Productivity is probably my least favorite word in the English dictionary. Not because of what it means, but because of how it’s been handed down to us as the fix for otherwise dull and meaningless lives.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably sick of it too.
That guilt you feel for not being productive was forced on you by one assumption: that productivity is the end goal of happiness and fulfillment. But for most people, it simply isn’t. We’ve become addicted to being productive for the sake of being productive — and when your goals aren’t actually clear, you get lost somewhere in a loop of performing busyness.
And I know those side effects well. Feeling a little useless. Getting more anxious. Hitting a creative wall. Somehow overworked yet entirely unfulfilled.
Let’s change that.
Why productivity isn’t the goal
The biggest problem with productivity lies in its definition. Productivity is the effectiveness of productive effort, especially in industry, as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit. Somewhere along the way, we decided to apply words built for measuring machines to human beings.
I’m going to take a wild guess: when you’re trying to be productive, you’re not actually making things in a factory. Which means your output isn’t linear, and it’s entirely self-defined. Productivity is objective when applied to machines, but completely subjective when applied to people, because our output can’t be reduced to numbers and speed.
If J.K. Rowling had been more productive, she could have written 7 more Harry Potter books. But if she had, all 14 would have been weaker than the 7 she actually released.
You feel guilty for not being productive because you’ve been told that constantly doing more — and doing it faster — will bring you closer to a better life. But most of the time, that obsession with more output just pulls you away from the things that actually fulfill us.
Doing nothing is not a waste of time
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass is by no means a waste of time.” — John Lubbock
What will give you a better life than productivity? Rest.
If you’re constantly trying to be productive, your mind is always on. But creating something great requires a lot of thinking, and the best thoughts usually arrive when your mind is at rest — the shower thoughts, the ones that come while you’re lying in bed trying to fall asleep.
I imagine J.K. Rowling’s most productive days weren’t the days she spent writing. They were the days she spent thinking — thinking about the plot, the characters, how everything was going to link together. The books would never have come without the space to think about their creation.
And rest shouldn’t be a decision we make. It’s simply a requirement. Creativity and energy come and go with the seasons, and I know this is especially true for women. For me, there are weeks when I have endless ideas and I’m constantly writing things down for future posts. Other weeks? Nothing. Just like every other living thing on this planet, we change with the seasons.
One day your creative energy is flowing, and the next you feel like doing absolutely nothing. If you feel guilty on the days your body is telling you to rest, you’re fighting the nature of being alive. You can’t feel guilty for that.
You’re not here to be productive
It’s also worth remembering that you and I are going to die. I could try to tell you when, but I wouldn’t have sources to back it up, so you’ll just have to guess for yourself.
If stopping that isn’t the goal, then what are we actually working towards? Each of us gets to decide. But that brings up the bigger question: why should we be productive in the first place?
The end goal is the same for all of us — and if this performative busyness doesn’t make us feel good in the moment, what’s the point? You weren’t put on this planet to be efficient. You were put here to live. To sit under trees, to swim, to love, to play, and to do all the other things that actually make a life good. For me, none of that can be measured. No one else’s definition of productivity applies to your life — and that is incredibly freeing.
The difference between rest and avoidance
Here’s the caveat. There’s a huge difference between intentional rest and avoidance.
Avoiding something you know you should be doing isn’t rest. You’re clever — you already know what that thing is. The piece of work you know you have to do. The conversation you know you need to have. The change you know you need to make.
Every time you put it off, the anxiety builds, the hole gets bigger, and getting out of it feels scarier. No self-improvement book or TED talk is going to make doing it easier.
But you know yourself well enough to feel the difference between wanting to rest and wanting to avoid. If it’s the latter, stop putting it off. And if you’re genuinely tired and can’t really be bothered — then stop feeling so guilty about it. Eighty percent done, most days, is enough.
What does unproductive time look like in your life right now — is it rest, or is it avoidance? Tell me in the comments.
FAQ
Is resting the whole day actually rest?
Yes, if it’s intentional. Rest is a choice, not a default. The test is how you feel the next morning — lighter or heavier?
How do I know if I’m avoiding instead of resting?
Rest feels neutral or warm. Avoidance comes with a low hum of anxiety about one specific thing. If you can name the thing you’re dodging, it’s probably not rest.
Does this mean I never need to work on productivity?
No. Clear goals and small systems still help. This is about stopping the guilt — not about stopping all planning.
a note from Hazel: I still catch myself guilt-tripping on the kitchen counter at 2 p.m. when the dishes are done but the to-do list isn’t. A few deep breaths, a mug of tea, and I let the rest of the list wait until tomorrow. It’s enough.