This is How You Can Overcome Your Productivity Guilt

Productivity guilt is a term you mightn't be familiar with but have probably experienced. It's not a nice feeling so here's how you can overcome it if you regularly deal with it.

What is it?

Productivity guilt is a feeling you get when you're "being lazy" and not doing something you consider productive.

Dr Julie de Azevedo Hanks told PsychCentral that a lot of us "link our behaviour, our performance, our productivity, with our self-worth" and that we also mistakenly believe that there will be " a point where we get everything done that we want to, or should, or expect".

This explains why productivity can become such an important part of our daily lives and why we feel so bad and so guilty when we're taking time out.

But productivity doesn't have to rule your life - here are some ways you can overcome productivity guilt: 

Block out time for relaxation.

Rather than filling up your calendar or to-do list with endless tasks, start blocking out some time for relaxing each day.

It can help reduce productivity guilt as you have pre-planned or scheduled this relaxation time, so there's no need to feel guilty about it.

Regularly doing so will also help you set boundaries between work and rest.

Even those who have a traditional 9-5 office job still have household tasks or side hustles to do when they come home, so having a set time for rest is important.

Remind yourself why rest and downtime are important.

Giving your mind and body time to rest and recharge is vital for your physical and mental health.

If you don't, you run the risk of burning out.

Without enough rest, you won't be able to work to the best of your ability anyways.

If you have a creative job, downtime is often vital for coming up with new ideas - going to places that inspire you, watching or listening to movies or music that could inspire an idea.

So the next time you feel guilty for resting, remind yourself of this.

Remember that life's not all about work.

Yes, working, getting things done and generally being productive are important aspects of life but they aren't everything.

What's equally important is spending quality time with friends and family, making memories and doing the things you love.

Prioritising productivity over everything else will mean that you're sacrificing the other equally important aspects of life.

After all, when you look back at your life in 40 years time, you're not going to remember the days you spent "being productive".

How do you deal with productivity guilt?