No matter how hard I try to improve myself, I will keep falling into a slump every once in a while. This is probably normal, yet my current slumps are less slumpy than those I fell into years ago. Even though slumps are still quite the bummer, it is good to know that I can raise the productivity of my slumps.
Good habits
I think good habits, like in this article, are a huge contributor to my daily routine. If I have deeply ingrained habits that do not require willpower to be performed, I have a much greater chance of staying productive and putting myself in a positive mindset. Say I feel extremely unproductive and do not want to lift a finger, yet I have already picked up my e-reader to read something instead of turning on the TV, then I have already improved my behavior.
The default mode of behavior is a big one. Another important point is setting oneself up for success by avoiding bad behaviors, like in this article (limit time on social media). Making sure undesirable behavior is more difficult to do goes a long way in making slumps less impactful.
Mindset and Procrastination
If one already has productive habits, it is easier to find the right mindset to get out of a slump (similar to my article on instant karma). It is important to find ways of getting out of the wrong mindset. Meditation can help achieve this. If I am more mindful of my thought processes, I can maybe avoid going into a spiral of undesirable behavior.
For me, slumps often happen when my mindset has deteriorated, and I get stuck in a negative mode of behavior. Often, just talking with my friends, family, and partner has helped me get out of my own head.
Sometimes, there are certain tasks in my mind that I have a hard time completing because there is an inner resistance, and I keep procrastinating. I have experienced this numerous times and figured out that a big part of this resistance vanishes if I talk to others. Just describing the situation and having somebody to talk to about it will help alleviate the situation.
Making a more detailed plan and just starting can already help reduce inner resistance. Often, the unknown factors of the task can seem more daunting than they actually are. This means that making lists and creating deadlines can really help in combatting this.
Conclusion
No matter how I look at it, slumps are unpleasant. But it is good to know that there are things that I can do to make sure that slumps get more productive and shorter.