5 Simple Steps I Took to get my Life Back on Track after being Lazy & Unproductive

2 weeks ago, I went on a holiday in Switzerland.

During this holiday, I decided to cut away social media almost completely. We went hiking in the mountains, with no connection. It was a complete social media detox. It was good.

But then I got back to Belgium, and it was as if I had to catch up with all my lost time. I was posting, texting, scrolling mindlessly… for a week.

I barely did anything productive last week, and I realized it. Nevertheless, I let it drag on… until yesterday. I was lying in my bed thinking “wtf am I doing? Enough, it stops now!”

So, here’s what I did:

1. Prioritize my to-do’s

I took my calendar, checked what kind of appoints I had. Next, I thought about all the things I have been wanting to do, but have been putting off for a while.

I made a list:

1. Priority #1: Morning routine: do 5 mins of exercise and stretching. Take a shower, get dressed in sweatpants and then eat (notice how I even thought about what to wear?)
2. Priority #2: Upload 1 design to print on demand stores (takes only a few mins, I do design sessions where I create 50 designs at once, and then upload them over a longer period of time)
3. Priority #3: Make appointments to get my car fixed (I had some damage for a while, been putting off the repairs)
4. Priority #4: Work on a Medium article (I’m working on a YouTube Automation Blueprint)
5. Priority #5: Study for Azure AZ900 exam and plan the exam for Friday.
6. Priority #6: Go to gym in the evening (body pump class)

Perfect. Now I know what I’ll do tomorrow.

Planning your day the night before is an incredibly good productivity strategy.

Get everything ready for in the morning: clothes, food, workout gear, books, papers, documents… anything. Things seem simpler when everything is planned and ready.

2. Plan your tomorrow

Create a time schedule and keep it.

I created the following schedule:

• 8:00–8:45— Wake up, exercise, shower, get dressed, eat
• 8:45–9:00 — Upload design to Print on Demand websites
• 9:00–12:00 — Call car repair service + Day Job
• 12:00–13:00 — Eat + Work on Medium Article
• 13:00–19:00 — Day job + study AZ500 (I work in IT so I can combine both)
• 19:00–19:30 — Eat
• 19:30–21:00 — Prepare & Go to Gym (Body Pump)
• 21:00–23:30 — Chill, read, whatever I feel like doing

For tomorrow, I’ll create another schedule. I still have a lot of work on my YouTube Automation channels.

3. If something takes 5 minutes or less, do it

This goes for both your day job as your side hustles.

Of course you have to prioritize, however if you can do something that takes less than 5 minutes, do it right away. Getting those simple tasks done right away prevents a lot of clutter and stress later on.

It also will give you satisfaction that you indeed — got work done.

4. Take breaks

I’ve been experimenting with work and breaks.

For example: 30 minutes of hard work (phone turned off, airplane mode), and then rewarding myself with 10 minutes of rest. I have found that this works quite well, however sometimes I’m too focused on the timer and that isn’t good either.

Just find a good balance between work and rest. Take breaks, go out for some fresh air, clear your mind. You’ll notice to does wonders — at least it does for me.

5. Sleep!

This might as well be the most important step of all.

• Q: How can you perform well, if you are not rested, if you feel tired?!
• A: You can’t.

Without enough rest, you can’t improve your life. Not getting enough rest makes you cranky and reduces your ability to concentrate.

In fact: Please read the following article I wrote about this topic:

F*ck Morning Routines! A Successful Day Starts with a Successful Night (16 Tips). | by Michiel Schuer | Oct, 2022 | Medium

Seriously, read it. It nearly doesn’t have the number of views it deserves because these tips are truly golden.

Conclusion

I’ve followed these steps in the past, and they work.

They will help me get back on track now as well, and I hope by sharing them, they will help you get back on track as well, should you need it.

Good luck!

Michiel