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Productivity guilt
Productivity guilt is a mindset of feeling bad about not creating, achieving or working hard.
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This is the tendency to have “intrusive thoughts” about a task that we once started but didn’t finish.
It is in our human nature to finish off things that we start and we often hate having to leave a project unfinished.
Some people are very good at maintaining a detachment between their work and their outside life. For others (especially those indoctrinated in ‘life hacks’ and productivity tips), the guilt to be constantly doing something can be a real energy sucker.
Before comparing yourself to that guy over there, realize what he’s sacrificing.
If you’re feeling guilty about your lack of “productivity”, then you’re not going to be truly productive at all.
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; however, is a state of doing what we truly need to do to reach our goals.
Cutting down the unnecessary and focusing on the essential is going to be a quick way to boost your real productivity.
Creativity is not something we “do”. We cannot force ourselves or grind out a completely new creative idea for a blog post or essay.
Relaxing and doing nothing can actually be a vital part of the creative process.
It is all about balance.
- If you’re feeling guilty about putting off an unimportant task, then cut that task out or outsource it to someone else.
- If you’re feeling guilty about putting off a really important task, then maybe you should do that task right now.
Most importantly, don’t let your most important tasks become a chore.
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Here’s a powerful paradox: We are often most productive when we feel it least, when we’re taking a break or relaxing or doing absolutely nothing.
Resist the urge to fill every empty moment with something — “especially if you need to be extra productive or creative for a task.”
All your small actions combined, form your system for living.
And that leads to the big outcomes in life: More happiness, fulfillment, wealth—all a result of your system.
The phenomenon proposes that making a start on something, no matter how big or small, keeps it ticking way at the back of your mind until you reach the end.
Thus, getting the ball rolling might be a good antidote to procrastination.