Why it's okay not to always be productive

Slower weeks aren’t failures, they’re part of the process.

As a Productivity and Lifestyle Coach, you’d think I’d ace being productive all the time. That the way I’ve set up my life with work, home, self care and that all important but often elusive ‘balance’, I would know all the tricks in the book to be productive and my weeks would all see me storming through my tasks ticking them off at speed.

I would be:

• eating the frog

• making sure my workspace was helpful and comfortable

• staying hydrated and managing my blood sugar levels

• getting enough of the right kind of sleep

• managing the tasks I have to do with my energy levels - matching my naturally creative times with creative tasks, and the more mundane with my low energy times

• having my to do lists with my deadlines on

• making use of my kanban board

• looking at my vision board that I keep in plain sight

• understanding why I was procrastinating and what to do about it

• anchoring certain tasks to each other to ‘habit stack’

I would be doing all these things - and they would be working. They would be keeping me ticking things off and making progress - even if was slow.

Yet, it doesn’t always work like this. Knowing everything and even putting it all in place, doesn’t always have the same outcome week on week. Despite doing all these things, doing what’s ‘right’ and advised and what’s worked before - this week just hasn’t been as productive as I would have liked.

I’ve had to remind myself a lot this that it’s okay not to be always productive, that it’s going to be okay.

Days or weeks like this don’t happen very often for me - probably only 3 or 4 times a year, but they do happen and then I get over it. It’s taken me quite a few years to realise that it doesn’t stay like this forever, that it won’t take very long to get back to being productive. Every time it happens I have to remind myself of this.

We are not machines, we are flesh and blood humans who have good days and not so great days.

So, unless there’s a pressing external deadline requiring your attention, this is your permission to let some weeks go in terms of productivity. You are not a failure. It will not always be like this.

Remember:

• Productivity isn’t a constant state, it ebbs and flows and that’s completely normal.

• Rest and slower periods are just as important as high-energy, productive ones. They allow us to recharge, reflect and return stronger.

• Some of our best ideas and creative breakthroughs come when we step back rather than push through.

• Your worth isn’t measured by how much you tick off a list. You are still valuable even when you’re not at your most productive.

• The work will still be there when you’re ready, forcing yourself to push through exhaustion often leads to burnout, not success.

This is what I did this week, in case it helps you:

• Acknowledged that it was going to be a slow week

• Worked out what had caused this slump (mainly the frustration of not being able to find the perfect photos or get my social media quite how I wanted it to be)

• Accepted this is just part of life and that it doesn’t make me a failure

• Chose jobs that didn’t require a lot of energy or too much thought power

• Interacted with other people during weekly co-working (having external energy can really help)

• Wrote a ‘done’ list to show myself that although I didn’t feel productive, I was still getting stuff done

• Referred back to my kanban board a lot to keep focussed

• Listened to a favourite upbeat (oldie but a goodie) song to lift my energy

• Comfort watched some favourite TV shows to show myself kindness

• Moved anything that was going to irritate me that didn’t need to be done this week to next week when my energy will be different

• Allowed myself time to do some creative writing (something I love to do, but don’t always have the time for).

So, if you’ve had a day or a week like mine and still have loads on your to-do list, don’t worry. You’re not falling behind—you’re just in a natural dip that will pass. Productivity isn’t about always being ‘on’; it’s about knowing when to push and when to pause. Give yourself grace, trust the cycle and know that you’ll get back to it when the time is right.

Do you have days or weeks like this? What, if anything, do you find helps? Let’s chat in the comments!

PS - if you’d like to know what type of procrastinator you are and some tips on overcoming it you can take my quiz now to find out.