Contemporary society increasingly associates professional success with a full and happy life. The result of this call is the feeling that you worked a lot, but did nothing. Or, that you should fill all your free time with work and no more resting and having fun. This phenomenon has a name and it is called productivity dysmorphia. Read more below!
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What does productivity dysmorphia mean?
In essence, dysmorphia means seeing only the negative aspects of a given situation. For example, after a day at work in which you managed to accomplish everything that was planned, it can be common to feel that you should have done more or that the deliveries were not good enough.
According to Anna Codrea-Rado, this event can be known as productivity dysmorphia. The term is used to describe the inability to see our achievements and to always want to do more, to reach an ideal productivity that was created by ourselves.
The forms of manifestation of productivity dysmorphia are diverse. How many times have you not felt guilty about resting or going out with friends, even after an exhausting week at work? Or that you should 'get extra' on the weekends, even when you've done more than you should during your job?
Causes of Productivity Dysmorphia
Although the reasons for feeling unproductive are many, the most common causes of productivity dysmorphia are:
- imposter syndrome;
- Burnout or exhaustion;
- Anxiety.
Together, these factors contribute to a feeling that we must always do more, without being able to stop to enjoy everything we have already done and all our success so far.
Furthermore, with our culture oriented towards building the meaning of our lives around work, not reaching the stipulated goals brings a sense of personal failure. In this way, as other areas of life are in the background, all the pleasure that is not linked to productivity is loaded with guilt.
How to deal?
Although it is difficult to reframe the culture in which we live, we can adopt some attitudes to deal with productivity dysmorphia. Are they:
- Write a diary about your day;
- Write a realistic to-do list;
- Redefine what productivity means and build your own concept.