The Tyranny Of Productivity

“Efficiency is highly overrated; Goofing off is highly underrated. Regularly scheduled sabbaths, sabbaticals, vacations, breaks, aimless walks and time off are essential for top performance of any kind. The best work ethic requires a good rest ethic.” — Kevin Kelly

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Have you ever listened to the way you speak, your self-talk? What are those words you keep saying that fly under your radar? If you truly heard yourself, would you change some of the language? Does what you say directly impact what you do or how you behave?

These are the questions I want to consider with you as we unpack an experience I find all too common among us westerners.

The Ruler of the Western World

Tyranny is a word that means cruel or unjust use of power.

As the etymology states: "Originally in Greek the word was not applied to old hereditary sovereignties (basileiai) and despotic kings, but it was used of usurpers, even when popular, moderate, and just (such as Cypselus of Corinth), however it soon became a word of reproach in the usual modern sense."

(https://www.etymonline.com/word/tyranny)

There have been many famous tyrants in our history. Figures like Julius Ceasar, Ghengis Khan, Queen Mary I, or Josef Stalin; these are characters that fit the definition of cruel and unjust power without debate. In our modern context, the weight of the word "tyrant" has slowly dwindled in severity. It no longer carries the picture of a devastating reality, but more-so depicts the idea of control. If I had to venture a guess, you've probably heard the word used primarily in the phrase "tyranny of the urgent" above and beyond any other context. It is a metaphor (more like a hyperbole), that depicts how we are often controlled by what seems urgent in daily life.

We'll come back to this idea in a second...

Until I began writing these words, I hadn't been aware of a new phenomenon of toxicity sweeping through our country. The toxicity label is often applied quite liberally to anything that's been taken too far or seems out of balance. Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it is derogatory or demeaning. In this case I think it's worth considering.

Enter in: Toxic Productivity.

How about that for a paradox? Isn't that novel? The idea that productivity can somehow be negative, or even... toxic?

I know, shocking. Yet, we understand it, right? I'm sure you were sheepishly grinning just like I was when the phrase first sank in. We give a slight chuckle, nod our head in agreement, and get right back to the whirl of productivity our daily lives entail.

In 21st Century America, our western world is no longer ruled by the urgent alone, we are now ruled by the Tyranny of the Productive.

The Effects Of This New Reign

There are many ways we are impacted by the addictive impulse of productivity:

• low self-esteem

• self-disdain or self-hatred

• harshness toward self

• unrealistic expectations

• not being human

• not caring for others (seeing/hearing them)

• delusional self-sufficiency

• loneliness / isolation

• unable to receive help (from ourself or others)

The big question to ask is: would this be considered correlation or causation? Are we experiencing these thoughts and feelings as a result of toxic productivity? Or, are other factors to blame?

There are definitely other contributors to note: COVID, the mental health crisis, war, mass shootings, technology and social media, and others I'm sure I'm missing. Point being, there are many challenges we all face with differing degrees, and confronting these is a daily battle.

So how do we know if toxic productivity is a key factor in some of the effects shared above?

There is an interesting parallel between our thoughts and our feelings (for more on this, read my prior blog on Being The Change). More often than not, our feelings flow directly from the thoughts we have. It's as momentary as glancing at the text that just came in from your friend who you've been upset with and all of a sudden you're filled with frustration, angst, and even anger. One glance can equal a flood of emotions.

With that in mind, let's revisit the list of thoughts, feelings, and effects that often come from our worship of productivity:

— low self-esteem

I'm only as worthy as the amount of tasks I'm able to accomplish in a day.

— self-disdain or self-hatred

If only I wasn't so distracted I would have completed the 100 things on my to-do list.

— harshness toward self

Time not used well is time wasted and that can never be recovered. You're a wasteful, lazy, and worthless person.

— unrealistic expectations

Successful people are able to accomplish more with their time than most, so I need to fill my day to the brim in order to be successful. Otherwise, I'm a failure.

— not being human

No matter how I am feeling (and often in spite of how I feel or what my body is saying), I will get all this done. I just need to find a way to become more like a robot and operate more efficiently.

— not caring for others (seeing/hearing them)

Other people are distractions and get in the way of me accomplishing my all-important list, thus I am going to ignore, avoid, and dismiss those that selfishly invade my schedule.

— delusional self-sufficiency

The goal is to become self-made and independent so that I'm not reliant on any other person to be productive / move the ball forward. Relying on others is annoying and inefficient.

— loneliness / isolation

In sacrificing my humanity at the alter of efficiency and productivity, I've separated myself from the universal experience of being human, so much so that others can no longer relate to me and how I operate, nor I them.

— unable to receive help (from ourself or others)

If I can't do it then no-one can. Asking for help feels less efficient than figuring it out and trying harder myself. I would rather not bother others because they are probably slaving under the reign of productivity too.

(*these thoughts are personal examples more often than not, coming directly from my brain in similar moments and situations)

While some of these thoughts are comical, many of them hit home and ring true, even if it is on a subconscious level. When we start consciously hearing the way we talk to ourselves, the correlation shifts to causation, all in servitude of productivity.

Signs To Look For

To change the narrative and flip the script, it's helpful to have signs we can be on the lookout for. Some common indicators I've found in my own journey have been:

— Words like "ought" and "should"

• These are shame-filled and shame-inducing words, and they inevitably carry with them the assumption that we are doing it the wrong way. Usually it's in regard to not accomplishing enough or not being as focused as we would want to be, and beating ourselves up internally as a result.

— Always feeling flustered or behind

• When I start noticing how I always feel like I'm behind, or am easily flustered, or tend to get annoyed in the middle of the day, I am most likely too bought in to the tyranny of the productive.

— Feeling like self-worth is attached to daily accomplishments and task-lists

• This idea often hits me at the end of the day when I feel like it was a wasted day or when I feel like I didn't do anything of importance. More often than not, I did accomplish important things, I just made too long of a list that could never be accomplished anyways.

— Never taking a day off or a proper vacation

• If the days you take off are spent thinking, worrying, planning, and stressing about work, this is an indicator that self-worth and value is tied to productivity and achievement above and beyond the simple joys of life itself. A rebalancing is needed.

— Never unplugging or not checking email

• When was the last time you went 24hrs without checking email? When was the last time you completely unplugged from work (including computer, phone, and any other form of communication to the office)? This is another indicator of the tyranny of productivity.

Helping Each Other

This is a cultural phenomenon. The way we overcome this isn't in isolation, in gritting our teeth and willing it to happen. The way we make meaningful change is by shifting the cultural narrative, which is never done alone. We need each other!

For me, my wife has been instrumental in this process. You see, my career in my past-life was a professional athlete. My job was literally to optimize myself for performance -- to become as much like a robot as possible (or so I thought). This led to me suppressing and eliminating as much emotion as I could, so that I'd be as efficient and effective on the golf course as humanly possible. And I spent years developing this discipline.

When I transitioned out of the world of professional golf, there was clearly a disconnect and I slowly began to realize how "different" I was. My Enneagram 4-wing selfishly loved that difference, but signs began to show how some of that gap wasn't so healthy. When Evan (my wife) entered the picture, suddenly I had a mirror that started highlighting these areas that needed substantial help. It brought to light how much of my humanity I had given up in service of productivity and achievement, and how unhelpful that really was for relation with others and even with myself.

Thus began the slow and painful journey of dying to this tyrannical rule of productivity and embracing the waves of all that being human entails. Ebbs, flows, ups, downs, pauses, sprints, redirects, surprises, agonies, joys, sorrows -- these are what being human entails, not maximum efficiency and optimal productivity at all costs.

Maybe you need to hear that today. Maybe you need to hear that: you are not a robot. You are a beautiful human being that deserves to be embraced.

And maybe we need each other to help us shift out of this cultural narrative that has sacrificed health at the altar of getting stuff done.

I know, for me, the journey has just begun... are you willing to join?

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“I always forget how important the empty days are, how important it may be sometimes not to expect to produce anything, even a few lines in a journal. A day when one has not pushed oneself to the limit seems a damaged, damaging day, a sinful day. Not so! The most valuable thing one can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room.” — May Sarton