Ways to be Productive with PCOS

PCOS

According to the World Health Organization PCOS affects 8-13% of reproductive age women and remains undiagnosed in over 70% of women worldwide. Take a moment to reread that sentence again and realize 70% of women worldwide being undiagnosed is an insane number. PCOS has many different symptoms ranging from what is most commonly discussed, irregular periods, to things that are overlooked, weight gain, depression, anxiety, and fatigue.

As I am sitting down to write this post I am exhausted. Absolutely exhausted and I got 9 hours of sleep and took a 2 hour nap today. PCOS really sucks especially when you are wanting to be productive as it takes all the energy out of you which in some cases can lead to more depression and anxiety. At least this is how it has been in my experience.

Productivity

I have always wanted to be productive, be on top of everything, and make sure I have a schedule. Since having PCOS there have been several ways I have learned to be productive when productivity seems impossible.

1. Start a Journal
   
   • This has helped drastically with the ability to prioritize thoughts and plans by getting them written down on paper and out of my head.
   • This also has helped me keep a clearer head and be more aware of my emotions.
     
     
2. Track Energy Levels
   
   • A really big suggestion is to track energy levels. There may be specific times of the day where you consistently have more energy than others.
   • Take the times where you have more energy and dedicate them as your times to “get things done”.
     
     
3. Break it Down
   
   • If you have a lot you want to get done the best way I have found is to break things down into more manageable chunks.
   • I do this because in part it helps to make things feel less overwhelming and also helps me find a better flow to get things done in a way that works around my moods and energy.
     
     
4. Don’t Get Discouraged
   
   • This is probably the biggest one on my personal list to maintain productivity. I have bad depression and anxiety due to being Bipolar 2 and PCOS doesn’t help the situation at all. I tend to get really upset with myself when I can’t stick to a routine, habit, or don’t complete something.
   • This tends to just lead to spiraling into negative thoughts or thinking “oh well I will never be able to do this”. But you don’t have to be so hard on yourself. We deal with so much that our bodies throw at us just the fact we can get through the day sometimes is something to be proud of.
   • Take it one day at a time and if you don’t complete something or mess up a routine just start again the next day.
     
     
5. Try New Things
   
   • Reading is one of the things I really enjoy doing, along side with learning, and I have recently started reading more productivity books. Some of the suggestions will not work for me because I just don’t have the energy to wake up at 5am every day, sorry Robin Sharma.
   • There is so much information out there for us to just take and use for ourselves. From a TikTok video about how to clean while you work to a suggestion from a friend or therapist, we have an almost unlimited number of options of things to try that may help increase productivity.
     

As I continue to read more about PCOS and Productivity I am sure my suggestions will change and more will be added or removed. But at the end of the day I just hope you are able to take away some of these suggestions or be inspired to try something new and not feel like productivity is impossible.