Yes, when my load is lighter I take advantage of the space and time – but I like myself better when I’m more productive. It’s the inertia and momentum that gets me – it’s harder to start up than to keep going. And, I found a subtle thing that was happening. A few months ago we rented out much of our household decor, including our sofa, to a movie set. While the sofa was gone and we had a smaller, more uncomfortable settee in its place, I accomplished so much more! Upon our sofa’s return, I sold it and bought a smaller, more firm one – no more sinking into comfortable depths and lingering there – and it’s worked! So, finding out what the time-waster was really helped.

So, I’d say one thing I do to turn things around would be to add something new or take on a new, short-term project. And the other, is to identify the time-suck, and either schedule it in, so it doesn’t sideswipe me, or remove it.

Personally I’ve found that having externally created and imposed deadlines works best for me. Though I’ve gotten better, I’m usually not very good at time management without an external motivator.