The Guilt of Productive People's Minds.
Learning how to trick your brain into getting more done.
Good morning everyone.
When it comes to being productive, in any environment, many people stress out about not filling every minute of their day with doing something useful.
If this sounds like you: keep reading.
In today’s culture, many times, it’s looked at as being a good thing; you hear things like: “use that as motivation.” While that might work for a while, you’ll come to find more times than not. It is pretty draining to your well-being.
Stop Feeling Guilty.
Okay, yeah, I know, easier said than done.
“we link our behavior, our performance, our productivity, with our self-worth,” said Julie de Azevedo Hanks, Ph.D, LCSW Family Therapist.
This obviously doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you’re the type that aims to be a high achiever, then this is probably quite familiar.
The first step to stopping feeling guilty about not being productive is recognizing that your self-worth does not have to be associated with your performance. It’s very difficult to change what you link yourself worth to, but being aware of it and reminding yourself that only you determine your own self-worth will help immensely.
A counterintuitive trick I like to use is giving in to my guilty pleasures. Whether it is playing a video game, watching a movie, or going to the beach, I find that if I allow myself time to have fun and not worry about work, I’ll return to what I was doing feeling refreshed and motivated. I’ll often get more work done in a shorter time because of it.
To Each Their Own
I don’t want to make anyone feel like they have to be productive and that if you’re not, then you aren’t doing anything with your life. Everyone requires a different set of things to be content in life, and that is okay.
However, for those of us who do struggle with the guilty of time ticking by while we aren’t getting anything done. I feel as if it isn’t talked about enough in the sense of how mentally draining the lifestyle can be.
Whatever it is that you’re feeling guilty about. It helps if you can look at yourself from an objective point of view. You can do this by imagining yourself as another person who experienced everything you have and then giving them advice.
You are only competing against yourself. Don’t be your own worse critic.
After reading today’s article, I hope you were able to learn something and hopefully become less guilty about your productivity levels in the future. It is of the utmost importance to always take care of your mental health.
I hope everyone has a great day and as always, remember to live in the moment.
