It seems as a society we have an obsession with staying busy. Looking at social media it’s easy to find ADs and articles pop up about “how to be productive” or “how to get more stuff done”. Productivity is literally sold to us through books, webinars, and classes.
As Americans, we are in the pursuit to be productive in order to have a competitive edge in whatever field we work in and compete in a global market. But is this obsession with productivity healthy?
Everyone loves talking about productivity from employee productivity to simply being productive while cleaning. How many reports can be done in a day? How fast can you wash the dishes so you have more time to clean the attic? Even how can they sleep productivity so they can maximize the bare minimum of sleep?
The obsession with productivity in the modern world is unhealthy. With the rise of technology, we are often on the clock at home and constantly have access to work or even hobbies, we don’t turn off. There is no rest in a world where we wake up to check our emails and in our free time, we competitively brag to our friends about all the cool new things we’ve done like go to the newest restaurant or finishing up your yoga teacher training.
Stress and lack of sleep are associated with many health problems– to name a few- heart disease, mental health disorders, migraines, asthma, obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal illnesses, and premature death. If you aren’t concerned after hearing that, are you even human? That means productivity culture is killing us!
The mind affects your body and your body affects your mind. I am big on holistic living and I have to tell you that you can have an impact on your health. I encourage you to listen to your body and body cues to make decisions in your life. Find out what helps lower your stress levels and not to push past your intuition.
Don’t compare yourself to their friends, value yourself off your productivity or shame yourself for taking a break. Work-life balance (and resting) is the key to a healthy body.