I originally drafted this newsletter to be something along the lines of “3 Lifestyle Changes That Have Boosted My Productivity in 2024.” Is it true that those three things (which I plan on telling you about next month) boosted my productivity so far this year? Yes. But did they magically make me a super functional, never burnt out, guilt-free, flawlessly fulfilled human? No.
Even on my designated rest day (Sunday), when I watch TV freely, spend time cleaning up, grocery shopping and resetting for the week, I still think about all the things I have not yet done, all the things that I planned on, counted on, expected myself to get done this week.
The truth is, if I don’t get things done, I feel guilty. The truth is, I burn out hard and quick. I wrote about rest last month as a reminder to myself that I deserve rest simply because I exist. That there is no correlation between taking a break and how many things you’ve accomplished. You can take a break at any time, regardless of productivity. Intellectually, I know this. It’s a simple concept to grasp, but living it is a whole different story.
On the topic of rest, I’m currently listening to Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey on Spotify, which focuses on the power of rest and being well-rested as a fundamental act of rebellion against oppressive systems. Highly recommend!
Given all of this, it felt wrong to simply churn out an article hailing productivity when in reality, I was putting away laundry late Sunday night plagued with guilt about all the things I hadn’t done this weekend. This phenomenon (or, affliction, rather) is known as productivity guilt. Unfortunately, it’s an increasingly common issue, as demands for our time, effort and attention are endless ~
Productivity guilt is often the result of unrealistic expectations for yourself or your company. These expectations may come from other people, from you, or from comparison.
In a culture that glorifies the idea of “hustle” and equates happiness with success and achievement, it’s hard to get rid of the nagging feeling that you’re not doing enough.
Unfortunately, these feelings of shame and guilt can add stress that hinders your body’s natural ability to relax. Chronic stress can result in lower productivity and symptoms such as the inability to concentrate, sleep problems, physical pain, anxiety, and depression.
- Maddy Osman via Hubspot
It seems like a no-win situation. Either run ourselves ragged with productivity, only to eventually burn out so we are forced to rest OR structure rest into our schedule, while still plagued by productivity guilt, increasing stress. So how do we find solutions to mitigate productivity guilt, give ourselves the credit we deserve and rest unbothered by thoughts of our never-ending to do lists?
There’s no fool-proof system (or I’d be using it), but here are some things I do when I find myself in that nasty loop of “I’m not doing enough.”
Look Back
I’ll admit, I borrowed this trick from my training in Agile Methodology, a project management philosophy that breaks projects down into small tasks, focusing on iteration and constant improvement.
Each week, on Sunday night, I sit down and conduct a brief retrospective of my week. This entails recounting what went well, the things I completed, and what could be improved. It’s also an opportunity to center myself for the week ahead.
What’s most useful in this exercise is listing out all of those things we’ve done throughout the week and looking at them on paper. Keep in mind, it’s useful to include not only “tasks” (like going to that dreaded doctor’s appointment, or scrubbing the microwave), but also “events” (like spending the evening with family, or calling a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time).
Getting these things out on paper helps to halt that inner rhetoric of “I’m not doing enough.” It’s hard to deny once it’s in front of you in black and white. So too, it encourages living more holistically, and not strictly by the to-do list.
Change the Self-Talk
At the end of the day, productivity guilt is all in our head. There’s a high probability that despite what your inner monologue says - you actually have accomplished A LOT.
To tackle this aspect of productivity guilt, we can turn to something simple, proven and effective: affirmations.
Affirmations centered around your intentions are incredibly valuable, and posting them in places you frequent around your house is a great way to keep them front and center.
For something quick and simple, I created an digital download affirmation calendar. It features 365 different affirmations - one every day. (Use the code CONFLUX to get 15% off all affirmation calendars)
Reassess Time Management
If you truly feel like after all of this, you still need some better way to manage your time - I feel you. Try some different ways to manage to-do lists, random ideas and various projects.
Project Management tools like Notion or Asana are great for these. Some people favor to-do lists. I prefer a physical agenda, wall calendar and digital calendar combo. Designating tasks to specific days gives me a solid stopping point for the day, as opposed to the to-do list that inevitably increases each day, even if I’m crossing things off.
Bottom Line: That feeling of “I’m not doing enough” can be motivating until it’s not. Getting a more holistic perspective on our lives, and reevaluating how we are spending our time are ways to mitigate the productivity guilt.
Hustle hard