Toxic Productivity is Hurting Your Success: Replace These 5 Harmful Habits Now

There are millions of success stories on social media. And each tries to sell you the same thing — you are not doing enough.

Do you want to get in shape? Workout more.

Do you want to become a successful writer? Write more.

Do you want to become an influencer? Publish more.

When did we decide to trade quality for quantity? Nobody knows, but we did it. And now we have to follow the trend of doing more of everything.

That’s not healthy — it’s toxic. You can’t continue to push yourself to do more every day. It can happen once in a while — it’s normal. But where do you set the boundary? When would you have enough?

Trade your need to always do more for clear boundaries.

Instead of doing more, focus intensely for short periods. For example, you can use the Pomodoro Technique to help you stay on track.

• Work for 25 minutes, then rest for 5 (small cycle).
• Repeat the small cycle four times (medium cycle). Then, take a bigger break.
• Repeat the medium cycle four times, and you’re done for the day.

After those eight hours, keep any work matter out of sight. You’ll find you’re more productive like this.

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I’ve had days when every new task was a higher priority. Everyone was coming to me with a new problem to solve. And ridiculously enough, each problem was larger than the last one. Or, at least, that’s what it seemed.

But here’s a secret — every problem is the highest priority to the person who raises it.

Suppose you are managing a tech project:

• The marketing team will think approving the promo copy is the highest priority.
• The development team will disagree and hope you will prioritize the debugging session.
• Finance will immediately raise their hands — when will you approve the budget, they ask.

But guess who’s making the final decision? You are.

You are the one who knows (or should know) what matters most. And if you let them take advantage of you, the project will suffer.

A project manager will always plan the month to see their project succeed. In the same way, you should at least plan your day.

Spend five minutes every morning to write your top three priority tasks.

What is the most important activity you have to finish today? Give it the attention it deserves and ignore everything else until it’s finished. Then, you can jump to the next task, and so on.

I’ve seen many people boasting about their multitasking abilities. And every time I try to help, they close up.

Someone told me I said that only because I wasn’t good at it. And the problem is nobody can.

Science proved it with many studies. Yet, those geniuses haven’t found the time to read them in their busy schedules. Or maybe they read something about them but were too busy keeping track of everything and understood nothing. (Sorry, I’m still a little salty.)

Multitasking feels efficient, but it isn’t. Your attention fragments, productivity drops, and stress rises. Instead, you could adopt a single-tasking strategy.

Set specific time blocks for each activity and focus on single tasks. You’ll reduce mistakes and finish work faster.

Here we are — we’ve reached the peak of toxic productivity. But it happens for everyone, sooner or later.

You should know you have a problem when you start believing rest is a luxury and feeling guilty for taking breaks. If you don’t set boundaries, it will happen, and you have to be prepared for it.

Guilt is dangerous. In the beginning, it will feel good because it looks like you have finally managed your procrastination. You are a good person that puts work first now, right? But that’s not healthy. You won’t heal your procrastination with more work and guilt.

Schedule rest like an important meeting (because it is).

Regular short breaks and clear cutoff time for work each day are essential. So, if you can’t do it naturally, force yourself:

• find a passive activity you can do that keeps you away from work
• schedule the downtime in advance and put it on your calendar
• don’t answer emails or phone calls during that time.

I know you’re afraid of disappointing your family, boss, and partner. I’ve been terrified for the past few years (meaning: my whole life). But please them today, and in a few months, you won’t recognize yourself.

Every time you accept something that’s not on your terms, you give up a piece of yourself. And soon enough, they will take all of it.

I don’t mean it negatively — some people may even think they act in your interest. But do they know you better than yourself? I doubt it.

Accepting too many commitments can overwhelm you fast. But you can start avoiding it with polite assertiveness.

Say no clearly and kindly. Prioritize tasks that align with your personal and professional goals. Here’s a strategy you can use.

In the beginning, say you have too many things on your plate. This will help you delay new requests. Then, stretch the time in which you get back to people, and they will stop overloading you with tasks.

Toxic productivity is a serious problem. We often mistake it for proactivity and success, but it often leads to the opposite.

You may even feel energized and active in the heat of the moment. But if you keep working, and working, and working, soon you will run out of energy. You will start procrastinating indefinitely. You will miss your deadlines. And soon, you will burn out, trying to recover with a last push.

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