Are You Addicted to Productivity?
How an Obsession With Optimization Could Be Messing With Your Head
You wake up early and check your emails before getting out of bed. You read the news while having coffee. You get to work, jump into back-to-back meetings and head to the gym during your lunch break. You spend the evening running errands and catching up on side projects. When you have a free moment, sitting feels weird. You’d much rather maximize your time.
If any of this sounds familiar, you may want to assess your need to be productive all the time. In a world that celebrates hustle culture, being productive seems like a virtue. But there’s a fine line between a healthy drive and a compulsive need to stay constantly busy. In fact, productivity can become addictive — and not in a good way. Here’s how to recognize the signs of productivity addiction (and what to do about it).
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How Productivity Becomes Addictive
Productivity can turn problematic if you use it as a coping mechanism instead of facing your feelings. While productivity isn’t an official diagnosis, there are behaviors with unhealthy productivity that can certainly be similar to addictive behaviors, notes licensed therapist and coach Rani Gupta.
Just like other addictions, it can be a way to avoid uncomfortable or painful emotions such as anxiety, loneliness or boredom. “Some people are always busy. They can’t not be busy: They will fill any downtime with tasks and projects. For some, being alone with themselves and not having something to do can be painful,” according to Frank Thewes, therapist and owner at Path Forward Therapy LLC.
That kind of busyness can become a vicious cycle. You get quick hits of satisfaction from crossing something off a to-do list or reaching a goal. But they don’t last. You crave more, and keep chasing the next activity or objective.
Meanwhile, slowing down starts becoming uncomfortable — and even outright threatening. Instead of seeing rest as necessary or recognizing when you’re running on empty, you chase the thrill of the next productive “win.” You start associating downtime with failure or laziness. Your self-esteem becomes associated with productivity — which makes it fragile.
Productivity addiction isn’t about working hard. It’s about using work — or other “productive” pursuits — to avoid dealing with deeper emotions.
Signs You Might Be Addicted to Being Productive
Recognizing that you have a problem isn’t obvious. Society rewards productivity. And it may even be leading you to success and rewards. So, what are some signs you might be addicted to productivity? Gupta recommends asking yourself a few honest questions:
- If someone who knows you points out that you spend all your time being productive, do you get angry? Do you get defensive? Do you deflect the question and try to quickly change the subject?
- Do you feel more irritated, angry, frustrated, impatient, and/or fatigued? Do you feel any of those things when you try to cut back on your productivity?
- Have you already tried to cut back on your productivity and found it to be extremely difficult?
- Have you lost important relationships, either with friends, family, or colleagues, because of how much time you spend being "productive"?
If you answer yes to more than one of these, it could be an indication that your relationship with productivity is veering into unhealthy territory.
How Productivity Addiction Hurts Your Mental Health
It’s fair to wonder why productivity addiction is so harmful. It’s not like drinking or gambling…right? But it can wreak havoc on your mental health. According to Thewes, you can immerse yourself in your busy schedule to the point of driving your nervous system into overdrive. The worst part? You can end up being stuck in that state.
Your body is in a constant fight-or-flight response and you never seem able to relax, breathe and reset. “[People in this situation] often feel tension, anxiety and depression. They can be at risk of burnout. All of this can impact relationships and general wellbeing,” says Thewes.
According to Gupta, productivity that becomes excessive and addictive often snowballs into loneliness and overwhelm. And this can even hurt your physical health in the long run. “Here’s the thing about loneliness: there are long-term health consequences. The American Medical Association designated loneliness as a public health issue,” adds Gupta. “The CDC identified some of the health impacts of loneliness as increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression and anxiety, among other diseases.”
Tips to Maintain a Healthy Relationship to Productivity
Productivity isn’t inherently bad. It can be a wonderful, positive thing. But maintaining a healthy relationship to it is key. “Establish boundaries around what productivity means to you,” says Thewes. “Am I constantly working? Am I constantly busy outside of my work context?”
To help break the habit of always needing to do something, Gupta suggests setting a timer. Whether you set it for 30 minutes or two hours, commit to ending whatever you’re doing once that timer goes off.
Also, shift your perspective around taking a step back from your go-go-go lifestyle. “People need to choose to take care of themselves — and this is highly productive. But stepping back from constant motion and busy routines often feels like losing momentum. It isn’t losing momentum, it is maintaining the person at the center of all of this productivity,” adds Thewes.
If this seems hard, it may be time for additional support and accountability. Ask for help. As Gupta puts it, there may be people in your life who will be thrilled to help you maintain healthy boundaries. Professionals like therapists and coaches can also guide you to unpack and redefine your relationship to productivity, one day at a time.
It doesn’t mean ditching your goals or standards. It means making sure that productivity serves you instead of holding you back in other ways. Creating space for rest, reflection and connection isn’t falling behind. It’s building a strong foundation for everything you want to achieve.
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