5 Ways Toxic Productivity Might Be Hurting You
Have you ever felt overworked, burned out, or just totally had a breakdown? In today’s culture of toxic productivity, it’s scary how common it is for us to treat burnout like it’s ok - but it’s not. Nowadays it’s “normal” to neglect our health and personal lives and to put work above everything else.
Think about it.
We glamorize busyness. When I was in college, we were “amazed” when someone pulled an all-nighter. When we ask each other how we’re doing, how often do we say “I’m soooo busy” as if it’s a badge of honor? And you don’t have to go very far to be bombarded by hustle culture messages which tell you that if it doesn’t cause you pain, you’re not doing it right, or you’re not “successful” enough.
Could your productivity be killing you? And how do you know if your hustle is toxic?
Here are 5 ways toxic productivity might be hurting you - be sure to read all the way to the end because the last way productivity may be hurting you might surprise you.
1. Your productivity leads you to neglect your relationships.
At first, your family and friends might be impressed by how hardworking you are and your late nights at the office. But when you start missing birthdays and anniversaries, or when you’re constantly checking your phone or stepping out for calls - their enthusiasm drops off real quick.
You might start off by believing that your busyness is just going to last another week or two - but more often than not, you realize that it’s never-ending. Sometimes your family might speak up and let you know that they aren’t happy. But other times, you’ll start noticing that you’re not getting those invitations like you used to. Days turn into weeks and months since the last time you’ve seen your friends.
Before you know it, you’ll have a laundry list of people who feel hurt or neglected by your lack of presence.
2. Your productivity leads you to neglect your physical health.
When was the last time you moved your body, or even got up from your desk? If you can’t remember, then this is your friendly reminder to get up for a stretch break.
If you’re working so much that you’re not able to do the things that keep you healthy (like sleeping, eating, and exercising), then it’s causing you harm.
Some questions to ask yourself are:
Are you up to date on your doctor's appointments?
Are you able to nurture your body with non-processed foods, or do you eat fast food and processed food 100% of the time?
Does your schedule allow you to exercise or move your body regularly?
Do you feel good in your body? Or, do you feel aches, pains, etc which have increased in relationship with your work schedule?
3. Your productivity leads you to feel guilty about taking breaks.
Have you regularly felt too caught up in work to go to the bathroom or have lunch? Toxic productivity can show up in the guilt we feel about doing things that are good for us - like taking breaks. But the joke’s on us: research shows that people who take breaks are actually MORE productive than those who don’t, not less.
In summary:
Breaks are 100% necessary for productivity
Studies show that people who take breaks are MORE productive
4. Your relationship with productivity directly impacts your sense of self-worth.
You’ll know you suffer from a toxic productivity mindset because you feel restless or uneasy when not working. You may see yourself as “lazy” or feel “worthless” or “useless” when not in work mode.
To you, a less productive day feels like a bad day because your productivity dictates your mood.
In summary:
You feel restless on vacation or weekends
You feel worthless when you’re resting/not working
A productive day is always a good day. An unproductive day is always a bad day. (Your productivity dictates your mood.)
5. Your productivity is making you LESS productive.
Because you’re exhausted, you’re not able to do your best at work. This one always surprises people because somewhere along the way we seem to have picked up on the “more pain, more gain” concept with work. In other words, we believe the lie that the more you suffer, the more you achieve. And this simply isn’t true.
Instead, when you’re overworking, you might actually feel more overwhelmed. You may even receive negative feedback at the office or experience a backslide in your performance. You take more sick days because you’ve neglected your wellbeing until it’s too late.
Toxic productivity gives you the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve!
In summary:
Your exhaustion and health issues make it difficult to focus and hit goals the way you normally would
You’re getting negative feedback from work
You’re getting feedback from your body - you’re taking sick days because your body is screaming for help.
If these sound like you, remember: No job is worth the cost of your health and peace.
Having a healthy relationship with work is essential for your mental and physical health, and it starts with prioritizing healthy boundaries and saying NO to the things that cause you harm. You are worth more than what you do for a living.
Toxic productivity culture tells us that it’s shameful to say no. One of the first steps to overcoming toxic productivity in your life is to learn how to give yourself permission to start saying NO more often.
By saying NO to the wrong things, we can also say YES to the right things. If you need help with how to get there- check out my free downloadable guide, “How to say NO without feeling bad about it” which has practical tips to help you set better boundaries by saying no.
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