Is Productivity Always Productive?

Some people cope with feelings of anxiety, sorrow, and helplessness by over-functioning, by keeping themselves busy and chipping away at their to-do list. Others cope by under-functioning, by finding stillness, slowing down, by needing resting. There is no right way to cope. Right now we are going through a global pandemic and we’re all just trying to figure it out.

Today I am going to talk about the type As out there, those over-functioning folks who may presently be coming down with a case of “productivity guilt”. 

First a question (or two): how has this pandemic affected the way you cope? Has your usual coping strategy been working?

If you are like me, your usual day may look something like this:

Wake up early, make a to-do list, go to work, pay bills, exercise, work in the garden, make dinner, socialize and repeat. Phew, but also “good job to me”!

But now in the midst of a global pandemic, my schedule that I carefully curated has gone out the window. Some, if not most, of the activities that made me feel accomplished have come to a halt. Sure I can do a bit of work from home, but it’s just not the same. There is definitely a wrench in the works. So what do I do? Well, many of my friends and colleagues are “making the most” of this time by doing the things they’ve never had the time to do. It seems like every household in the city is getting a fresh coat of paint and a treatment of power washing to the driveway. I know many people who are taking on new roles like home school teacher, or care-taker, and household sanitation officer. Big changes. Lots to do.

My guess is that some of you are, like me, feeling that getting through all these projects is an uphill push. I wonder if you share my experience that it’s just been hard to find the motivation, focus, and energy to get it all done. And then there’s this sneaky sense of despair that creeps in from not getting enough done in a day. And then guilt sets in. I call this Productivity Guilt.

First off, I want to say that every emotion and feeling we’re experiencing is valid. There are no wrong feelings and these feelings do not make us weak. There is also no right or wrong way to get through this. When we give ourselves the space to notice our feelings and when we introduce curiosity to them, we can sincerely deepen our understanding of ourselves.

Guilt comes from the feeling that we are not doing enough and this can be a problem if we attribute our self worth to how much we get done. This guilt can make it hard to slow down, and over-functioning can be used as a coping tactic to avoid or distract us from everything that is going on in the world. You are not alone.

So what can we do?

1. Practice self compassion and kindness.

As Brene Brown said, “ Talk to yourself in the way you’d talk to someone you love.”  Bring a greater sense of understanding and awareness into this experience, rather than ignoring your guilt or criticizing yourself.

2. Know that there will be productive days and there will be slow days.

Slowing down does not mean you are lazy or unreliable. Take it one day at a time!

3. Reflect on whether your guilt is actually shame.

Shame is the feeling of not being enough and therefore if you’re not being productive enough, you as a person are not enough. Shame is characterized by the desire to hide and escape where guilt is characterized by the desire to repair (Pivetti, et. al., 2016). This is a deeper emotion and it plays into your self-worth, especially if you have perfectionist qualities. People who are more guilt-prone are more likely to forgive themselves, where people who are more shame-prone are less likely to forgive (McGaffin et.al., 2013). Check out the video below to learn more about how practicing empathy can help with feelings of shame.

4. Make realistic deadlines if you can.

Giving yourself a deadline can help you work towards a goal, however, your productivity output is different during this time, so it can be counter-intuitive when your deadlines are based on how productive you usually are.

5. Avoid comparing yourself to others.

Social media is often a highlight reel and it can be easy to believe that everyone else is handling things better than you are. 

6. Leave judgement at the door!

Know that you are doing the best you can and others are doing the best they can. Everyone copes differently and you never know what is going on in someone else’s life. 

7. Connect with a loved one who understands and supports you.

This will be someone who is a good listener, loves and encourages you, but is courageous enough to have their own opinions as well. 

8. Create a routine with “nano-habits”.

Instead of focusing on the larger goal, build a routine that focuses on smaller habits that help build confidence. Every time you accomplish a “nano- habit” you increase your belief in your ability to continue (Fogg, 2020). These little habits like: setting your alarm, making your bed, putting aside one hour a day to work on your original goals may not feel like much and may even feel under-productive, but noticing and celebrating little accomplishments can spark the reward centre in your brain and release dopamine!

9. Focus on one task at a time!

Have you ever tried finishing a task while watching TV? or while listening to your family in the next room? or maybe even while you are on the phone with someone? When you do this, you are asking your brain to split its attention and our brains are not wired to focus on multiple tasks at once!

10. Reach out!

Your mental health matters and there are people who would love to help you if you need the support. Majority of the Tall Tree practitioners are working online through tele-health right now, so reach out to us if you need someone to talk to! Everyone needs a cheerleader in their life, especially when we are facing challenges and hurdles!

“When we find ourselves facing a lot of free time during times of stress and uncertainty, it can be helpful to explicitly implement structure into our daily lives by scheduling. Sometimes listing out activities in different categories can be helpful, e.g. Productive Category, Learning Category, Physical/Movement Category, Self-Care Category, Social Category, etc. Remember activities in every category are productive in different ways, especially self care! By scheduling your day in a way that feels balanced, you can prevent anxiety/burn-out and feeling guilty. Further, when we are engaging in activities from the Self-Care Category, we don’t feel guilty because we’re still being productive in crossing something off the list that was planned/scheduled.” - Dr. Sarah Collins, R. Psych.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve found that this forced time of settling down has allowed me to notice and appreciate the small things! So why not notice and appreciate the little habits that help you feel accomplished?

For those of you dealing with feelings of shame (also open to those feeling guilt!), try adding mindful breathing into your routine! Mindful breathing can help put your body in a more parasympathetic state and can help combat feelings of shame (Keng & Tan, 2017). Try out Cassi’s routine. She’s one of Tall Tree’s occupational therapists :).

Dr. Krista Lowe, Naturopathic Physician

Brown, B. (2006). Shame resilience theory: A grounded theory study on women and shame. Families in Society-The Journal of Contemporary Social Services 87(1), 43-52.

Fogg, B.J. (2020). Tiny Habits: The small habits that change everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Keng, S.L., Tan, J.X. (2017). Effects of brief mindful breathing and loving-kindness meditation on shame and social problem solving abilities among individuals with high borderline personality traits. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 97(1), 43-51. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2017.07.004

McGaffin, B.J., Lyons, G.C.B., Deane, F.P. (2013). Self-Forgiveness, Shame, and Guilt in Recovery from Drug and Alcohol Problems. Substance Abuse, 34(4), 396-404. doi:10.1080/08897077.2013.781564

Pivetti, M., Camodeca, M., Rapino, M. (2016). Shame, Guilt, and Anger: Their Cognitive, Physiological, and Behavioral Correlates. Current Psychology, 35(4), 690-699. doi:10.1007/s12144-015-9339-5

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