What’s the Purpose of Productivity?
Let’s go meta.
What’s the point of being more productive?
To get more things done.
Why do I want to get more things done?
A. To make an income and make more money.
B. T grow my audience and social media community.
C. To change people’s lives and make an impact.
D. To feel accomplished and feel good about myself.
Why do I want to make more money and get more followers?
To have more success.
To feel safe and secure.
Why do I want to change people’s lives and make an impact?
Because it feels good.
It validates my work, skills and effort.
To feel seen, heard and appreciated, which - let’s be honest - is good for my self-worth.
This idea of productivity and performance is messed up.
Do I feel good about myself when I get stuff done because I’m conditioned to feel good in this way or because its inherent? Is it because the desire is truly genuine, authentic and true for me?
When it comes down to it - when we get to the bottom of the purpose of life, after all that is said and done, especially when we realize that there might not be any purpose to any of this - the ultimate goal in life every day might just be to experience joy and have fun.
I am so tired of self-optimization to succumb to the pressure to perform and be more productive.
That pressure creates even more stress and then I get less done, because my nervous system gets activated and then I feel guilty and not good enough, which creates more stress in my body, which activates my nervous system even more.
Here is how I check in with myself when I am creating, working at my laptop and going after my daily routines:
Am I having fun? Am I enjoying this?
Would I be doing this if no one was watching? Would I be doing this for free?
Am I trying to reach a destination or am I enjoying the journey?
Do I feel more alive?