Toxic productivity?

There's been a lot of talk recently about the concept of "Toxic Productivity". I think it's an important topic to address.

I'm the Productivity Ninja guy, so a lot of people assume that I'm here to defend the idea of productivity; that what I care about most is simply maximising output, at pretty much any cost. How to be a Productivity Ninja was published back in 2014, and my company, Think Productive has been running productivity workshops, getting peoples' inboxes to zero and many other helpful things since way back in 2009. I'm certainly a fan of the transformative effect that addressing your own productivity in a conscious and deliberate way can have. Clarity breeds momentum breeds more clarity.

But here's the thing.

In the last few years, I do think as humans we've lost the plot a little bit. It started with Twitter and Facebook's sharing of (often banal) motivational quotes and then the Instagram comparison culture, where it seems everyone comes away feeling inadequate that they don't have the right salary or car or abs or... fill in your own.

Then came 'hustle culture' and this whole generation in their twenties who think they need to put out as many YouTube videos and "pieces of content" (yuk!) as Gary Vaynerchuk. In my view, the glorification of flinging yourself towards burnout as quickly as possible is deeply damaging. No one needs to follow Gary's insane schedule, be part of the "5am club" every morning and work til nearly midnight. And precisely because productivity can become addictive, it's like anything good - it's toxic if you go too far.

My own work patterns vary, but a few things are pretty consistent:

- Aside from a trip to Abu Dhabi about ten years ago (or March 2020 as it's otherwise known!) and a couple of pro bono talks I've given on Saturday mornings, I don't work weekends. Ever. This email comes to you from the past.

- I generally work a Four Day Week. It's our company policy. I occasionally stray into the Friday morning if I'm stretched that week, but I protect my downtime.

- I rarely read or reply to emails in the evening.

- I have a young son and do 50% of the childcare (because it's not the 1970's).

- Son-permitting (!) I aim for at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night. More if I can get it.

- I don't skip breakfast.

When it comes to productivity and getting the best out of ourselves, we do sometimes need to be our own strict sergeant major. And sometimes we need to listen kindly to ourselves like a good friend or counsellor. Maybe true balance, rather than being about work-life balance, is really about how we balance the management of ourselves between those two sides: strict and motivated on the one hand, kind and compassionate on the other.

A Productivity Ninja is human, not superhero. Granted, all the tools and techniques will make it look to others like we have special powers, or even that we must, secretly, be working a hundred hours a week. But ultimately, we know that there's no secret sauce or set of magical short-cuts. We are human beings, with flaws, foibles and limitations.

And especially in times of stress and uncertainty, it's incumbent on all of us to accept these limitations - and of course to embrace that everyone else faces these limitations too.

So, as the week starts up again, here are a couple of questions:

1. What do I need this week? More sergeant major to kick my ass, or more friendly counsellor to listen and understand that this is all pretty hard?

2. How can I build in the balance of both to the week, not just as an intention that I'll say now (and probably forget) but as a structure? (e.g. resolving to finish on time, resolving to protect downtime, etc.. or creating more deadlines, accountability or rigid routine).

3. Who else needs to hear that they're human and not superhero this week? (and feel free to forward this to them - they can sign up for future ones too).