Unpopular Opinion:
I Don’t Want to Be a Productivity Beast — And Neither Should You
Stop stressing about checking boxes and crossing off tasks.
One friend of mine is a fantastic Body Pump instructor. She is intelligent, beautiful, and lives a very active life. I seriously doubt that she ever oversleeps, even during weekends.
One time we were discussing her crazy hectic workout schedule, and the pain she was experiencing in her right shoulder. She went to countless orthopedists, the best ones she could find, and none of them had any idea how to help her. The diagnosis was always a bit different than the one before. She was anxious and unsure of what to do. But one thing was clear— her way too busy gym schedule played a big part in the situation.
The solution: a gym break would allow her body to heal. She initially agreed. Great, I thought. You will feel better in no time. But things started to be confusing very fast. She was holding her classes anyway. Sometimes even picking up new bookings and filling in for other people. After a while, I asked her:
‘But why don’t you want to take a pause from the gym? Don’t you think that maybe it’s time to stop and do something else for 1–2 weeks or so?’
She said she’s taking it easy, not lifting the same weights as before. But she had to keep on moving, maintaining her endurance and building strength. She wouldn’t let a small injury take her out of the game. Besides, if she’s going to stop going to the gym, what else she could do during her spare time?
For me, this was such a simple question. ‘What do you mean? You can relax, sleep, take it easy. Not do anything.’ I replied. I could already picture myself on my couch with a big coffee on a Sunday morning, reading the news, and looking out the window for 2 hours, without anyone disturbing me.
My friend looked at me with big, horrified eyes, like the idea of not doing anything was too vulgar to even consider. She asked more about my pastimes favourites, and we’ve discussed about this for a couple of minutes. In the end, not only she wasn't convinced that she had to take a gym break, but she was convinced I was missing out on things.
‘You don’t work out, you’ve abandoned your blog, and don’t have anything else to do in the evenings, on weekends...’ she said. ‘Even with all these explanations, I honestly have no idea what you are doing with your time.’
I paused. I took a deep breath. Maybe she was right. Perhaps I was having too much free time on my hands. And I was throwing it away without even realizing. Why didn’t I had an extensive hobby to take half of my spare time? 5 dogs to walk for 2 hours every day? Why couldn’t I get myself to cook every day, even if I had the time to do so? A lot of existential questions flooded my brain and caused what seemed to resemble an anxiety attack.
This conversation haunted me for weeks. I was convinced to get to the bottom of this. I fell into the productivity trap, and I started to think of ways to fill my time with loads of things. Like everyone else. But why some people are obsessed with the idea of doing something, while others could plan for weeks before deciding to only do that one thing?
10 self-help books later, I was about to give up. But then, while brewing a pot of Ceylon tea in a sunny afternoon, I realized:
Everyone finds joy in different life essentials.
For my friend, working out was an essential activity. For me, time spent alone, reflecting and getting my thoughts in order after a crazy day, is exactly what I need. To others, 12 hours of straight work seems to be the way.
We live in a world of being busy. People are running around trying to be highly-successful productivity beasts, learning from Gary Vee how to hustle, and get a Forbes 30 Under 30 mention. I know a handful of people who are living exactly like this. Most of them seem happy with the way their lives are. But some of them look miserable.
It’s all about priorities. And it really doesn’t matter how you chose to live, as long as you’re happy with how things are. Passion is the spark which makes the world move. But being crazy busy doesn’t equal productivity. Or that you are closer to your goal. It just means that you run on a mice wheel, giving yourself a hard time for not being connected 24/7 to your work. It’s fine to take a break. Chances are you will be happier in the long run.
The small list of the anti-productivity commandments
It can be extremely hard to take a break, especially if you’re feeling pressure to be successful. It can be emotional consuming to stop, look around, and decide something it’s not worth your effort. Simplify your schedule, and choose to focus on the things which bring real value.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” — Leo Babauta
1) Actively choosing essentials over clutter
- Focus on doing things that are absolutely essential, and give your best. Be proud of the high-quality work you’ve done.
- Stop thinking you need to have something to do all the time. Sometimes just having the time to think things through can be far more important.
- Say ‘No’ more.
2) Be realistic about how much time you need to finish a task
- Don’t spread yourself thin between 3 projects.
- There is no such thing as having 10 priorities. Really now.
- Putting too much pressure on yourself will make you eventually unhappy.
3) Stop spending time writing to-do lists
- Starting to-do lists is addictive.
- There’s no value in piling up tasks if they are not essential. You will most likely never do them and feel bad about yourself because of it.
- Focus on the basics. Do you really need to buy that second daily planner?
4) Set systems, not goals
- Reflect on your daily habits. Is there anything you can go without? Do you need to start a new daily habit to care more for your health?
- Make your daily activities part of your routine. Eliminate decision fatigue. If it’s 11 AM, it’s working out time. Or reading time. Stick with your plan.
- Don’t give up after 10 days of starting a new habit. Results will show, in time. Build momentum, one day after another.
