You Can Still Be Productive in a Bad Mood
Don’t forsake self-care, but don’t be a baby either.
One of my favorite Jordan Peterson catch-phrases is “do it badly.” No, it’s not a call to stay mediocre. He’s trying to remind you that you have permission to mess up.
You can only do your best, and sometimes that ends up being not enough. But there’s no way you can improve if you’re so afraid of failing that you never start.
So if you’re about to do something difficult or draining, and you’ve been avoiding it, remember: you’re allowed to do it badly too.
“I don’t feel like it”
Here’s my perspective on the same sort of concept.
Let’s say you’ve just got home from work, and you know your ideal self would take this time to exercise, but you’re just so drained from the day.
So instead you sit on the couch and surf Facebook. For an hour. At this point, you’re feeling guilty so you do something else to try and reduce stress, maybe something productive, or maybe you just have a big snack.
And watch YouTube during that snack. For another hour.
This is a vicious cycle I’ve noticed myself fall into: I have lofty goals, but I “don’t feel like it,” so I avoid being productive, feel guilty about it, and continue avoiding things thinking that will reduce the guilt and bad mood.
You don’t have to feel on top of the world to get stuff done
I think sometimes we feel that, if we feel bad, we’re unable to get work done. But that’s not true.
Self care is important. If you’re truly sick or drained, go to bed or relax.
But if you just “don’t feel like it,” consider the fact that maybe that doesn’t matter.
