Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
I have a problem, and I suspect I’m not the only one.
I feel the need to be productive. All. Of. The. Time. I’m the first to say yes to new projects at work, and I’m happy to offer up help whenever it’s needed.
You might think, “Well, what’s the problem with that?” The problem is it’s burning me out. Yes, too much productivity applied in the wrong way can be a bad thing.
It’s called toxic productivity.
When Does Productivity Become Toxic?
If you're asking yourself, "Wait, so is everything toxic now?" I hear you.
It's not toxic to want to streamline your productivity, to lessen your busyness, and to—generally speaking—take care of business.
Instead, toxic productivity is when your desire or obsession to be productive becomes unhealthy.
This looks like being productive to the point where your physical health, mental health, relationships, sleep quality, and overall well-being are impacted.
Toxic productivity makes you feel like a failure when you’re not doing something to accomplish a task or meet a goal. People who experience this type of toxicity go above and beyond in all aspects of life which can lead to fatigue, burnout, anxiety, and depression.
How Toxic Productivity Differs From Workaholism
When productivity teeters on the edge of toxicity and burnout, it crosses the line from helpful to toxic.
People who are prone to this kind of toxicity may be mistaken as workaholics, really dedicated to their careers, or passionate about their families, but while things like employee productivity may disguise themselves as workaholism, it's more than that.
The term workaholism was first coined in 1971 by psychologist Wayne E. Oats. He defined workaholism as “an uncontrollable need to work incessantly,” and considered it an addiction.
Workaholics have a compulsive need to work hard and often feel negative emotions, like guilt and restlessness, when they’re not working.
This is separate and apart from the number of hours worked. Someone can be a workaholic and only work 40 hours a week, and someone can not be a workaholic and work over 60 hours a week.
The Push for Productivity
Remember in 2019 when the World Health Organization recognized burnout in their 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon, and everyone who’s ever experienced burnout simultaneously said “Thank you” and felt validated?
Yeah, I remember that, too.
But then the pandemic struck, and there was an overwhelming need to be productive because of our newfound free time. We all started new hobbies, took on extra at work because we didn’t have a commute, and started those home improvement projects we’d been putting off.
Suddenly overnight, it felt like there was a constant push to be productive.
Our culture has always placed a lot of value on working hard and thus being productive. The harder you work, the quicker you’ll get that promotion or that raise. The more you study, the better your odds at getting into a great college.
Start a side hustle in addition to your day job because being busy is a badge of honor to wear proudly. We rarely hear stories about people celebrating realistic goals or taking a break because hustle culture has taken the reins.
The toxicity around productivity often comes from what we think we should be doing instead of what we actually want to do or need to do for our own well-being.
We blindly trudge down a path society directs us down without setting boundaries, making time for rest, and stopping to ask ourselves what we actually need in the present moment.
We’re so focused on what we should do and what everyone else is doing that we go-go-go nonstop and burn ourselves out before we even stop to think about what we actually want.
For some, toxic positivity manifests due to impostor syndrome. People who feel the constant need to prove themselves even though their experience and education speak for themselves can turn to employee productivity to the point of fault.
Others hide behind productivity as a way to seek validation in their lives. They turn to work, hobbies, or their children’s extracurricular activities instead of facing their emotions head-on.
What Toxic Productivity Could Look Like
Still not sure what toxic productivity looks like?
The following examples are meant to show how everyday actions can lead to toxic productivity. Fitness watches aren’t out to get us and reading a productivity book is super helpful, but remember — everything in moderation.
Listening to Productivity Podcasts
Podcasts are awesome, and nowadays, there’s a podcast for everything.
Toxic productivity looks like forcing yourself to listen to a productivity podcast to improve your work performance even when you already have a lot on your plate.
Instead of listening to a podcast that allows you to rest and leaves you feeling relaxed, you walk away with more items to add to your to-do list.
This behavior is toxic, especially when you’re attempting to listen to a productivity podcast while trying to be productive.
Scheduling Everything on Your Calendar
Scheduling is a great tool in both your personal and work life. I love scheduling dedicated time to work on big projects or setting reminders a few weeks out for critical items I need to remember.
But sometimes scheduling everything can lead to overbooking, which leads to anxiety when there aren’t enough hours in the day to complete your work, let alone enjoy a meal or get in a workout.
Even if you are scheduling downtime to rest, if you have to move that time on your calendar every single day, what was intended to be helpful is now hurting you. You may feel the need to work more to complete all your scheduled meetings and tasks before you allow yourself to rest.
Wearing (and Obsessing Over) Your Fitness Watch
Moving our bodies is important. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to measure your fitness progress and goals.
But when you’ve reached your flow in whatever you’re engaged in and your watch pings you every hour to tell you to stand up and move, that can be toxic productivity.
When the device that’s intended to make you feel accomplished and on track stresses you out, that’s a problem. David Sedaris explains the smartwatch fixation brilliantly in his essay, Stepping Out.
Reading Productivity Books
Remember when reading was fun, and you could pick up the latest New York Times bestseller and escape in a story for an afternoon? Yeah, me neither.
That’s because I’ve been too busy reading productivity books to improve my work performance and learn how to be my best self that I forgot that I actually enjoyed reading fiction novels.
When you attach a goal or a task to every activity in your life, it’s exhausting and can lead to serious burnout.
Misusing Your Productivity Journal
Productivity journals and work journals are efficient and streamlined ways to track your progress and accomplishments.
But if you started your productivity journal by writing down three to five big tasks you completed that day, and now you write no less than ten, it may be time to reassess how beneficial the journal is to your success.
The goal is to track what you’ve completed each day, not to outwork yourself and cause unneeded stress.
4 Non-Toxic Productivity Hacks
Productivity hacks can motivate us and help move things forward (this article has a lot of great tips and tricks to try!).
But when it comes to the fine line between toxicity and productivity, try these hacks to keep your productivity in check.
1. Allow Yourself to Take Breaks
It’s proven that taking breaks improves your productivity, creativity, and well-being. It can be hard some days to find the time. I get it, we’ve all been there.
But even a five-minute coffee break or walk around the block can give you the rest you need to refresh and motivate you to finish what you were working on.
2. Practice Mindfulness
When you’re mindful of your actions, you’re more aware and in tune to your physical and emotional needs. You’ll be more likely to sense when you’re on the verge of burnout when you’re feeling more anxious than usual.
Mindfulness is a simple but effective way to keep your productivity levels up without overdoing it.
3. Set Clear Boundaries
Personal boundaries and work boundaries help to avoid burnout and allow you to rest. This could look like no email or social media after 8:00 or no meetings on Wednesday from 2:00 to 4:00 so you can focus on deep work.
Establish a clear set of boundaries that work for you and then communicate them.
4. Practice Positive Self-Talk
Self-talk is your inner dialogue. You’re constantly talking to yourself, whether you realize it or not. So instead of saying things like “You could have done that quicker” or “I can’t do that,” flip the script and talk to yourself in a positive way.
If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend, don’t say it to yourself.
4 Ways to Set Realistic Productivity Expectations for Yourself
Being productive is a wonderful feeling, and toxic productivity is avoidable. Try these recommendations to be intentional about how you approach productivity.
1. Disconnect Your Identity from Your Productivity
In order to set realistic productivity expectations, you need to disconnect your self-worth and identify from your productivity.
This is how Mel Fox, Co-Founder of Work For Your Beer, sets realistic expectations around her productivity.
“Just recognizing the connection was a huge step for me. I think the notion of disconnecting my self-worth from productivity has been a huge challenge since being a high performer is a part of my personality that I don’t want to give up. It’s more about realizing when it’s turning into burnout or anxiety versus healthy productivity,” Fox says.
2. Develop a Questioning Mindset
How often do you stop and pause before you make a decision to take on more work or attend an event?
Next time you’re faced with an opportunity, take a moment and ask yourself a few questions. Do you have the mental capacity to do what is asked of you? Do you even want to do it? Are you excited about it? Is it important to you?
Pausing to reflect on what you want and need instead of what society has deemed to be necessary or essential can prevent burnout down the road.
3. Discuss Your Productivity Expectations at Work
You may feel the need to be more productive at work because how you define productivity and how your boss defines productivity are vastly different.
Kara Kirby, Founder of Insights Leadership Group, says, “Have conversations about expectations with your manager. Most times, we put more pressure on ourselves than anyone else around us. If you have this conversation, relief follows.”
4. Set Personal Expectations and Iterate as Needed
Setting realistic expectations around your productivity is going to vary based on your season of life. Before having a child, it felt like I could clean the house, research and write an article, and go for a three-mile run all before lunchtime.
Now, I’m lucky if I can shower before my son goes down for his first nap of the day.
I tried to maintain the same productivity levels after giving birth, but it wasn’t realistic, and it really stressed me out. Once I was honest with myself and gave myself permission to set new expectations, it gave me the freedom to be productive in a healthy way.
