A Guest Blog by Alex

The key to success is remaining motivated and giving everything your best shot. Things have to be done not only right but also in a timely fashion. Thus, a big part of our lives is spent on learning what the best ways to achieve such performances are. But how can you manage your time and stay productive when you’re mentally ill?

Losing Time on Mental Illness

Staying constantly productive all through the week is challenging enough when you’re healthy. Imagine how difficult it can be for someone who has to deal with a disorder of the mind simultaneously. If that is your case, then you might feel like our illness is draining you professionally and making you lose precious time.

For example, people struggling with borderline schizophrenia might experience a warped sense of reality, which extends to how they perceive the passage of time. Similarly, patients suffering from clinical depression won’t even notice when a day goes by. This is different from regular procrastination due to the serious underlying issue behind it.

How to Combat the Issue

Studies show that people struggling with mental health issues who work in places that offer them special health benefits for their disorder have higher chances of combating their problems and becoming productive again. But how can you get back in the game when you’re not being given any preferential treatment?

Well, the process won’t be easy, but you can succeed if you manage to gather up enough ambition for it. First and foremost, you need to set some professional goals, or even just daily ones at first. Don’t push your limits too hard from the start; instead, be kind to yourself and remember to breathe every occasionally.

Another way to stay organized when your grasp on temporal matters is weakened is to come up with a preset table for your daily activities. This can help even if you’re not currently employed anywhere, so don’t be afraid to act. Depending on the nature of your occupation, you can go about this in two ways.

If you find yourself doing basically the same things daily, you can devise a universal hourly chart organized by day of the week. But if your activities vary a lot, setting a to-do list for each day is the perfect solution. Complete it with time frames to achieve the best possible results.

If you’re not sure you can handle a full day’s work, start off slow with a few small chores, then increase their amount and difficulty level gradually. Effective time management during a bout of mental illness is all about pushing your limits and becoming a better you, but you also need to know how far you can bend and not crack.

What If I Fail?

Unfortunately, failure is also an option here. Pressuring yourself to follow a schedule can worsen your condition. Due to this, it’s recommended that you do this under strict medical supervision only. And even so, you might not succeed at first. There are no set guidelines when it comes to coping with a disorder of the mind, there’s only the hope for a better tomorrow.

Thus, you need to overcome this and try again. Together with your therapist, you will find a solution that works for you in the end. Remember that treating such a condition doesn’t happen after a set recipe. This is true for everything starting with medication and ending with this type of life improvement techniques.

Coming to terms with your failure in this situation will be even harder due to your illness. Try not to take it personally and don’t let it become an extra reason for you to spiral back into your disorder. Instead, see it as an opportunity to become even more productive. Use this learning experience positively and constructively, and favorable results will come eventually.

Conclusion

In all honesty, your mental illness will most likely cause you to lose track of your true self. Still, by choosing to be successful, you are enabling yourself to become more effective in your daily activities. It won’t be easy at first, but the important thing is not to give up on the goals that you set for yourself.

Pushing to become more organized is also beneficial in this situation. However, don’t be alarmed if you fail. There is a chance of this happening at first, so it’s essential to bounce back from it and try again.

Image Source: Unsplash.com