“Tips to be ‘that girl,’” “How to stay productive,” “How to develop a productive morning routine.”
These recent TikTok headlines revolving around extreme productivity show montages of uber-productive mornings and this exaggerated content has been flowing through my feed recently. Young females, in particular, seem to be competing for a “Who can be the most productive?” award by attempting to always outdo the next influencer.
The glamorization of productivity has me thinking — am I not doing enough?
TikTok users display their enthusiastic energy from the moment they wake up. They hop out of bed as soon as their alarm goes off and take the time to clean their room. They continue into the kitchen where they light candles and put on music for ambiance. They cook a nutritious breakfast before heading to the gym in a polished workout outfit.
But, are these TikTok stars really being productive? Should the concept of productivity weigh so much on our self-esteem? Absolutely not.
The thing is, everyone is on their own path to productivity. Productivity to one working professional may be staring at a laptop screen for eight hours a day wearing pajama pants underneath your business casual top. To another, productivity may be traveling to the office at 7 a.m., going to the gym after work and cooking dinner for the family. To a student, productivity may be attending classes, completing work and extracurriculars, having a great workout and socializing with friends. All of this is productive, yet none of them is a one-size-fits-all version.
Does lighting a candle as soon as you wake up make you more productive? No. Does unloading the dishwasher immediately when it is done change your life? No. It’s just one more toxic trend added to the list of how social media can have negative effects on mental health.
Productivity, to some, may be as simple as getting out of bed in the morning and brushing their teeth. To others, productivity may be taking a mental health break to cozy up with a good book or a familiar television show. All of this is perfectly OK.
You see, the definition of productivity is different for each one of us. Comparison will diminish your success. Just because someone else waters their garden one way, doesn’t mean yours will also thrive that way.
But why do we even care what others are doing? The theme of competition is now seeping into our everyday tasks. While social media puts everyone’s best self on display, it creates a sense of competition between us and our peers.
The glamorization of productivity on social media has created such a toxic culture. The trend causes people to feel that they must “do it all” every single day to deserve success or feel accomplished. When, in reality, no one can do it all. “Doing it all” is exhausting. It is healthy to take breaks. It is essential for the body and mind to rest.
There is no value in measuring your self-worth by your productivity levels. Sure, what you do when you wake up can make your day start out feeling a little bit better, but it doesn’t need to take a toll on your mental health. Productivity is not a measurement of how successful your day was – especially in comparison to others’ days.
When we look at social media, we are seeing a highlight reel of others’ lives. No one is posting to brag about how lazy they were that day or how unsatisfied they are with their job. The comparisons we make to people we see on social media are not accounting for their human mistakes or behind-the-scenes life.
When we compare ourselves to these posts, we frustrate ourselves through the notion that everyone else must have a picture-perfect life. Even these TikTok stars have bad days, too. Value your worth upon the good deeds you have done, the relationships you hold and small accomplishments, instead.
To combat this toxic culture, treat every task as an accomplishment. Feeding yourself three meals a day and going to work, at the very minimum, is an accomplishment. Don’t sell yourself short.
Remind yourself that each person is living a different life with different responsibilities. You may not have as much time as someone else, so don’t beat yourself up over it.
So, if you’re scrolling through your TikTok feed that is littered with dozens of toxic productivity videos, shut off your phone and remember all the good you have done today, whether big or small.