How to Avoid Productivity Guilt (And become more productive in the process)
Productivity is a cultural trait that is now securely ingrained in our minds, mainly because we all have so much “stuff” to do in our everyday lives. People want to do more – and by god don’t we hear all about it. Productivity has become the buzzword to kill all buzzwords.
Productivity Guilt
It’s a mindset of feeling bad about not creating, achieving, or working hard
- We often feel guilty because we’ve been pumped with information about filling our day with productive things and “never wasting a second of our precious time”.
- There’s a fine line between beating yourself up about not finishing a task and realizing when to stop and just… chill
You Can’t Force Creativity
Creativity is not something we “do”. It is not a process we can follow or a set of steps which lead to a destination.
- Relaxing and doing nothing can actually be a vital part of the creative process. Without the busy-ness of everyday life, our minds are free to wonder and create new and exciting things.
Conclusion
You know when something is important enough to stress you out, and when you are being lazy.
- Be proactive about what is most important to you, and don’t let your most important tasks become a chore
- If you feel guilty about putting off an important task, do that task right now.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Just because Casey Neistat gets up at 5am and runs 10 miles before growing his start-up and editing his vlog until 1am doesn’t mean you have to do the same
- There are massive costs to living a “productive” lifestyle
- If you’re okay with that, then carry on
Realize the Difference Between Being “Busy” and Being “Productive”
Busy-ness (or business) is a state of doing what you are told to do, having tasks piled on top of you and running around frantically trying to balance them all
- Productivity (or personal) is doing what we truly need to do to reach our goals
- Cut down the unnecessary and focus on the essential