what actually helps me get stuff done

This essay is the second in a series exploring the world of ‘productivity’ content, taking a dive into its culture and the ideas that sit beneath it. ★ In this piece, I discuss what actually helps me get stuff done, and some practical tips for figuring out what works for you.

It’s a universal truth of adult life that you sometimes need to Get Stuff Done when you really, really don’t want to. I’m in the final months of my PhD, and I’m having more and more of those days. I very strongly believe that we all need rest, and that a life constantly focused on productivity and optimisation is not one that I want to live. But I also believe that doing challenging work is part of what gives my life meaning, and that being willing to try difficult things opens up a lot of experiences. Whatever meaningful work looks like in your own life, it's likely that you'll sometimes hit roadblocks in motivation. I think it's worth spending some time working out how to keep going when that happens.

For me, the answer hasn't been to force myself to work all the time, but to learn how to work well enough that I can genuinely switch off afterwards. I think that being committed to focused work goes hand in hand with being committed to rest: being able to work deeply can let us step away afterwards without constantly thinking about the tasks still sitting on our to-do lists, and being able to rest fully gives the energy needed for deep, sustained work. I love feeling fully present during my tea-making rituals, or going for a post-work drink with my partner. I love lying in bed until 11am on Sundays, and watching TV with my mum and dad without my mind being elsewhere.

It’s not that we have to earn rest—in fact, when my productivity levels feel lowest, that’s often a sign that I need to step back to recharge. But I also find work so much more energising when I can fully engage with it. I feel most exhausted by my PhD when I’m eking progress out in tortoise-slow steps, rather than entering a stretch of focused work where I can actually become excited by what I’m doing.

Of course, it is not realistic to expect all of our work to happen in that state. But I do think, with time spent learning how we work best, it’s possible to cultivate the conditions that make this kind of flow state more likely. I used to feel frustrated that I got a lot of my work done in intense bursts, followed by less productive stretches. I found myself thinking, why can’t I just even it out and get the same, sensible amount done every day? Over time, though, I’ve realised that I get much more done by working with my brain rather than battling against it.

I think that learning how to work with your own brain is a deeply personal journey. That might sound obvious, but so much of the content we see online positions productivity as a one-size-fits-all set of life hacks; a single formula for success. Excuse my language, but I think most of that is a load of shit. Too much of that industry keeps us engaged by making us feel as though we should always be working differently. In reality, many of the most interesting, ‘productive’ people I know have weird and wonderful ways of working, and wouldn’t dream of suggesting that everyone else needs to be doing the same.

It took me years of experimenting to figure out what works best for me. What follows isn't a productivity system or a blueprint for success. (That would rather go against what I’m trying to explore with this whole series). Instead, I lay out the questions and experiments that have helped me understand how I work. Even (and perhaps especially) on days when I'm feeling overwhelmed or anxious, these are the things that help me find my way back into focused work. They don't always work, and on those days, I give myself grace.

None of these involve buying anything new or forcing yourself into a rigid routine; they are simply practical but flexible ideas you can adapt, discard, or reshape until they fit your own brain.

The rest of this piece is a practical companion to my previous essay on productivity culture. These are some of the frameworks, experiments, and habits that have helped me build a working style that feels both effective and sustainable.