The Great Productivity Myth

Did you leap out of bed at 4am this morning, eager to start your routine of an hour at the gym, followed by meditation, reading a self-improvement book, and setting your 23 goals for the day?

No, me neither.

I struggled out of bed at about 6.30, long after my alarm went off, and wearily trudged around the house trying to remember my name and what day of the week it was.

But you know what?

I am OK with that.

For years I wasn’t.

I thought that every time I lingered in bed for even a moment or did anything at less than a flat out pace, I was failing.

I cursed what I saw as the weakness of my body and mind that was stopping me from working as hard as possible to meet all my goals in life, preferably by lunchtime today.

The internet is no help in this regard.

All those stories of the 5am club and elaborate morning routines that set you up as a champion in life.

In the main, I believe that they are just stories.

Or at the very least, these people have the support of others to carry out the daily chores that most of us have to do.

I am in no way knocking these superhumans, and if that really is the routine that works for them, good for them.

But it is neither possible nor necessary for most of us.

I am a morning person.

I started writing this before 7am, because I know that my brain follows a steady decline as the day goes on.

By early afternoon I am usually fit for very little.

Again, this used to drive me wild.

But now I accept that it is me, and I try to work with it, not against it.

Perhaps the biggest lie we tell ourselves is that we have to be super productive at all times, and on top of that, we use a very narrow definition of “productive”.

Doing anything at all is productive.

It does not all have to be directly tied to a masterplan of retiring with millions in the next 10 minutes.

Just getting through life is being productive.

Getting up, dressing and feeding yourself, taking care of your family, and making it through the day relatively unscathed is productive.

If you have a health issue or are disabled in some way, just getting through the day in an of itself can be a huge challenge, so you are definitely being productive.

All the other stuff, like writing books, building your online presence and so on is great, but it is not all there is in life.

It sounds trite, but take time to enjoy the journey.

Do not become so focused on some distant milestone that you have determined is essential to your happiness that you miss everything that is going on around you while you get there.

Most importantly, recognise that rest is productive, and stop beating yourself up for being human.

You could go out today and buy the best built, most expensive car in the world.

But it would still spend some time in the workshop.

It would need to be serviced, have parts replaced, and probably break down from time to time.

You are no different.

You need to rest, restore yourself, and take time to recover from sickness or psychological blows.

This was the big breakthrough for me.

Most Saturdays I just sit on the sofa, reading and watching films.

I no longer feel guilty about it (most of the time anyway!)

I know that I need that time in order to be able to get other things done in the rest of the week.

By the end of the day, I start to feel the restoration in my body and mind.

Burnout is not something that just happens to those we view as weak.

It can happen to any of us, and if you never take a break it will happen to you too.

Then you really will learn what it is like to just do what you have to in order to get through the day.

The best tool for long term productivity is to be kind to yourself, recognise all that you get done every day even on days when you struggle, and to take regular breaks.

If the 5am club works for you, I am very happy for you – go for it.

But if it doesn’t, you are no less able or productive.

There are as may ways to live a happy, fulfilled, and productive life as there are people.

Find your own way and leave others to find theirs.

You are being productive right now, reading this.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.