Practical Advice productivity while depressed?

[daisyyy123]

Does anyone have any tips on how to be productive while also dealing with depression? I have lots of housework to do and very important exams to study for but I have been in a pretty bad depressive episode for the past few months. My mind is telling me to do something but my body is saying otherwise.

 

[BarryW]

Hello @daisyyy123 , welcome to the forums! I have been there -- trying to get anything done while depressed can be a big challenge. Here are a few ideas that might work for you.

- do something which is not the most pressing task. example: times when I really needed to do schoolwork, but couldn't force myself to do it. so instead I cleaned for 3 hours or ran errands. This allowed me to use cleaning as an "excuse" to do not do schoolwork, but still let me be productive in general.
- if you are struggling to do anything at all, try starting with small goals. Instead of planning to study for a whole 4 hours, as you might feel the need to, just say "I'm just going to study for 30 minutes today". Over a period of days/weeks you can accumulate momentum and it may feel natural to slowly increase your productivity time.
- Put a task on your favorite calendar app or wall calendar a couple days ahead of time if possible. Seeing the task upcoming can help you set expectations with yourself. When that day comes along, it feels more natural to start to work on the task, since you committed to working on the task at that time. I have had great success with a weekly dry-erase calendar.
- Take a break from fun time to work on something. For example, I can easily get lost in video games for hours. Sometimes I keep playing just because I don't want to figure out something else to do or don't want to be productive. I've learned that if I force myself to take "just a 20 minutes break" with no idea of what I will do, I can end up being productive for 2 hours. That never would have happened if I didn't take what I thought would be a short break.
- have an accountability buddy. This is similar to the wall calendar idea, except instead of telling yourself you are going to do something, you tell someone else. could be your family, friend, coworker, classmate.. you tell them in advance you are going to work on something, and when the time comes you work on it. afterward, you let them know that you worked on it (or not). it can feel good to have a supportive person acknowledge your efforts and push you forward. It's great if they have something they are accountable to you for as well, so that you are supporting each other.

I know our other site members have many great ideas. I hope that you are able to get a couple ideas, try them out, and make a little progress on your studying or housework.

 

[may71]

Does anyone have any tips on how to be productive while also dealing with depression?

It's a tough problem to deal with well in the short term. It's typically tough in the medium and long term too, but there's more you can do.

Your school may allow extensions for mental health and other health reasons. If there's mental health counseling at your school, they may be able to advise you. An academic advisor might be able to advise you as well. If there are other things that you can let slide, it might be better to let them slide. Personally I find that when I don't have the energy or motivation to do something, tormenting myself about my failure to do it doesn't really help.

If you're not taking an anti-depressant, you might want to try getting one. A couple of the anti-depressants are known to boost energy.

A long term strategy is to take the energy you've got and use it to do things that build your energy.

These links have some info about treatment methods that might be helpful:

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, World's Second Largest Medical System

Self-Treatment and Miscellaneous

I hope something can help.

 

[Soul flower]

Does anyone have any tips on how to be productive while also dealing with depression? I have lots of housework to do and very important exams to study for but I have been in a pretty bad depressive episode for the past few months. My mind is telling me to do something but my body is saying otherwise.

I force myself to take a walk - most times it works but not always.

 

[seabird]

I break my day, goals, chores & other work down into really small mini steps; make a list on paper of 4 or 5 things, and that seems to work for me. Sometimes I have several pages laid out, but only look at 1 at a time.
Best to you @daisyyy123

 

[Just_a_guy]

From my own experiences, this is one of those problems that doesnt have quick and easy solutions. Ive learned the hard way that anything that is not touching the root cause of the problem is ultimately a waste of time, for a while it might even seem to work but then it will be back to square one.

When it comes to studying, personally the only ever times i was able to be productive was when i really really liked what i was studying and when i was in a good position mentally. For the mental part there was no simple solutions. Especially for students, you need to live a very balanced and a healthy lifestyle, lots of exercise, socializing, being active, going out and going to places and getting out of your comfort zone as much as possible and going forward most of all. When you have problems in your life, all of this is going to be be very difficult and theres no easy way out.

Best of luck!

 

[daisyyy123]

thank you all, it’s been difficult so I appreciate all the advice

 

[KM76710]

thank you all, it’s been difficult so I appreciate all the advice

You are most welcome and glad that you are posting with us because this is a good and welcoming place with members that are caring and supportive. It is a good forum to explore and get to know.

 

[HappyKitty]

for me, I'm not depressed but apathetic which means I'm not in the mood to do anything this week even if i can complete them, everyone differs so heres mine. i usually would do an outdoor activity after self care to initiate productivity, not expecting to be able to be productive straight. its okay to be less productive while on low energy, be kind to yourselff too. Look example:

Goal: Practice swimming for Friday

1. Spend 5 minutes getting motivated to get out of the house. Maybe I'll listen to some upbeat music, or download a new music for it.

2. Take a 30-minute walk outside to get some fresh air and clear my mind. I'll try to focus on the sights and sounds around me and practice being present in the moment.

3. When I get back home, spend 10 minutes doing some light stretching or yoga to help loosen up my muscles and get my body ready for swimming. Hopefully, this will help me feel more motivated to practice and improve my mood overall.