The battle of the newest “girl eras” continues. From Girl Boss To Soft Girl and most recently Lazy Girl, these characterization are all overcorrections for whatever societal ills women were faced with at the time (lower self-esteem, superwoman syndrome, burnout) it seems like we’re always looking for a way to course correct, almost to an extreme degree. Micro-productivity is the happy medium.
For a few months last year, the Lazy Girl archetype took over, which empowered women to seek out ways to do the bare minimum at work while still earning a living. Unfortunately, that has led some into financial trouble while still grappling with the effects of being burnt out. Micro-productivity, the process of dividing a large task into smaller one and rewarding yourself with more breaks after accomplishing them, can help reformed lazy girls get their energy (and money) back up.
Here’s how it can work for you.
How to do microproductivity
These steps can help kickstart your microproductive journey:
- Name what you have to get done: Identify a singular project you need to get crossed off your list.
- Compartmentalize it: Divvy this heavy task into lighter more, manageable tasks. Being specific about the micro-task and assigning a time limit on how long you’d like to take to get it done and help get you moving.
- Prioritize: Pay close attention to what needs to get done based on your internal and external (if you’re in a client-facing role) tasks based on importance or timeliness.
- Schedule: Assign specific times to get the micro-tasks done, with breaks in between. Google Calendar is great for creating time blocks in a clearly visual way, and auto-reminder alerts can help keep you on track.
- Start: Get to work on the tasks one by one, focusing specifically on the to-do in front of you.
- Pat yourself on the back: You may not feel like it, but those small task you got done is quite the accomplishment. Keep going!