Self-optimisation won't do it
Toxic productivity is the obsessive compulsive need to be productive to the detriment of ones long term wellbeing.
It impacts resilient high-performers mostly. This is because they have developed strategies that enable them to numb the intelligence of the body with the intelligence of the mind. We call this resilience and having a strong mindset.
Our society rewards this behaviour by calling us ‘good’, but it is not good. It is self-neglect.
And this neglect is normalised as it is a reflection of the neglectful systems in which we live. Systems that treat us like commodities and tell us that self optimisation is the panacea for all ills.
Feeling overwhelmed? Buy a productivity planner.
Feeling unseen/ undervalued? Do a confidence course.
Feeling disconnected? Join an elite gym thats marketed as a wellness community.
Feeling depleted? Biohack so you can jack up your nervous system and get back to productivity.
Feeling unmotivated? Wake up at 5am and box breathe.
The list goes on until you eventually accept you are burnt out.
Because all those things are doing for the sake of maintaining toxic levels of productivity.
Toxic productivity is not addressed with self improvement. It’s addressed with systemic change.