Redefining Productivity: Making Space for Rest

When I think about productivity, I think about making the most of my time. I think about working on projects, checking off goals, and always having something that I'm trying to improve. For me personally, a productive day usually involves making a checklist and getting through a certain amount of it. There's a feeling of success when checking things off that list, and I think most of us can relate to that feeling. But I've also noticed that sometimes the weight of feeling the need to be productive can make relaxing difficult even when there's nothing urgent that needs to get done.

I think a lot of this comes from the messages we're exposed to growing up. We're taught to be productive, be disciplined, and make good use of our time. These aren't bad things to learn, and I certainly think there's value in them. But somewhere along the way, I wonder if we've started connecting our productivity to our value as people. Almost as though the more we accomplish, the more valuable we become. And if we're not accomplishing something, maybe we're being lazy, or maybe we aren't disciplined enough.

I've definitely experienced this myself. There have been days when I've had a list of tasks that I wanted to get done, and realistically, there was no way I could finish all of them in a single day. Even knowing that, I would still feel like I should be working on them. When I finally sit down to relax, it feels good, but there's also this thought lurking around in my head telling me everything I haven't finished.

What's interesting to me is that I've even experienced this during times when I don't have any real deadlines. There could be nothing pressing that needs my attention, but I can still come up with things I could be doing. Maybe I could clean a little more around the house. Maybe I could spend more time developing a hobby or working on a skill. There's really no end to the things we could improve upon. And I think that's part of what makes resting so difficult. If we're waiting until there's absolutely nothing left to do, we might be waiting forever.

Something I've been slowly trying to incorporate into my life is how I define a “successful day”. I think sometimes we set high standards for ourselves that aren't entirely reasonable, especially when it comes to bigger projects. Let's say you have to deep clean your entire house. You start cleaning and only finish cleaning two rooms in one day. Technically, you haven't completed the task, but you've made quite a bit of progress. You got the ball rolling. To me, that's still a successful day, even though you have more work ahead of you.

I think we can apply this idea to our perceptions of productivity. We don't necessarily need to finish everything we started to feel good about what we've accomplished. Some days we might make a lot of progress, and other days we might only get through a few things. Either way, I think there's value in noticing the effort that was applied instead of only focusing on what remains unfinished.

At the same time, I don't think the number of tasks we complete should be the only thing that determines whether we've had a good day. There's also the time we spend enjoying our leisure activities or spending time with people we care about, and participating in the things that we simply enjoy. For me, I would consider a successful day one where I've made progress on some of my responsibilities but have also allowed time for those other parts of life. These ideas bring me to the concept of rest and self care.

I think it's interesting how we sometimes treat rest as something that has to be earned. Maybe we have a conversation with ourselves and agree that we'll relax once we finish a task,  finish cleaning the house, or get through our entire checklist. But if there's always another task waiting for us, when does that time actually come?

I've also noticed that the way I spend my downtime makes a difference in how rested I feel afterward. For example, I could spend 20 minutes sitting inside on my phone, or I could spend those same 20 minutes sitting outside in the sun, watching the birds, and breathing in the fresh air. Personally, I've found that slowing down and being outside even if it is a short time usually leave me feeling much more refreshed. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with spending time on your phone. It's more about noticing what activities actually give you that sense of rest and self care.

I also think that if we overextend ourselves without allowing time to recharge, the work we're doing can start to suffer. I've noticed this when I'm writing or working on tasks. After so long without rest, I arrive at a place where the effort I'm putting in isn't producing the same quality of work. I might still be spending time on the task, but I'm not necessarily making much progress. Sometimes prioritizing self care and then returning to the task when rested is more helpful than continuing to push through.

Now, I do think there's some moderation involved in all of this. I don't believe the answer is to stop being productive or to avoid working toward our goals. I enjoy having things to work toward, and I think having an idea of something you strive for is meaningful in life. What I'm getting at is that we don't need to spend every available moment trying to accomplish something.

One thing I've found helpful is giving thought or making a more reasonable checklist for my day. Rather than making a huge list with everything I could possibly accomplish, I try to identify the things that I actually need to get done. I like to think of these as my “minimum goals” for the given day. The most critical aspect is making sure they're achievable rather than expecting myself to do an unrealistic amount of work. Once I've finished those things, I can feel good about what I've accomplished and finally kick my feet up for a while. If I want to do more, that's fine too, but I don't have to.

Of course, some days even those smaller goals might not get finished. Life happens, plans change, and there are days when we simply don't have the same energy we usually do. I think we need to allow for that as well. I don't want to create another situation where I feel like I have to complete a checklist before I'm allowed to take a break. The checklist is there to help keep me on track, not determine whether I've earned time for myself.

I guess what I'm getting at is that productivity doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing. We can work hard, have goals, and take pride in what we accomplish without expecting ourselves to be busy every moment of the day, and we can enjoy our downtime without accusing ourselves of  “being lazy”.

There's probably always going to be another project to finish, another skill to develop, or another task waiting for our attention. Those things matter, but they're not always the top priority. Sometimes it's okay to sit outside for a while, enjoy the sunshine, and let the checklist wait.