The Do’s & Don’ts to Being Productive While High

While it can be tempting, and sometimes very easy, to get distracted and procrastinate important tasks after consuming, this doesn’t have to be the end result! Here are a few do’s and don’ts to cannabis consumption and productivity.

It’s important to have an understanding of your overall goals and timeframe for those goals in mind when planning an eventful, busy or work-filled day. Making a list of short-term and long-term goals with accompanying due dates/times, even if they are self-imposed, can be very helpful in putting a day’s work in perspective. By creating a schedule to focus on, you can avoid the distraction that can often accompany a high.

Staying organized makes it much easier to know what you’re currently doing and what you’ve already done. You can stay organized by making to-do lists, creating charts to keep yourself accountable, and keeping the area you’re working in or around generally put together. Keeping yourself organized can help reduce the stress of a busy day, which can lead to procrastination and an unproductive day.

Once you’ve set out to start working, running errands, or doing whatever it is you need to get done, don’t stop moving! Think of it as forward momentum. Once you begin crossing things off your to-do list, the worst thing to do is convince yourself you’ve done more than you actually have and reward yourself prematurely. It’s easy to slip into the “I can finish this later…” type of mentality, and how many times can you say that before you realize that you probably won’t get it done later?

Following up the last DO on this list is to remember to pace yourself. When it comes to staying productive while high, pacing yourself is the key to success. Give yourself a small amount of cannabis to consume before and during breaks when you’re working, and don’t consume any more until you’re finished. This can help pace your consumption and keep you from becoming too high to concentrate.

As important as it is to keep up momentum while you’re being productive, (see number 3 on this list), it is equally as important to give yourself breaks periodically. Breaks don’t always have to be synonymous with cannabis consumption, however. Taking a break to make something to eat, catch up on text messages or phone calls, check social media or personal e-mails, or simply to step outside can be incredibly beneficial to keeping yourself alert, motivated and focused. By allowing yourself a few minutes to indulge in something that feels good can actually keep those indulgences from becoming distractions later on. Marijuana is no exception to this rule!

Your surroundings are KEY to your success and productivity! Don’t set yourself up for failure before you’ve even begun by putting yourself in the wrong environment. Make sure that your work area is clear of clutter and distractions. That means turning off the TV, putting your phone on silent and making sure that you’re working somewhere that isn’t toocomfortable, like your bed. Similarly, keep the cannabis and whatever you’re using to consume it in another room or out of sight, so that you’re not tempted to go take a smoke break and then never resume your work. Trust me, we’ve all been there!

If you know you have a bit of a long day ahead of yourself, don’t get so high before you start working that you’re unable to sit down and focus on getting your work done. Similarly, getting too high before you begin a productive day can lead to feeling burned out, a term used to describe the tired and groggy feeling one can get after the high from consuming a large quantity of marijuana.

This seems like a no brainer, but some people really can’t see that their behaviors or routines are sabotaging their own success. Are you finding it hard to focus around the time of day you’re working? Does your workspace provide too many distractions? Can you apply yourself and focus to your fullest potential while high? If something isn’t working, cut it out of the equation! While it isn’t always easy, making the necessary changes to your routine can open up a world of possibilities for you in the long run.

High or not, it’s important to be realistic with your goals, timeframes and expectations of yourself while getting work done. If you wouldn’t expect yourself to get 3 assignments done in a day without being high, don’t expect yourself to miraculously be able to handle twice the workload once you’ve consumed cannabis. Being overly enthusiastic about how much work you can get done can lead to unrealistic expectations, and eventually unnecessary disappointment with yourself later on when you’ve come to the conclusion that you cannot get everything done in a day. And believe it or not, it always looks much easier (and quicker) to accomplish on paper than it ever truly is in reality.

There is already an incredibly strong stigma surrounding the use of cannabis. “Potheads” are condemned for being lazy, unmotivated and generally unproductive individuals — all of which has no basis or evidential support. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to keep yourself accountable when getting work done. Don’t allow yourself to fall into this stereotype of being “a slacker” and “unproductive” simply because you’re high. Show the world that you absolutely can be productive, get work done and stay motivated while consuming cannabis.

SOURCE: POTGUIDE.COM