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Ways on how to stop toxic productivity

How To Stop Toxic Productivity: 5 Ways To Combat

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It is true that sometimes, the need to be productive all the time can be toxic. It’s like you want to relentlessly push yourself to get things done quickly moving from one task to the next. Although there is nothing wrong with enjoying getting things done, being addicted or obsessed with it can affect your overall well-being—your mental health, physical health, quality time with loved ones, and free time spent doing the hobbies you enjoy. Moreover, when you’ve already finished a task, it seems that you are not happy about it because you still think that you could have done better and should have done more. If you see yourself working to the extent of jeopardizing your health or personal relationships, then it is time for you to climb your way out of the toxic productivity trap. In this article, we are going to give you effective tips on how to stop toxic productivity. 

How to stop toxic productivity

If you consider yourself trapped in toxic productivity, there are many things you can do to have a healthier relationship with your need to be productive. Below are a few ideas.

Learn to say “no”

Turning things down is not easy. But in order to prevent yourself from being burnout and stressed, you must not pile your plate too full. It’s never easy to say no, but it’s a necessary step toward not overburdening yourself so you don’t have to constantly crank to keep up.

Plan time to do nothing

One of the best ways on how to stop toxic productivity is by learning to do nothing. Schedule a time for yourself to take a rest, meditate, or even go for a walk with no destination in mind. This is purposely unproductive but your body and brain will surely thank you. According to an article, taking breaks refreshes the mind and eases the stress and exhaustion arising from working for long stretches.

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Get some accountability

It is important for you to be surrounded by wise people that can keep you aware of your self-destructive behaviors. Listen and take their advice seriously when they tell you that you are working too much and it’s time for you to take a break.

Build breaks between your day

One way on how to stop toxic productivity is to have a break in between your day. When you have back-to-back meetings, what you can do to ease tiredness is, you can add 10- or 15-minute buffers before and after meetings to give you time to prepare and decompress. In each break you’ll take, you can have your favorite coffee, listen to your favorite playlist, or even just sit down on a soft couch and do nothing.

Be choosy about your actions

Not every situation requires your attention and action. Being picky with what you will do, is one of the most effective ways on how to stop toxic productivity. Choose the right situation or issue for you to intervene. This does not only set boundaries for you but also allows others to problem-solve on their own.

Hire a virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are known to be masters of all trades. In order for you to lighten your workload, you can hire a virtual assistant to do the repetitive and time-consuming tasks on your plate. Moreover, hiring a virtual assistant helps you focus on the core activities of your business. 

Takeaways

When your work ethic extends to the point of ignoring human requirements like the need to eat, drink, rest, or go the bathroom, that’s toxic productivity in disguise. When you caught yourself being obsessed about getting more things done and you feel that it already affecting your state of mind, it’s toxic productivity in disguise. Truth be told, the ultimate goal of productivity is to generate results. However, if what you mean by productivity is also causing you a heap of stress and feelings of inadequacy that persist, then it’s time for you to take an action about it. Separating yourself from toxic productivity means you can go back to getting things done in a way that makes you feel delighted rather than exhausted. 

We hope that the tips we mentioned above could help you to free yourself from the toxic productivity culture you are into. 

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