Talking with clients over the past while, it is clear how easy it is for us to drift from our healthy habits, have an unproductive day and feel crappy about ourselves at the end of it.

One young woman commented on how even though she knows better, there have been days where she picks up her phone upon waking, climbs back into bed and frustratingly finds herself there an hour or more hour later. Her brain started "with we just need a quick look at..." and soon she had lost and hour of her day.

Or how other people aren't as productive as they'd like to be during their day, so they choose to work late into the evening to make up for it. Only to feel tired and deflated at the end of it all. These are some of the many challenges of #WFH.

Whether you relate to these examples or not, in the absence of our usual structures and routines, most of us are at risk of veering off course with some form of unproductive behaviour, such as diving too deep into news, social media or the Internet.

While managing our brain's tendencies and desires has always been a challenge, I believe our current context makes many of us more prone to veering off course than ever. Then feeling frazzled, guilty, unproductive, and ultimately unsatisfied with the time we wasted.

First, recognize that veering off is simply your biology looking for a way to feel better in the moment, given whatever stressors you are facing. Many of these veering off behaviours also become bad habits as we do them repeatedly. Your brain is trying to solve the problem of stress or worry or boredom with a poor strategy: seeking immediate gratification.

Second, remember the Viktor Frankl quote that "between stimulus and response there is a choice." At every moment we have a choice as to what we give our time, energy and attention to. The challenge of the human condition is that often we struggle to make that better choice.

Hence this idea of "staying fierce". Given how easy it is for most of us to veer off - I believe that we need to be fierce with ourselves.

What does that look like? Setting your alarm and not hitting snooze. Having a specific start time for work and honouring it. Having specific focused blocks scheduled into your day to work on your highest priority - and honouring it. Scheduling exercise or movement into your day - and honouring it. Deleting the social media Apps on your phone that tend to distract you the most and experiencing the joy of missing out (JOMO) and getting to what matters most.

In essence, having more discipline. As Jocko Wilink says: "Discipline equals freedom!" We need to be fierce with our daily habits and routines that we know keep us on track. And we need to be fierce with the fences and guardrails that keep our bad habits and vices out of reach.

If this sounds hard, it is! But it is also rocket fuel - once you take that stand. There is power in having more discipline in your life - a sense of agency and control - amidst many things that are out of control. Saying "No!" to unproductive habits is hugely empowering. It quickly becomes a source of refuge in its own right, knowing that you are in control.

If you would like help deleting some unproductive habits or dialing in your structures and routines to stay strong and focused for the days ahead, please schedule a time to talk and we can discuss where you are and where you want to be.