How can you combat toxic productivity?

We live in a world that paints a rosy picture of constant productivity. Three mental health experts explain how all work and no play can do a lot more damage than just making us dull

Growing up, many of us heard success stories with one common lesson–working long hours and sacrificing sleep is the secret to building an empire. Today, the content that crowds our social media feeds only further cements this messaging–it’s not uncommon to come by a carousel of images with quotes like “hustle till you make it” or a reel that highlights the extensive efforts an influencer put into setting up a burgeoning business. But whether you’re receiving this advice from well-meaning parents or through fun formats on Instagram, the bottom line is that it’s more harmful than helpful, as it is urging you to buy into a blanket definition of productivity that’s toxic. This state of being constantly switched on can ultimately have several, very serious side-effects that go far beyond sucking the joy out of doing what you love. We reached out to three mental health experts to better understand what toxic productivity is, the consequences it can have and how you can break free from it.

Toxic productivity explained

Toxic productivity, in a nutshell, is the idea that you have to go to great–and often unrealistic–lengths to achieve your goals, irrespective of the costs that you incur along the way. “It glorifies working overtime, not resting and having more than one job. It’s kind of like being an all-rounder at school–the one who can play sports, is good at drama and dance, comes first in class and has a social life,” says Jasdeep Mago, a neuropsychologist and co-founder of Invisible Illness India. This mindset, which sometimes has its roots in our formative years, is strengthened by many factors over the course of time. For instance, you could be surrounded by people, both in real life and on social media, who have fallen prey to this pressure or you could be working with a company that rewards employees who rarely use up their annual leave.

Psychotherapist Arzoo Nicodemus, who goes by @dontmindthemind on Instagram, shares that there are several tell-tale signs of being stuck in a toxic productivity cycle. “Some indicators are correlating your levels of productivity with your self-worth, worrying that taking breaks will make you less productive, putting work before self-care or personal relationships and always feeling like you’re behind,” she says.

The downside

This perception of productivity, which leaves no room for rest and encourages you to stretch yourself thin on a daily basis, is not sustainable for several reasons. “Think of your brain as an elastic rubber band–the more you stretch it, the more out of shape it gets, and if you keep stretching it without any rest, it will eventually snap,” says Mago. Being overworked has grave repercussions and one of the most common ones is burnout–a term that has lost its gravity because it’s frequently and erroneously used to convey exhaustion alone.

“Burnout is harmful to both your physical and mental health. Some people can take months to bounce back from it, which could cost you a lot more than a day to rest and refuel,” says Nicodemus, highlighting that fatigue is far from the only by-product of burnout. In addition to this, the pressure to keep delivering at all times can also routinely trigger a flight-or-fight response. “Other than burnout, there are a lot of consequences of toxic productivity. When you’re under a tremendous amount of stress for a long period of time, your body is constantly in a state of threat because of which cortisol gets secreted and your nervous system gets dysregulated. Stress can have an impact on your immune system, cardiovascular system and gut health. It also has links to anxiety and depression,” says Nyamat Chadha, a Mumbai-based psychologist.

The fix

It is an awareness of these consequences that serves as the first step towards breaking free from toxic productivity. “Bring awareness and see what this kind of productivity is costing you. Knowing ‘why’ before you start trying to break out of the cycle can help motivate you,” says Nicodemus. Once the impact has been identified, the next and most challenging step is to start consciously carving out time for play.

“We’ve all heard the phrase ‘work hard, play hard’. We work hard and we all know how to play, but we’ve just forgotten how to take out time for play and that’s the skill we need to work on,” adds Nicodemus. This exercise doesn’t have to be extravagant to be effective. Often, it’s the simplest things like cosying up with your favourite read, taking a walk in nature or getting a cup of coffee with a friend that can refuel you. Chadha seconds this sentiment. “Doing less in a world that constantly asks you to do more is an act of resistance. Find big and small ways to resist,” she says.

However, above all else, it is crucial to continuously challenge our deep-rooted conditioning and pen down a fresh, more personal definition of productivity. “The world gives us a very single-story definition of what productivity looks like and we are given these messages as soon as we start existing. I think to begin to break out, we have to unlearn these narratives. Maybe we make a note of the ‘shoulds’ we tell ourselves. Like I ‘should’ work more or I ‘should’ earn more. We have to be curious about where we may have learnt these ‘shoulds’ and start replacing them with ‘coulds’ or ‘woulds’. It’s more compassionate and gentler,” concludes Chadha.

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