Uncover the hidden menace of toxic productivity, a phenomenon that's silently eroding our mental health and work-life balance. Learn to identify its subtle signs and understand its damaging impact on our lives.
Toxic Productivity
An unhealthy desire to be productive at all times, at all costs
- Toxic productivity is the need to go the “extra mile” at work or at home, even when it’s not expected of you
- Once you’re done with a task, you feel guilty for not doing more
- You judge yourself every day for what you haven’t done rather than looking at what you have accomplished
- Work culture in the United States valorizes the grind – and in moments of crisis, grind all the harder
- Being productive in our immediate environment takes our minds off things and feels good
Recognize the telltale signs and acknowledge the issue
Look for the red flags
- Do you have a lot of work-related guilt?
- Fatigue and exhaustion, even first thing in the morning
- Notice whether you feel the need to put on a show of how hard you work
- Don’t be afraid to be concise
Professional detachment
Professional detachment looks like staying committed to your job and doing quality work while understanding that “the role isn’t your sole identity.”
- When you’re professionally detached, you treat everyone like clients: your boss, your peers and colleagues.
- You’re making the choice to be at your company.
What should I be doing right now?
“What could I do or create with ease now?”
Consider how much you’ve bought into the “hustle culture” mentality – then break away
You need to find out if you are really choosing what is important to you, or choosing what you think you should do or what society has told you should be important.
- If you want to avoid toxic productivity, what I propose is that you lead your life instead of letting work or overproductivity lead it.
Toxic productivity exists more in our heads than in our actual work environments
There are very few bosses out there who care if you’ve been working hard around the clock
- They don’t think about the difference between 40 hours and 50 hours of work. They just want good work
Put “self-care” on your to-do list
Make an extra effort for self-care
- Prioritize it just as you would an important work project
- The body and mind is on high alert whether you like it or not, so take advantage of this time to nurture your body
