How to break the illusion of productivity
Parent Post
The undying need to
The undying need to be busy is what distinguishes humans from the rest of the living world.
Unlike animals who are satisfied once their basic need is fulfilled, humans try to escape idleness, even if it comes at the cost of the illusion of productivity.
Being focused in life
Being focused in life will fuel you to achieve your goals.
And mindlessly doing certain tasks just for the sake of being busy won’t contribute to it.
Humans do whatever it
Humans do whatever it takes and use any justification to keep busy, even if the task is meaningless.
Research suggests that many purported goals that people pursue may be merely justifications to keep themselves busy. Not just that!
Breaking our addiction to
Breaking our addiction to busyness does not have to be hard, but it requires a conscious mindset change. So here are a few ways to get off the hamster wheel.
Change your perspective.
Replace saying “I don’t have time” with “It’s not a priority.” because there is always enough time in a day to do the important things.
Less doing, more achieving.
Measure your productivity in terms of doing the things that matter. Shift your focus from tasks to outcomes.
Dr. Brené Brown, a
Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor, describes being “crazy busy” as a numbing strategy against facing the truth.
We tend to fill our days with activities to avoid being alone with our thoughts. And society reinforces this by calling anyone who is idle lazy!
Do a busyness audit.Track
Do a busyness audit.
Track your time and record your time for each task. Write the task and rate them as per relevance. It’s time to sideline the ones that don’t fall on your priority list.
Learn to say no.
It’s okay to say no. It might feel strange at first, but you will eventually learn to say no to things that add value to your life.
Make peace with inaction.
To help you get comfortable with doing nothing, schedule time with yourself for dedicated downtime.
Being “crazy busy” is
Being “crazy busy” is equivalent to living on autopilot. It is a process of mindlessly doing things without knowing the final destination.
You rarely find time for yourself. It can become a socially acceptable excuse for not doing things that matter.
Being busy does not
Being busy does not refer to being productive.
Checking email or social media and not doing the scheduled work does not mean you’re busy. It simply breaks your flow and makes you procrastinate. It gives an illusion of being busy.
The constant feeling of being busy will narrow your creative part and fill your brain with the external stimuli to do something.
Being busy could be reassuring, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be right.