Is your to-do list exerting a tight grip on your daily life? Have your productive hours expanded to the point where you’re tirelessly fitting in tasks at every opportunity? Is there little to no distinction between your work and personal life? The phenomenon of toxic productivity is pervasive.
Toxic productivity
Toxic productivity refers to an unyielding compulsion to remain busy and to continually achieve, which ultimately disrupts our well-being. It’s a prevalent culture that dictates our professional, parental, and personal lives.
However, just because this mindset has become standard doesn’t mean it’s healthy or sustainable.
The picture of productivity
In my university courses on learning and happiness, nearly every student expresses their feelings of exhaustion regarding their workload. Similarly, parents and educators in my strategy groups echo this sentiment, indicating a widespread sense of being overwhelmed and stretched too thin.
Until recently, discussions revolved around the consequences of unproductive time. Now, the focus has shifted to the dangers of unregulated productivity. Regularly, I hear from parents, students, and professionals about their struggle to manage heavy workloads, which affects their sleep, relationships, mental health, and physical well-being.
The times are a-changing
Fortunately, voices advocating for change are becoming more prominent, calling for rest, play, and ease. Innovators like Tricia Hersey, who authored Rest is Resistance (Little, Brown Spark, 2022), and the community initiative The Nap Ministry are underscoring the importance of embracing breaks in favor of relentless productivity.
My own TEDx talk titled “How to get from to-do to done” explores how we can foster a more compassionate relationship with our tasks and the pressure that accompanies them.
A nontoxic approach
When we define productivity solely by the number of tasks completed within a given timeframe, we often overlook critical elements such as planning, reflection, and the need for breaks.
Dana Daniels, the founder of Blue Sky Learning, describes non-toxic productivity as “a celebration of the process itself rather than just the final result.” This shifting perspective emphasizes effort and engagement throughout a project, rather than focusing exclusively on the outcome.
Marc Proudfoot, an ADHD coach and owner of Proudfoot Education Coaching Advocacy, prioritizes meaningfulness and fulfillment in his work. He believes that focusing on conversation and connection is essential, which he refers to as “the opposites of toxicity.”
Productivity pushback
Our task lists are often not only shaped by external demands. Even our self-imposed tasks, according to Proudfoot, can lead to toxicity. He points out, “I may create a list of objectives I wish to tackle, and while these might seem meaningful, I could feel pressured to finish them all at once, neglecting essential aspects like exercise, rest, or meditation.”
Challenging consequences
For those unfamiliar with the term “toxic productivity,” it might seem unfathomable to consider a different approach. Nevertheless, burnout—a tangible outcome of relentless effort and stress—is very real and increasingly common.
Resolving the conflict between recognizing and managing stress can be quite challenging. Daniels notes that burnout is more than just widespread: “It thrives in a culture that glorifies hustle, where we compromise our well-being to demonstrate our capabilities, surpass expectations, and ignore our fundamental need for rest and recovery.”
This article originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Thewindowsclubs magazine.
