Why Setting Realistic Productivity Goals Is Key to Success

I get it.

There's no denying that we are living in a world that glorifies hustle culture and productivity hacks. Which is why it becomes so easy to get caught up in setting unrealistic goals for ourselves. But we need to break free from this.

We've all seen those articles touting the benefits of waking up at 5 am, exercising for an hour, meditating, journaling, and then diving into 5 hours of deep, focused work. While that might sound fantastic in theory, it's not always practical or sustainable for everyone.

The Reality of Deep Work

Let's talk about deep work, that magical state where we're completely focused and immersed in a task. Many productivity gurus will tell you to aim for 5 hours of deep work every day. Sounds impressive, right? But here's the reality check: that's not feasible for most people, and it shouldn't be the standard we hold ourselves to.

Studies have shown that the maximum amount of time most people can maintain deep focus is around 52 consecutive minutes, maybe stretching to 90 minutes at most. Going beyond this can lead to burnout, disappointment, and even imposter syndrome.

So why do we continue to set unrealistic goals for ourselves?

Perhaps it's because we're bombarded with success stories and social media posts from people who seem to have it all figured out. But here's the truth: we're all different. We have different lifestyles, paces, and work patterns.

Instead of trying to fit ourselves into someone else's mold, it's time to embrace our own unique rhythm. That means understanding our own work patterns , building our schedules around them, and setting goals that are realistic and attainable for us.

Maybe for you, that means aiming for just two hours of deep work a day, and that's okay. The key is to set goals that challenge you but are also within reach.

So let's ditch the one-size-fits-all approach to productivity and focus on what works for us as individuals. After all, success is not about how many hours of deep work we can cram into a day; it's about making meaningful progress towards our goals, one realistic step at a time.

Emna Ghariani is a multi-time entrepreneur and digital wellbeing activist who spent years building solutions to fight the hustle work culture and find real ways to get to work-life balance. If you want to get on this journey, start by reclaiming your time using to FlowFinitee app, your Swiss army knife to fight burnout and decision fatigue.