Hello again :) Why am I feeling lazy?

Long time no talk. :) I’ve been busy.

I recently graduated with my MBA and felt confident that I’d hit the ground running right after. And why shouldn’t I feel that way? I had a bunch of new knowledge and 20+ hours a week freed up. My brain wasn’t constantly thinking about inattentive group members, the four Ps of marketing or the final exam I had coming up.

Instead, with my degree in the rearview, I have felt a bit stuck and a tad lazy.

At first, this was intentional. I said I was giving myself three weeks to lay on the couch, watch TV, read mindless novels and go to as many happy hours as my heart desired. It was much needed, and I highly recommend giving yourself time to do nothing.

But, that period is over, and I’ve found my productivity way down despite having way more time to complete tasks.

I’ve taken time to think about why that is, and I think I’ve been able to narrow it down to a few key reasons and things that we should all avoid.

Vague goals: I have career and personal goals I’ve set for myself, but the timelines are pretty vague. When I was in school, I had deadlines set for me and had to plan other deadlines around them. I knew when papers were due, and I knew when I needed to wrap up a work project so that I could focus on my Marketing Management or Managing Complex Projects finals. Now, I don’t have the same framework or tentpole dates set for me. In order to increase my productivity, I am project managing my own schedule, complete with deadlines, check-ins and more to stay on track.

Lack of blocked-off “free” work time: When I was in school, I blocked off certain evenings or a few hours on the weekend to just work. I had an agenda, but I would also give myself time just to think, work on multiple projects at once, let my mind wander and brainstorm. This time was WILDLY beneficial. Lately, I’ve been trying to smush too much work into smaller blocks. This has led to a lack of creativity, new ideas and productivity. Moving forward, I’m setting aside intentional time to work on whatever. Consulting! My “9-5” job! Brainstorming! This newsletter!

All that said, my writing is a bit rusty, not going to lie, but I’m excited to dive back into this newsletter. While this one was pretty straightforward (hope it was helpful,) future weeks’ newsletters will include more personal anecdotes, life lessons and practical takeaways. As always, I’ll work to bring you productivity and career advice through the lens of my life and experience in sports digital media. I appreciate everyone who’s stuck around and welcome everyone new. Let’s learn together.

— Olivia