Post Exam Slump

For a number of weeks after my exams I felt completely lost. I didn't want to admit it to anyone, let alone myself, but I felt like I had lost the purpose and drive that I had when I was studying.

Not waking up at 5am. Not have a structured, methodical ‘to do’ list. Not having a clearly defined end goal for me to work towards. I was seriously struggling.

I am the type of person that needs to have a lot going on in my life to maintain my highest level of productivity. This isn’t always a good thing, but I have realised it suits me well in having the ambition of being a solicitor. Having worked in a number of legal environments, one thing rarely changes, and that is how busy solicitors are on a rolling basis. From doing a lot of self-reflection over my career I know that I fit into the category of someone that needs to be mentally stimulated and have an end goal to be working towards to ensure I am at my best.

Anyway, I digress.

The point of this post is to be open and honest about feeling lost after finishing exams / university / education in general. I felt like I must have been the only one who wasn’t achieving much in the day… when I sat back and reflected on how I was feeling, I realised a couple of things:

1. It is okay to have some down time after accomplishing a huge task. Being a first-generation university student, as well as leaving the working world to complete this, was a huge achievement and something I needed to recognise and take some time to acknowledge;

2. Do not compare yourself against others’ productivity. I have an Instagram account, where I post more content for this blog, and it was becoming very hard not to compare my lack of drive against others who were seemingly smashing all aspects of their lives. The reality is, I didn’t have a lack of drive and they likely had times when they weren’t hitting all of their targets.

Comparison is a scary thing and something we all fall into the trap of doing it all too often, as well as self-doubting our abilities and achievements. It is okay to take time off though and it is okay to have times when your productivity is less than your average.

Some ways in which I regain motivation and productivity are listed below, for anyone else that may be struggling during these uncertain times as to how to remain focused.

Remember what your goals are:

This can range from a daily goal of going for a walk or applying for one job per day. However, I think it is more important to focus on your long-term goals to really ramp up your motivation. Remember what it is that you want to achieve and what you need to do to get there. Very few things in life come from putting minimal effort in, so remind yourself where you want to be and the work you need to do to get there.

Get into a routine:

This may seem like the last thing you need to do or prioritise when you have plenty of spare time, however, this is one of the most important factors when it comes to improving productivity. Waking up before 8am really helps me get into a productive mindset and feeling like I can tackle tasks. Having a relative structure for your day will not only make you realise how quick the days can pass when you keep busy, but also allotting time for particular tasks ensures you get them done.

Utilise this time:

It is really important to acknowledge that this time is actually an incredibly rare opportunity to discover new things and spend time on projects you have put aside for a long time. There is a plethora of resources available currently, from free online courses to discounts on a number of services. It is well worth using this time to up-skill and recognise how invaluable this period of lockdown actually is.

Take a break when you need it:

I mention this a lot, most likely because I am generally not good at turning off my mind from thinking about my next task. It is so important to take time to rest and recoup, especially if you are feeling unproductive. Even though many people think you need to power through when you are not being productive, this is completely counterintuitive in most cases, as you end getting more and more frustrated with how unproductive you are being (well at least that is the case for myself). So take the time, rest your mind and body and you will feel much more ready to tackle anything if you do so.

As always, I hope this has helped someone and that you are keeping well!

Until next time...