@PetePlaysTheGames this is exactly what I meant but skewed perspective for my part.

I'm doing this less and less now, but the self-gaslighting on whether "I did anything at all" is always really disturbing. Not to mention the self-bashing train of thought that used to arrive afterwards.

I've been managing better with some serious boundary setting with myself ("we talked about this, Mildred" - so I tell my harshest self critiquing inner voice) and tracking my activities more persistently when the warping gets particularly bad. Nothing like some data to unwarp things.

@odoben

This shouldn't work, but it does! A similar trick would be the coffee stains on paper.

@PetePlaysTheGames I find it much easier to give myself some leeway to start my day slower when I know it's a three-day weekend, or anything similar.

Funnily enough, I'll end up either trying something completely new that energizes me with that extra "free" time, or, I'll use it to do a bigger task that may have felt daunting to attempt on a regular day/weekend.

Can't comment on the "more or less productive" bit, still dealing with skewed views around that.