When Productivity Is Toxic

While we are sheltering at home, I wonder what we are up to. Are we pushing ourselves to do more in our work/home lives? Have we made loaves of bread that would put bakers in France to shame? Have we taught ourselves a new language? Written a screenplay? Knitted booties for preemies? Redone the basement? If not, shouldn’t we be doing these things... and more?

The answer, to put it gently, is not at all. Setting goals for how we should be using all this “extra time” to check things off our to-do lists seems like something good, yet it can in fact become what I like to call “Toxic Productivity.”

Productivity is Bad?

It becomes toxic when it shuts us off from the things that we need in our lives. When work becomes all-encompassing to the point where nothing else matters, is a very strong red-light that we are overwhelming ourselves.

We may not even notice that our stay-at-home work ethic is unhealthy. Take a moment to assess. Are we forgetting or working through our need to eat, drink, sleep, or go to the bathroom?  

Our partner/family members may be telling us that we're “always working,” “never around” or “always on our phone.” What they mean is, "We miss you. We need you. Please spend time with us.” 

Shouldn’t We “Do More”?

It may seem counterintuitive to say so, but let’s think about productivity. Being a productive person is wonderful, when we are feeling great about it, and when we aren’t it can send us down a spiral of self-doubt and depression. When we expect more from ourselves than we can produce in a healthy way; this is the definition of  “Toxic Productivity”. You can find a more in-depth description and coping strategies here.  

We are absolutely in unprecedented times right now. Our homes have become our world, offices, daycare and schools for our children. Some of us are still working, some of us are trying to find things to do, and many of us, no matter what our situation, are feeling overwhelmed. 

Guess what? That means we are human. It’s ok to become more productive, just as it is ok to feel that you can’t do any more than you are. It’s human to feel stuck and unmotivated right now. And it’s even fine to take this time to breathe.

How to Get Unstuck

There is no one perfect way to get motivated. Our motivation cues differ, just as we do. We can try setting more realistic goals, taking timed breaks throughout the day to meditate, check-in with family and friends, to connect with others in the outside world. (Thanks to video conferencing we can see those we care about, even if we can’t be in the same place.) We’ve seen friends dancing, singing, reading more and all of these can be joyful pursuits that take us out of our slump.

The number one thing to remember is to treat ourselves as we would treat others. We empathize when our family and friends are overwhelmed, and we can do the same for the person we see in the mirror. It’s ok to take all morning to get out of your pj’s. It’s ok to not start or finish the reorganizing project. Let your friends do the sourdough baking (and hopefully they will safely share some with you) while you cheer them on.

It’s ok not to be uber productive. We all, at one time or another in this isolating time, will feel uncomfortable and unsure. We are all human and we are all in this together. 

Reaching out and communicating the positives and negatives of the situation with others brings us all closer together in this time of isolation. All feelings are always allowed!  If I can be helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  All of my information can be found here. 

Transitional Stress

Change of any kind can cause what we call “Transitional Stress.”  The anxiety and emotional upheaval that an alteration to our normal routine can wreak upon us is a very real thing. Right now, I am in the middle of a fairly big move, which is the inspiration for this month's blog.  As our living environments shift, so do so many other things in our lives - which can be a beautiful and powerful thing. However, it can also bring a lot of uncertainty, which is a common feeling that can be a challenge to navigate.

Change Is Good

Though we are often told that ‘change is good’ - it doesn’t always feel as if it is; especially when we are right smack dab in the middle of piles of empty moving boxes. Remember the uncertainty of expecting your first child? Perhaps you recall starting a new semester at school? Or moving to a new position or job in your career. Although these changes can often be positive, the stress they induce isn’t. We may find ourselves questioning if it’s truly in our best interest to take the leap of taking on something new.

These transitions bring us in contact with new people, unfamiliar guidelines, situations and our adaptive responses to these shifts in our environment can be hindered or even baffled by all the new information we are taking in. From one moment to the next we can be excited, anxious, elated and then feeling overwhelmed by dread. It’s exhausting! Both physically and emotionally.

Many, if not all,  aspects of ourselves may be in upheaval. This article from Psychology Today on the 5 R’s of Culture Change, explains in more depth how our Routines, Reactions, Roles, Relationships, and Reflections about ourselves are all affected during times of transition.

Positive Habits for Change 

There are several coping mechanisms we can adapt, as habits perhaps, to guide us through these stressful changes. For example, exercise has many positive side effects, besides the obvious physical ones. More specifically, yoga relieves anxiety by stimulating brain chemicals, increasing the activity of serotonin and norepinephrine and a raised heart rate releases endorphins and a hormone known as ANP, which reduces pain, induces euphoria and helps control the brain’s response to stress.

Also, taking a moment to breathe and center ourselves, whether through guided meditation or other exercises, can bring us back from the anxiety induced brink. I have a blog post on how to Be Mindful About Burnout that delves into the practice and solutions it can give you.

Finding the practice that works best for us may take a little time. Here is an article by PsychCentral Associate Editor Therese J. Borchard that offers up several options. 

Change + Growth

This quote from Roy T. Bennet sums it up perfectly- “It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform.”

Change and transition are the only way for our personal growth to manifest. We grow when we take on a new class in a new semester at school. Our career trajectory grows when we take on a new position or job. And we move and grow into a new phase of our lives when we become parents or move into a new home or office. Change is good, when we know we have the tools and coping mechanisms to get us through it. After all, the only thing that is constant in our lives is in fact, change. 

As always, if I can be helpful in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out! All of my information can be found here.