In fourth grade, I had to do a report on Leonardo da Vinci.

I still remember everything I learned about him in my research — he was a fascinating dude.

I also remember that I stayed home from school the day the report was due, because I had not yet done the report.

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You know those beautiful blown-out photographs of some well-groomed person sitting at an attractive desk with attractive lighting in an attractive home or office?

And then there are those inviting flat-lay shots of work surfaces that always seem to include some kind of vegetation, a beverage, and very feminine office supplies.

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There are times when that elusive quarry known as “productivity” is impossible to get ahold of.

Grief, stress, and anxiety are like RAM-intensive applications running in the background of your mind, hogging all the resources and leaving you with only a sliver of processing power to complete your work.

Sometimes, you can still spend the afternoon putting in the time and going through the motions. A day of being present in body only isn’t much of a setback. But if you’re working from home — or worse, working for yourself — day after day without being able to focus, you might need to do something differently. In this article, I’ll share my tips for being productive when I’m exhausted, distracted, or overwhelmed and the work still has to get done.

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First of all, as a wise friend pointed out, your child is motivated.

She’s motivated to watch YouTube, play video games, read, draw, ride her bike, play with the pets, and hang out with friends.

If she’s under the age of 13, she’s also highly motivated to please you. (For teenagers, I make no such guarantees.)

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It is incredibly frustrating to be the parent of a child who would seemingly never turn in their work on time (and maybe never get it done in the first place) without intervention. Not only does it make many afternoons and evenings a joyless slog, it leads to worry that your child will still be lost and helpless as an adult. I am guessing that fighting over homework was not part of the live you envisioned as you beheld your newborn infant for the first time.

Below, five tips to help make things better. Ready?

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