How to move past productivity guilt
I keep hearing a recurring theme with clients, friends, and myself lately: the productivity guilt.
It goes like this: you're all excited about what you wanted to accomplish this summer, you go on a few trips, spend more time outside and with friends, then realize you aren't hitting your expected (or usual) levels of 'productivity.'
Brittany on a recent trip to Lake Cushman, Washington
Then you go down a guilt spiral: shaming yourself for not being further along and maybe even regretting the time you spent away from your work or projects.
Something I like to remind myself and clients in moments like these is that we're human beings not human doings.
When we think that we will always maintain the same level of productivity or output every day, every week, every month, we leave no room for life to happen. Sure that works for computers, robots, and AI but we're HUMANS.
We have family emergencies, get sick, take vacations, and celebrate our birthdays.
Some of these we may know in advance and can potentially plan for, but others catch us off guard and may throw our whole week or month off track.
What's most important here is remembering that we have different seasons of life and work (and this is totally normal and okay!).
Sometimes we're busy, sometimes we're bored.
Sometimes we're motivated, sometimes we're stuck.
Sometimes we're energized. sometimes we're exhausted.
Sometimes we're healthy, sometimes we're sick.
A few questions to ask yourself to help ease the productivity guilt spiral now and again in the future:
What unexpected or out of the ordinary activities happened recently?
I get it, life happens, so we need to be able to give ourselves grace along the way. However, there's a delicate balance to know that we need to be flexible AND not use it as an excuse. If you always use unexpected activities as an excuse, consider how you can build more flexibility into your life to better handle these situations in the future (like where can you get support from others, delegate, have boundaries, or have wiggle room in your schedule).
Will these activities help you reset, recharge, or create more joy in your life?
Taking time to reset and recharge can help you be more productive later. You need to keep your own energy 'battery' filled (instead of waiting for it to be empty or at burnout for you to then take time for yourself or a vacation). Personally, I get some of my best business ideas during and immediately after taking a vacation. Think of these activities as a long-term investment in yourself and your future.
Is this simply a seasonal thing? (summer travel, back to school, holidays, etc.)
Sometimes certain seasons of the year or cycles in your business/work will produce predictable chaos, busyness, or slowness. Look back at your schedule and time spent lately compared to previous years - where are there predictable trends? Now, how can you anticipate or prepare for this next year or the next cycle? You can adjust your expectations more seasonally, knowing your results will look different during different seasons.
What can you do differently next time to ease the guilt?
If you're someone who tends to overcommit to things: where can you give yourself grace to lean into times of less productivity in service of recharging your battery? If you're someone who consistently tends to do less than you'd like: where can you add more systems or structure into your work or habits to create more consistency?
If you’re ready to do things differently, I’ve got you. Schedule a 30-min discovery call to see if coaching is the right fit for you.
Brittany is a life & leadership coach, trainer, and the founder of Hello Velocity where she helps ambitious individuals and corporate teams enhance their performance by working smarter, not harder. When she isn't building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure, taking a yoga or kickboxing class, or checking out a local brewery. She was recently acknowledged as one of the top coaches in Charlotte, NC.
