On Toxic Productivity

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

We live in a culture that puts a lot of value into being productive. There are tons of blog posts and news stories on how to be more productive. Productivity is frequently equated with success.

This post is for those over-achievers out there. You know who you are. :)  It’s about something called “toxic productivity”: something I hadn’t even heard of before last year. It’s also known as “action bias.”

What could possibly be bad about being productive? There’s definitely a downside, especially, I think, for writers and other creative people.  Psychology Today discussed the issue in this post byPalena R. Neale Ph.D, PCC, :

Psychologist Kathryn Esquer, founder of the Teletherapist Network, says, “We could have used our free time to rest, recharge, and restore ourselves, but many of us filled those hours with more work to feel worthy, fulfilled, and in control.”

And what’s more, doing “enough” is never enough for people who fall into the toxic productivity trap. Such people are never satisfied—they could always have done more, or done things better. And this dissatisfaction is accompanied by guilt.

The article covers areas that sound very familiar to me. I’m definitely a Type-A, get-it-done person. The only thing I might disagree with is their statement that toxic productivity can produce slapdash efforts. Because I’ve already put the planning into it (my outlines, for instance), the results usually turn out all right. Although the results aren’t the problem, there are plenty of others associated with the issue.

Another article, this one by Danielle Doolen for The Everygirl site, talks about the problem inherent in choosing to only tackle tasks “with a clear objective”:

When’s the last time you did something solely for enjoyment? Like taking a walk in silence without forcing yourself to listen to a career-related podcast or taking on a hobby just for fun without trying to monetize it. People who suffer from toxic productivity often have unrealistic expectations about what needs to be accomplished. Sometimes what needs to be done is nothing. It’s okay if not everything you do has a clear purpose. Rest and relaxation are productive because they allow you to come back refreshed and ready to tackle your next project.

Although I hadn’t heard about toxic productivity until recently, I’m well-acquainted with burnout. Now I try and do better about refilling my well, although I am fairly single-minded even in my relaxation. To make the most of my time, I have watch-lists and TBR (to-be-read) lists so I can quickly hop right into something that I think I might enjoy. The idea is to get creative refreshment from activities like reading, watching films, taking walks outside, and listening to music.

One thing I haven’t been great about doing with myself is setting boundaries. It’s important to have an end to the working day. Emails can wait until the next day and so can other writing-related tasks.

Maybe tell yourself: you’ve done well today. It’s time to pack it in. Talk to yourself as you’d speak to a friend. Would you tell your friend they could be more productive after they’ve put in a full day?

Have you ever heard of toxic productivity? Have you experienced it for yourself?

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay