I’m one of those crazy productive people that gets more done by 9am than most people accomplish all day. Usually.

I absolutely love my hyper-productive phases.

Sometimes I’ll start my day at 4am, whiz through work at light speed, and celebrate with a nice long two-hour nap while everyone else is still struggling to get through their tasks for the day.

Today (this week, this month even) has not been one of those days.

It seems there is a bad case of the Blah’s going around. Have you had your Blah Shot?? (LOL, if there was such a thing I’d be first in line for it!) Seriously, I’ve talked to a number of close friends lately, and it seems I’m not alone. Creativity, motivation and focus are down across the board…

Blame the time of year, change of weather, seasonal allergies – whatever the case, the stars just don’t seem to be lining up lately. When these phases hit, I often say “the moon is in Uranus”, which is like Mercury Retrograde – but worse.

You can’t be “ON” all the time.

There’s no way to maintain that hyper-productivity non-stop. You’ll have your ups and downs. Productivity and Recovery. Being in a crazy good hyper-productive phase day in and day out would ultimately do you in. Nobody can maintain that high an energy level without having a break to give your brain a rest.

Creativity comes in cycles. True creatives (writers, artists, etc) have their brilliant moments, and their struggles. It seems when you’re in a down phase there’s nothing you can really do to spark brilliance, or even focus or motivation.

Except wait it out.

My solution has been to “ride the wave”. When I’m in hyper-productive mode, I ditch the routine & schedule and just go for it – do all I can do while the energy is high. And when I’m NOT in productive mode, simply allow myself to rest. It’s during these times that my business goes into “maintenance mode”. And that’s where I’ve been lately, simply maintaining.

(The key is to do all your “money work” while you’re in productive mode, which will float you through your recovery time.)

It can be frustrating though, because I prefer – and really miss – that high energy phase. Where everything you touch turns to gold (instead of everything you touch falling apart -lol). And I’m talking about big ideas or creative projects, not the usual daily tasks. Though those can be hard to get through when you’re head is just not in the game too. Hard, but not impossible – so the key is to just work your way through the easy stuff – and then take necessary breaks.

Anyway, I’ve heard from a number of people lately who are in a bit of a funk and struggling to get back in their groove. It happens. I’ve been going through that lately myself. I thought this might be a great opportunity to share some of my posts on this topic from the archives:

• Get Your Focus! How to Beat Distraction
• Dealing with Burn-out, Staying Motivated
• Getting Back On Track When You Feel Derailed
• Working From Home & Self Motivation…
  (and see the links at the end of that post, too)

I would love to hear what’s going on with you lately, how you deal with your highs and lows – whether it’s creative highs & lows, or just typical life stuff (distractions, etc) – and what motivates you, or helps you achieve a breakthrough when you’re in a bit of a rut…

Best,