible. But learning to think about one thing is quite possible. Sit comfortably, choose a topic for reflection and for 2 minutes drive away from your head all thoughts that do not concern it. Force your brain to think only about this. There will be many temptations: you will think about the most unexpected things. And by learning to return to the subject of consideration quickly and uncompromisingly, you can apply this practice during the work process.

Motivate yourself

What to do with blockage at work? Answer: start solving all the accumulated cases. But how do you do this when you feel pressured to write reports, draw up plans, and work on a project?

You must properly motivate yourself so that you have the desire and desire to get through this difficult period:

1. You chose this job yourself. This means that once upon a time you had no choice but to accept a vacancy, or you have always dreamed of mastering this profession or getting into this company.
2. They told you a list of your responsibilities, and some companies even force employees to sign a job description.
3. You can refuse to do your job, but then everything is at risk - career, salary, respect and status.
4. The faster you cope with the blockage, the easier it will be to live on. Once you finish your last unfinished project, you will feel free. After this, you can finally relax and return home, without thinking that tomorrow you will again have to hear your boss’s reprimand and watch the disapproving gaze of your colleagues.
5. Some duties are not included in your job description, but your boss insists on doing the work of other employees? Feel free to contact a lawyer because your rights are being violated.

Pull yourself together and pull yourself together

It doesn’t matter why you got stuck at work (the boss asked you to write a report for a neighboring department, you were too lazy and didn’t follow the deadline). Now your main task is to pull yourself together and work out a thorough plan.

Realize that time is running out, and every minute there are more and more things to do. Set aside a few evenings to get some rest and develop a plan of action. Try not to overload yourself with homework, but also don’t waste energy on useless activities (watching TV, computer games).

Practice meditation, take a hot bath, read a simple book, take a walk alone in the fresh air. You must understand that the coming period will be difficult, you will need to work quickly and not be distracted by anything.

Principle 7 - Drink less tea and coffee

As paradoxical as it may sound, the caffeine contained in tea and coffee increases fatigue and drains your strength. I wrote about this in more detail in the article on how to stop drinking coffee. The more you drink coffee, the more tired you become and the more your work efficiency decreases.

The absence or small amount of caffeine at work helps to distribute energy evenly throughout the working day. But if you consume a lot of caffeine in various drinks, then after a surge of vigor, a period of fatigue quite naturally sets in. The tone you get from a cup of coffee doesn't come out of nowhere.

If you can't do anything without a cup of coffee, then this indicates addiction. If you get rid of it, you will no longer need caffeine at all.

Fight laziness

If necessary, take reports and documentation home. The faster you cope with the blockage at work, the better you will feel.

When you report to someone and are responsible for any project, then every overdue day becomes torture and a real test. The more things you have to do, the more difficult it is to pull yourself together and start solving them. Over time, this leads to apathy and despondency, and self-esteem falls.

How to deal with being overwhelmed at work? Remember that laziness is your biggest and worst enemy. Don't let yourself relax until you get everything done. Of course, at this moment you will want to relax and watch another episode of your favorite film adaptation, play a new game, meet friends at the club. It is important to fight and tell yourself “no” every time you want to avoid work.

Remind yourself as often as possible that unresolved matters affect your career, personal success and salary. Nothing is more motivating than losing a job or money, because most organizations fine you for missing a deadline.