10 Steps to Raise Your Productivity While Working

We have all done it, fallen victim to that lazy stoner portrayal. The one where you sit down to enjoy a few smokes of your favourite marijuana and spend the rest of the day slouched on the sofa surviving mainly on a diet of pizza, letting your mind wander through daytime TV. With some strong stereotyping from the media, stoners are often considered a lackadaisical blot on society with little drive or motivation. Could it be though that just the nature of having a relaxing day is what causes us to substitute sustenance with pizza? What about if you wanted to have those few morning smokes, or some cannabutter on toast and THEN go and do something or start a project you've been stewing over?

Now, this may blow some minds but it is perfectly feasible to remain productive whilst high. Of course, it requires a little structure and a positive mindset but we have compiled 10 top tips we feel will help you be more productive whilst high, rather than fuelling that age old media stereotype. Whilst these 10 tips can be applied to any situation, as a general guide if you plan on working through your high a sativa strain is usually best. Sativa strains provide an uplifting high, often associated with being more creative as opposed to their indica counterpart. Indica strains tend to induce a heavier bodied high. The type that can be perfect after a long day at work but not always helpful in ticking some jobs off that to-do list.

10 Top Tips to Staying Productive

#10 Set Yourself a Target

Being able to visualize the end result is often what drives us to finish a project or task. Doing this while high is even more key. Be sure to set yourself long and short term goals. It is all too easy to let the mind wander so setting a short term goal to finish something by lunch, can help you stay on track. Then the long term goal can be the completion of the whole task by the end of the day. This way even the simplest things can fill you with a sense of achievement, motivating you to push on.

#9 Keep Your Work Area Tidy

Often the more creative our minds the less organized our workspace tends to be. Whilst this may not always be true, keeping things tidy will reap huge benefits in the long run. Knowing where things are means that when you need something you don't become distracted by the journey of finding it. Being able to move freely around your workspace and with easy access to everything you need will keep you steam rolling through your tasks.

#8 Don't Feed the Stereotype

As we have already seen the media does us no favours when it comes to our portrayal in society. One of the biggest motivating factors needs to be carving a new image of the benefits weed can bring. Not allowing yourself to slip into what is expected of you, in this case, a day of pizza and TV whilst high will push you on to doing something more. It is high time we showed the world weed doesn't destroy minds but instead fuels them!

#7 Take a Break

Not intentionally ripping off the popular chocolate bar phrase but this is a key tip. Even the greatest minds need some downtime. This doesn't mean a week at a time, but more 15 minutes to come away from what you are working on and enjoy an unrelated task to give your mind a break. This could just be rolling a joint or even making a cup of tea. Having regular breaks will help you stay focused and give you some perspective on the work you are undertaking.

#6 Keep Ticking Things Off

You've tidied your workspace, given yourself a break and set an end of day goal. What happens if you actually finish ahead of schedule? This may be cause for a celebration and we would not want to stop that but before you order in that round of pizza's, actually adding tasks to your to-do list can really get the party started. If you achieved more than you thought possible while high, why stop there? Adding a few more jobs or tasks and making the most of your productive high will leave you enjoying that uplifting euphoria far more when you can sit back and see what you have accomplished.

#5 Too Much of a Good Thing is Actually Bad

It is not too often you will see cannabis sites telling you not to get too high, but on this occasions, it is for the best. Too much of your favourite strains can turn a creative burst into more of a "mind wandering the cosmos affair" and this is counter-productive to getting things done. Pacing your high is often the best approach. You get to enjoy the high and relaxation that comes with weed, and you can use that top up smoke as a much-needed break between tasks. Finishing before the event has even happened is never a good approach, and that is a lesson that applies to many situations... If you know what I mean.

#4 Don't Be Unrealistic

Whether you are a list person or not, knowing what you need to achieve is a great way to stay on track. Writing an unachievable list though is just as bad as no list at all. Be realistic with what you can achieve in the time you have given yourself. High or not looking back on the day with only 3 things ticked off a one-page list will leave you feeling deflated, fuelling those negative connotations that can come with smoking weed. Consider the workload you would normally achieve when not high and set that as the base. There is no reason why you wouldn't achieve this standard when high and no reason to assume that you could achieve double that if high as well.

#3 Set The Pace

Remember that childhood battle of the tortoise and the hare. Plowing head fast into a few smokes and the dark depths of a new project are a surefire way to burn yourself out. Setting a steady pace will not only help you make it to the end of the day but help you to ride that euphoric wave for the whole day as well. Starting slow and then taking on more tasks as your high levels out will keep you on the straight and narrow.

#2 Stay Organised

Now this could be in the form of a to-do list; a tick list, graph, wall poster or even a pie chart. Point being no matter how you want to track your progress make sure you DO track your progress. Just make sure that whatever you want to achieve whilst high is documented in a form you can see and cross off when it is done. Those gold stars you used to get in school for doing your homework, well, turns out they still work!

#1 If It Doesn't Work Don't Do It!

This may seem like a vague attempt at hitting that final number 10 tip but it is as simple as it sounds. If you are a night owl, smoke and work at night. If you like to seize the day, hit that joint early and plow into some work. Find out what works for you and build your tasks around that. Forcing yourself to do anything different will ruin the experience of being high whilst working, leaving you feeling deflated.