9 signs toxic productivity is impacting your life

You’ve probably heard of someone being described as a workaholic – someone who compulsively works to excess. Toxic productivity takes that to the next level, says licensed clinical psychologist Elena Welsh, PhD.

Someone dealing with toxic productivity feels extremely driven to be productive at all times, not just at work but in all areas of their lives.

“Toxic productivity is the inability to do something just for the sake of doing it,” adds Erika Ferszt, an organisational psychologist in London who specialises in toxic productivity and the founder of Moodally, a workplace mood-management program. “All actions must always have a goal or an objective that leads to a sense of personal improvement or achievement.”

People suffering from this push themselves to unhealthy extremes and focus on productivity to the exclusion of everything else in their lives.

“Toxic productivity can be hard to identify because of the high value society places on being productive professionally, socially and culturally, and because people are often externally rewarded for productivity,” says Dr Welsh.

When everyone around you is trying to be extra productive and encouraging you to do so, it can feel normal or even expected. But the consequences of toxic productivity can be devastating.

Toxic productivity can be difficult to spot, and you may be resistant to recognising it in yourself. That’s because the rush you get from achieving things is psychologically addictive, says Ferszt, who has a postgraduate degree in the neuroscience of mental health.

When you accomplish something, your body provides you with a hit of dopamine, which brings you pleasure. When you’re constantly focused on accomplishing things, it causes you to be in a state of “always on,” with elevated levels of adrenaline.

Over time, your body develops a tolerance and needs more dopamine and adrenaline to deliver the initial rush.

“As a result of the way the brain works, toxic productivity can behave like an addiction,” says Ferszt. “You can forget how to live without the sensations that accomplishment and productivity are expected to provide.”

Working too hard over extended periods of time will drain your energy. And it puts a great deal of stress on your body, leading to both mental and physical burnout.

Chronic stress is associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety and an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other “lifestyle” illnesses.

Some of the consequences can be unpredictable. For instance, after 22 years as a high-performing advertising executive, toxic productivity caused Ferszt to go temporarily blind.

“I had a burnout episode that put me in the hospital for stress-related vision loss,” she says. “This made me rethink everything in my life, all my priorities.”

To help you identify this pattern of behaviour in yourself or loved ones, we asked our experts to share their top signs of this problematic mindset.

Whether it’s crashing on a couch with a movie or taking a walk through the woods, time spent chilling and relaxing is crucial for everyone. If you find yourself unable to take a break or if you can’t unwind during unscheduled time, that’s a problem.

If your friend asks you to go for a walk and your immediate reaction is to question why you need to, that’s a bad sign.

People dealing with toxic productivity only want to do things for a purpose. For instance, they don’t want to just walk, they want to walk 10 kilometres a day to train for hiking the Appalachian Trail. “Not everything you do has to have a point,” says Ferszt.

Focusing on productivity over all else leaves little to no time for self-care. So things like a hot bath, a nap, or getting your hair done all fall by the wayside. So too may other important parts of self-care like paying bills on time, keeping the fridge stocked, and fulfilling obligations.

Look for these silent signs you’re not taking care of yourself.

Sitting around and shooting the breeze or catching up with loved ones is normally a fun experience and a vital way to reconnect with other people. Toxic productivity can make you feel like you’re wasting your time because you’re not accomplishing anything.

Ostensibly, being successful is the whole point of being productive, but people dealing with toxic productivity end up getting caught in a cycle of being productive just for the sake of productivity. This may mean that when you finally accomplish your goal, it feels hollow, empty, or not good enough. Or you may feel too burned out to appreciate it.

Joy is a simple feeling of delight, but it’s easily missed when you’re laser-focused on a goal. Even if you picked the goal because you thought it would make you feel happy, going overboard can make you lose the joy in it.

If you continue, you may move into a state of depression or anhedonia, a condition in which you don’t feel any pleasure. “You can lose the ability to participate and engage fully in the range of experiences that life has to offer,” says Ferszt.

Here are 8 hidden signs of depression to watch out for.