Fatigue, pain, and brain fog have been kicking my butt lately. The other day, I was cold (even though it’s the middle of summer here) and wasn’t moving well. So I asked my mom to get me something from my bedroom…but when I was trying to explain to her what I needed, the words didn’t come out right.
“I need the things for my feet. They’re in that thing in the room. You know, that brown thing with the things that pull out.” (Translation: I need socks from the chest of drawers.)
When concentration is fleeting and I have to prop my eyes up with toothpicks, I go into survival mode to get shit done. Here’s my guide to productivity with brain fog…written with brain fog so bear with me!
Tip #1: Cut corners where you can.
When brain fog visits, I tailor my day to capitalize off of the moments I actually feel like working. I have groceries delivered instead of spending energy driving to the store. I pull my “emergency” meals out of the freezer that I stash there when I have extra spoons so I don’t have to cook when my symptoms are flaring. I also cancel extra meetings where possible and cut out “extras” like spending time networking on social media.
Tip #2: Work around the fatigue instead of trying to ignore it.
Brain fog means that I’m only able to concentrate for short periods of time. That means that I will work for a few hours, take a nap, and then come back and try again. Productivity with brain fog means working whenever you can (and giving yourself permission to rest when you can’t). I also try to schedule extra time in the day to double check things because brain fog also means that I’m prone to making silly mistakes.
Tip #3: Write everything down.
Brain fogs equals forgetfulness. It’s for this reason that I use ClickUp, a project management tool that’s accessible on my computer and phone. (Trello works really well for this too.) When I have a thought about a client project and I’m not at my computer, I can still write it down in one place so it’s easy to find when I have the energy to work. It’s a lifesaver for productivity with brain fog so you can keep up with client projects AND take care of yourself.