Let me tell you a few things about how productivity can be toxic?
The term toxic productivity describes unhealthy behaviors in which you become obsessed with constant productivity and exceed realistic expectations, sacrificing physical and mental health.
At this stage, you feel that every moment should be spent productively. However, no matter how hard you try and how much you do, you often feel dissatisfied with yourself and feel that you haven’t done enough.
And this mentality is becoming increasingly common. The “contagion” has spread significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the lack of daily trips, I gained more free time. But instead of having more rest, we started working more. Compared to 2019, we started working 42% more on Saturdays and 24% more on Sundays.
The desire to be productive all the time and at any cost leads to increased anxiety, a significant deterioration in personal life and relationships and burnout at work.
According to the research, the long working hours and prolonged stress associated with the desire for success have a negative impact on the quality and duration of sleep. The “success” schedule leads to increased fatigue and can affect the onset of anxiety and depression.
How to recognize toxic productivity:
- You make unrealistic plans and expectations “Finish a work report”, “create a sculpture for the city”, “become a famous photographer”, “earn a million”. And that’s in a one-month plan.
- The feeling that “you haven’t done enough” never leaves you and constantly prevents you from getting the results you want. It seems like you’ll do everything right, all the work will be done and you can breathe a sigh of relief; you just need a little effort. The truth is that this feeling hasn’t left you for a year.
- Stopping is not an option. You feel uncomfortable when you allow yourself to relax; you can’t rest properly because it feels like you’re wasting your time. After all, in an hour’s walk in the park, you could give a presentation and start three extra projects, couldn’t you?
- The feeling of success never comes, everything you do seems meaningless. There’s no way to experience that desired sense of fulfillment.
- You feel a lack of energy all the time, even in the morning, so it’s worth paying attention to how your body feels when you wake up. Remember that tiredness is not a normal state.
Pay attention to yourself.
As we can see, toxic productivity is quite dangerous. So the next time you start getting sucked into the black hole of productivity, it’s worth looking back and reflecting a little. Is it really worth it?
Start paying more attention to yourself. Try to set aside time to relax, spend more time with friends and don’t demand more of yourself than you can handle. Remember: no matter how productive, efficient or successful you are, you always pay with your life for your results. Sometimes literally.
