What does it mean to feel productive? There are some days where we feel, yeah, that was a good day. And days where we feel a bit disappointed in our efforts, or that we could have done more. What are the conditions for each, and which day would you prefer? I've noticed that I feel I have been more productive on days where I have done some sort of exercise in the morning, recently that has been running or using the rowing machine. What this means is that, I should probably make it a requirement to do either of those things, perhaps not every day but at least as much as possible.

I believe it was in Burn After Reading where George Clooney's character says it, but he said he always tries to get in exercise at least every three days. I think this is a good benchmark to stick to, as any longer and it makes it much harder to get back into a good rhythm, which is extremely important in building productive habits. Any longer, and the feeling like you are starting over, and therefore you have to push that much harder, can become overwhelming (always focus on just finishing, don't worry at all about the time, and go as slow as you need to but never stop until you reach your target).

If you can do this exercise or whatever makes you feel that the day was a productive one every day, then great for you. Sometimes with modern schedules and the like this is just not possible, so it helps to have some form of leniency built in. Don't treat yourself too hard for falling off the bandwagon, and make it as easy as possible to get back on. That way we can all but ensure that our days are productive.

P.S., a daily blog is really helpful in your sense of accomplishment or productivity as it means that each day you have at least produced something. It may not be the Mona Lisa, but your blog post goes some way in processing your thinking patterns, and can also be helpful to those who read it.