Photo by Kristina Tripkovic from Unsplash

June 1st — the beginning of the rainy season in the Philippines. During this season, storms and monsoons hover over different parts of the country. Strong winds and heavy rain keep you up at night and wake you up early in the morning. Ironically, the cold weather makes you not get out of bed. It can get very tiring to start the day active and ready. You need to muster any willpower left to throw away the blankets and open the blinds inside your room.

It’s important to let any sunlight come through even when it’s surrounded by dark clouds. A productive routine in the dry season is different from the rainy season, and as humans, we have to adjust accordingly. We may not be as productive in the wet season as we are when it’s sunny, and that’s because we shouldn’t have to. Like the seasons in nature, there is a time for hard work and a time for rest.

Being stuck in quarantine and having nowhere else to go can be very challenging when you have a long list of tasks to do. Instances like this test your discipline and determination to push through the cold and comfort. It’s not your fault if you feel unmotivated and lazy to do anything, but it’s your choice to do something about it. To stay productive during a rainy season like this is a choice that you have to be willing to make.

Otherwise, you would spend the next six months wasting precious time doing nothing. Your eagerness to achieve your dreams shouldn’t have to be dependent on the weather or the place you’re staying. Successful people always come up with new strategies to keep on moving and showing results despite the circumstances. They believe that small steps lead to big changes, and so they make sure to do as many steps as they can, big or small.
 

BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF 

Frankly speaking, your dreams don’t care what season it is. Your dreams will always demand your time and focus no matter the weather. However, it’s important you give your body the break it deserves. Otherwise, your body will choose when to have a break for you. Be gentle with how you speak and act to yourself. Be gentle with how you deal with stress and anxiety especially under gloomy clouds.

In the rainy season, it’s all right to sleep in and not proceed to work early in the morning. Don’t focus on getting more stuff done, focus on having less to do. It’s during times like this when you should pamper yourself as a reward from a stressful week. Don’t beat up yourself too much; everyone needs to rest once in a while.

 

8 TIPS TO STAY PRODUCTIVE IN THE RAINY SEASON: 

 

SET ATTAINABLE GOALS FOR THE DAY 

It’s understandable to not want to follow your planned morning routine in the rainy season. The weather can make you feel drowsy and lazy; nobody can blame you for that. However, you can still turn the day into a productive one by setting simple goals that can be done without much effort. You can minimize the number of tasks to your convenience, as long as you’re sure you can handle them despite the dozy environment.

By creating a list of attainable goals, you can be productive from work and feel accomplished at the same time. Most people struggle with completing every task they’ve planned days ago without considering that many changes can occur in the future. These changes require compromises. You can still finish the important tasks but not in the desired time frame you want.

Given the health effects the rainy season can bring, it’s better to do small tasks consistently than bombard yourself with a massive workload only to do it inefficiently or not finish it at all. It’s all about renewing your goals into the best deal you can give to yourself without compromising your physical and mental well-being.

INDULGE YOURSELF 

In the rainy season, it’s important to use this time, especially in quarantine, to pamper yourself. Make yourself feel good for the achievements you’ve accomplished. Allow yourself to enjoy the free time and relaxation you’ve sacrificed for the past few weeks. You deserve to take a break and validate your feelings. Don’t forget to moisturize your skin to avoid dryness and roughness. 

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C and drink lots of fluids. While you’re at it, you can make yourself a new coffee recipe to make it a little different. Drinking a hot beverage like coffee or tea can put you in the right mood instantly as the smell and taste of coffee make you more active. Whatever makes you feel special for a job well done, give it generously to yourself.

The chances of getting flu and other respiratory diseases are high in the rainy season as well so take extra care of your body. If this means taking more breaks off from work, then happily do so. There’s nothing wrong with resting and taking your own pace. Taking one or two days off doesn’t necessarily mean being undisciplined or lazy. If you automatically resort to thinking such, you need a break yourself. 

EXERCISE 

You can be productive in terms of keeping your body fit and healthy. Keep exercising even when at home by doing an intense workout or as simple as a couple of stretches. Doing a home workout suitable consistently can do wonders for your health. It can keep the blood flowing and the muscles stronger.

Aside from the physical benefits, exercising at home saves you time and money from going to the gym and renting expensive equipment. You have your time and pace so you can work out anytime you want.

You also have all the space, safety, and privacy you need since you’re in the comforts of your home. There’s also a lesser chance of contracting the coronavirus and other common viruses. Instead of doing nothing but eating junk food, do productive things for your physical health. 

JOURNAL & MEDITATE 

The cold weather makes you ponder on a lot of things. Take advantage of the silence and me-time to introspect and reflect on your thoughts. The rainy season is the best time to free your mind from worry and anxiety. The weather itself makes you realize that human life is very similar to how nature plays out, as we all are part of the inevitable cycle of life.

Write down your best and worst experiences in the past week. Make as many prompts as you can in your journal and fill them up diligently. Explore deeper into your thoughts and feelings by doing things that you enjoy and things that you find difficult to do.

Listen to songs, both the type of music that you love and the ones that you tolerate. Try experimentations on your interests and preferences. Maybe you’ll find a song or food that you disliked before but now you’re starting to love. Little activities like this make you reflect on your Take the time to meditate and get to know more about yourself. 

TRY COOKING INSTEAD OF ORDERING FOOD 

Try to cook food at home rather than ordering online and see if you will develop a love for cooking. It’s productive to do something new and different from what you’re used to. Cooking is an essential survival skill that everyone needs to master. You can be fond of cooking once you try and experiment with how to make simple dishes at home.

Search for easy recipes and try to do it yourself when you have free time. Being in quarantine for more than a year, it would be tempting to lie in bed and have food delivered right to your doorstep. For most of us, it’s easier that way. But don’t get too used to the whole food delivery thing because to some degree, it can cause more harm than good.

Besides eating way too much processed fast food, it can make you too dependent on it and you wouldn’t know how to cook for yourself diligently. Plus, think about the food delivery riders who have to bring your food to you in the rain, not to mention how high the flood gets because of poor drainage systems in the road. 

PUT TOGETHER A COMFY OUTFIT 

Putting a little effort into getting dressed for the rainy season can totally change your mood. A positive outlook early in the morning can keep you feeling motivated for the whole day. You can finish lots of things with that positive mindset which can make you productive at work. Fashion plays an important role in making you feel confident so don’t take it for granted.

Even when you’re not going anywhere, seeing yourself in the mirror looking cute makes you more confident and ready to seize the day. If you do go out, be sure to listen attentively to the news for weather updates. It’s important to dress appropriately outdoors not only to protect your skin but also to keep you away from getting colds and flu. 

TIDY YOUR WORKSPACE 

The rainy season is the best time to start tidying up your home since the weather’s preventing you from going anywhere. Make the most of your quarantine period by dusting off the areas that have been covered with dust and cobwebs for a long time. Clean up your workspace by arranging your existing files, sorting out paperwork, and redecorating the furniture.

It keeps you more organized and up-to-date with the changes you have for work. Declutter excess things that you no longer use by either selling them or giving them away. Not is cleaning only therapeutic and beneficial to lessen stress and fatigue, you also create a calmer, more peaceful environment that can heavily impact your productivity and well-being.
 

CONCLUSION: 

The rainy season is not an excuse to be lazy or ungrateful for your work. You can still execute your ideas and work on your dreams despite being quarantined in your home. However, with the pandemic and the rainy season going on at the same time, you need to be ready and protected from the dangers outside your sanctuary.

The key to staying productive is to focus more on your health and well-being than your work. The strategy is to create useful habits for you to become physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy for the rest of the season. Try to narrow down your goals to daily objectives so you won’t be overwhelmed with the many things you still have to do. If you pressure yourself to finish many tasks, you become frantic.

When the workload gets to you, you’re more likely to produce inefficient and low-quality results because you’re not fit and ready to make better ones. Your career shouldn’t compete with your health because the latter is always more significant than any paycheck or work opportunity. You don’t want to waste the rest of your life lying in bed for three years of prestige and validation from other people.

 

“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” 

Leo Babauta