Redefining Productivity
I’d like to start off with a little exercise. Set a timer for a minute and write down everything that makes you feel productive.
Here’s what I came up with:
working for my full-time job
working out
planning/preparing for the week
planning/writing out long-term goals
reading (sometimes)
cleaning (sometimes)
doing Twenties by Design stuff
volunteering
Take a look at your list - do you notice any themes? Most of mine include some sort of work, active movement, planning, or planning for work. I wrote “sometimes” next to reading and cleaning because I can easily use both of these as ways to procrastinate and tell myself it’s okay when really I’m just avoiding more pressing tasks at hand - in which case, I don’t actually feel like I was productive.
Does your list include any of these?
napping
cooking
meditating
journaling
creatively expressing yourself (art, music, dance, etc.) just for fun and not necessarily to improve as a hobby
taking a bath/shower
watching TV/movies
going to the doctor
hanging out with friends
I can’t be certain, of course, but I’d guess that most of our lists probably are more similar to the first set than the second. There’s nothing wrong with feeling most productive when you’re doing work; after all, that’s what most of us are told productivity is - putting in effort to produce expected outputs in work, school, community, and other similar institutions. But why do we tend to think we should feel guilty about items from the second bucket or feel like we’re wasting time when we aren’t doing items from the first? Why is it that taking time for ourselves, focusing on our lifestyle, and giving ourselves time to rest and recharge are equivalent to not being able to “hustle” and not being as productive as we “should” be?
As with anything, there’s a balance that each of us needs to individually determine for ourselves. For example, maybe you’re a college student who moved across the country from your hometown. Your Monday night call with your best friend back home might be your safe space to talk about what’s on your mind and nurture your friendship. On the other hand, you have a really busy schedule and have been struggling in a couple of your classes. Spending weekday evenings socializing rather than studying might not be as helpful. Or maybe you want your weekday evenings to relax after class and you’d rather study on the weekends. That decision is personal to you and can change with each stage of your life.
In my recent self-reflections, I realized that I’m pretty sure one of my biggest personal measures of success is designing a lifestyle that I don’t feel guilty about. I, like many of you probably do, put a lot of pressure on myself to do a lot, be good at what I do, and keep growing. Which is fine. But I don’t think I always lead a lifestyle that supports that goal. I waste a lot of time, I don’t have structure in my day, and I don’t cultivate the habits that I want to. By no means are any of these things wrong or bad; not having structure or daily habits might not be an issue for you, and it doesn’t need to be. But I personally am realizing that I do need more routine in my days and more focus during my work hours to take steps toward that guilt-free lifestyle. I like working hard, and I also really want plenty of time to explore and spend time with my friends and experience new things. I like zoning out to a TV show in the background while I make scrapbooking spreads, but I don’t like taking naps if I don’t have to, which means I need to develop sleep habits that allow me to get enough rest. I highly encourage you to make a list of activities in your day-to-day that you like and don’t like, so you can filter out what does and doesn’t bring you joy.
In my eyes, I think all of this comes down to redefining productivity. We are conditioned to believe that if you aren’t hustling, go-go-going 110% of the time, and aren’t burnt out, then you’re just not working hard enough. But that’s not very fair to ourselves. Just like a skyscraper needs a strong foundation to last, so do we need a supportive lifestyle that allows us to function effectively. Instead of looking at the activities from the second list above as unproductive, maybe we can think of those as the building blocks for our first list - the non-negotiables we schedule into our week to sustain all the hard work that we do.
I think we need to not be so hard on ourselves all the time and reframe our mindset to remind ourselves we’re doing the best we can. It is definitely easier said than done; on the flip side, it takes discipline to make sure we aren’t being so lenient on ourselves that we justify pure procrastination and goofing off to avoid our responsibilities.
All this to say, it’s okay to take breaks, to listen to our bodies when they seem to be tired or exhausted, to do self-care activities for our mind and soul, to do our doctor check-ups and take care of our health, to exercise our creative brain to let ideas flow, to strengthen our social circles and spend time with our loved ones. Those seemingly “not productive” activities are what enrich our lives, add something to look forward to in our days, and allow our minds and bodies to reset and function through all the hard work we put them through.
Your productive hours don’t have to be your 9-5 or night shift or whatever hours you’re doing work, school, volunteering, or hobby-related tasks. Let’s redefine productivity to include everything you do to create a life about which you feel content, fulfilled, and guilt-free. It might not happen overnight or even within a year, but keep taking those steps to design that lifestyle, be understanding with yourself, and find balance throughout your day.
You deserve it.
P.S. If there’s anything I can do to make these posts or even the website more accessible, please leave your feedback below or email/DM me. Inclusivity is super important to me, so I’d love to make any adjustments to ensure this content can be accessed by all!