Does being focused on productivity kill us faster? [Discussion]

Submitted by TreatThompson t3_10nn3zp in GetMotivated

When I started a full time job, my life for the first few months became centred around showing up and getting work done.

My days were unremarkable and irrelevant. I couldn’t tell them apart from each other. I wasn't immersed in my life, it was flying by because I was going at such a frantic pace.

That span of time feels like one big blob.

It reminded me of Alexandra Horowitz saying that we have a culture of prioritizing productivity over presence. She called it a form of self-hypnosis. Days turn to years without noticing it.

I could easily see how quickly my life could slip away from me if I didn’t snap out of this pattern.

Horowitz made this good point

>What’s interesting about the productivity dogma is that we live in a culture where we worship work ethic as some sort of this grand virtue. And we define it as showing up, day after day after day. But I often think that that’s the surest way to lull ourselves into a kind of trance of passivity, where we show up but we’re absent from our own lives.

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This post was from my newsletter

I share ideas from great thinkers so we can stand on the shoulders of giants, instead of figuring life out alone

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nvmls t1_j69pg0p wrote

I feel like I'm going through this right now. Feeling very apathetic, which is probably depression. Its hard to strike a balance when you have goals you want to reach.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j69prau wrote

Yeah that last sentence you said has been the theme of my past year or two

I definitely feel you on that

My huge focus right now is striking the balance between results and enjoyment. Not sure how much sacrifice to make for future happiness

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keroseneb t1_j6a1rqo wrote

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Watching motivational videos and seeing how to make the most of my time but not actually enjoying it. I’m wondering if that’s the life I want to live or if it’s better to just enjoy what I have day to day. Feels like efficiency and productivity is the only determining factor of success and I find that hard to believe.

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TreatThompson OP t1_j6a2ljj wrote

I’m struggling with determining the same exact thing!

Logically, it feels like efficiency and productivity are the only way to get the results I want, but if the end goal is to put myself in a position to enjoy it, why not enjoy it now?

Helpful to see that there are others toiling with this idea! Thanks for sharing 😄

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TreatThompson OP t1_j69npvl wrote

There’s two other points I think of related to this

Henry Thoreau makes a good point saying most people are active participants in life enough to do physical labor, less are active participants enough to exert themselves intellectually, and very few live actively enough to have a remarkable life.

Maria Popova said something similar adding:

"But in our age of productivity, we spend our days running away from boredom, never mind its creative and spiritual benefits, and toward maximum efficiency."

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ignorantpeasant1 t1_j6a09ct wrote

Thoreau was a self righteous deadbeat who lived on his friend’s land, 20 minutes walk from his childhood home and would get his mother to do his washing. He has a way with words, but not someone whose opinions I’d take seriously.

Regarding your question, the boring answer is that like most things, balance is required.

Becoming a mindless drone who optimises for productivity isn’t a good life. Neither is constantly living a life of leisure, which typically has long term consequences.

As a personal anecdote, I find “balance” by being acutely aware of if I’m in a “work” phase or a “living” phase of my life/career, etc and it has worked very well for me.

I find 6-9 months about right before I reassess.

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MaKoZerEUW t1_j6ac2nz wrote

Was already working as dev for 6+ years and those 6 years felt like ... dunno ... one year?

Now im in college/university and i feel like i'm enjoying every month. life can be so beautiful =D

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TreatThompson OP t1_j6acwbp wrote

Can definitely relate to that feeling, but glad things are slowing down and more enjoyable!

What do you think made the difference going back to school?

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MaKoZerEUW t1_j6age5f wrote

>What do you think made the difference going back to school?

the freedom over my time.

working was 8h+ every day ( except weekend ) ...

now i can decide every hour :)

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bxbyfzgh t1_j6b2i4k wrote

Productivity is not exclusive to work. So that’s where that imbalance may have struck you.

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Time-End-5292 t1_j6edxsh wrote

Yes, you need to pace yourself. If you don't, at some point, your body and soul will just say : "stop". And it'll stop you any way it can : depression, chronic pain, extreme fatigue, addiction. I've been there, I went through it, it was ugly and horrible. I'm on the other side now.

Pace yourself. And take life with a grain a salt : However big your achievements, they will all be erased by the sands of time, one way or another.

Ambition and work are good, but not in infinite amounts. Don't overwork, work smart and keep the mental stimulation in check (there are SO MANY tutorials to watch! SO many things to learn!!)

The Machine is made to suck you dry and spit you out. Don't trust it. I personally consider idleness as a political statement.

TLDR : Pace yourself, otherwise your inner system will stop you ---by force.

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