Coffee and Conversations: Brewing Life Stories, One Post at a Time
When the days get colder, darker, and shorter, it’s common to get the “winter blues,” which can make you feel lethargic and unmotivated to do much of anything at all. Some even develop seasonal depression (SAD). According to the Cleveland Clinic, it more often affects those who live in areas that tend to be cloudy or at higher latitudes.
If, for example, you move from Arizona to Nebraska after buying one of the Omaha houses for sale, it becomes even more important to take action so that you can stay productive and keep your mood up during the wintertime.
While you might want to lay around on the couch under a cozy blanket, being more active by getting regular exercise can be the key to staying productive. Squeeze in even more by doing the little things, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Get outside whenever possible, too, even if it’s just going for a short walk, as the sunshine is a great way to boost your mood and increase productivity. The exposure helps to clear your head and brighten your outlook.
The winter months seem to be the time we’re most tempted to eat a lot of sugary foods and other junk, but that’s just going to make staying productive even harder. While the occasional treat is fine, try to focus on consuming whole foods, meaning foods that come from the Earth are not processed in a package, like nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, etc. You’ll discover that you have far more energy in the long run, making it easier to pass the candy bowl, cakes, rich cheese dips, and so on without digging in.
It’s hard to resist the temptation to become a hermit, but that’s just going to make you more sluggish. Constantly working isn’t a good idea either, as in the long run, it only hurts productivity. Try to make plans for fun that will support your mental and emotional health, whether it’s attending social or cultural events, going skiing, or embarking on a trip that will allow for some winter sun.
What do you really want to do that gets you excited? You can keep yourself motivated to get out of bed every morning by setting goals that you can root for, whether it’s to create a presentation that will impress your boss, learning to play an instrument, or running a half-marathon.
When you find yourself feeling unmotivated to do anything, prioritizing your tasks becomes even more of a must. Put the most important and most challenging at the top of your list, and then focus on one at a time. If you have something to get done that feels overwhelming, try to break it up into smaller parts to move from procrastination to action. With every item you’re able to check off, it will give you more motivation to finish the rest.
You probably can’t end your day at 4 p.m. just because the sun is going down. Those shorter days can make it harder to stick to your regular routine, but keeping things like your work hours and your wake-up time and bedtime the same can significantly improve productivity. When it varies too much, you’ll end up wasting time by continuously having to adjust.