Reframing Productivity After Chronic Burnout
I was in my teens when I first experienced burnout. It happened again 3 more times in my 20s. As I entered my 30s, burnout became chronic. I realized that I needed to do more than just recover from burnout; I needed to change the way I approached, well, everything.
During this process, I had to face the beliefs and habits I had developed, both consciously and unconsciously. I also discovered that I am neurodivergent, which helped me understand myself better and start making changes in how I interacted with the world and myself.
The way we typically think about productivity ignores our natural rhythms and energy cycles, which impacts our capacity. It's easy to understand this on the surface, but it's much harder to dig deep to redefine productivity, determine your unique capacity, and adjust our expectations accordingly.
Redefining Productivity (for you)
To create sustainable systems that support our well-being, we must challenge traditional ideas of productivity and work-life balance. Society often puts pressure on us to do things a certain way, and that can make us feel burnt out, overwhelmed, and disconnected. By finding new ways to be productive that work for us personally, we can break free from these pressures and create systems that suit our individual needs and goals. Trying different methods that focus on self-care, exploring new things, and being creative can lead to more satisfaction, motivation, and long-term success.
Determine Your Unique Capacity
Understanding and working with our natural energy cycles can significantly impact our productivity and help us understand our capacity. Just like the ebb and flow of tides, our energy levels change throughout the day due to biological rhythms. By recognizing our natural energy patterns, we can strategically plan tasks that require intense focus during our peak periods and reserve low-energy times for lighter activities or rest.
For people who menstruate, acknowledging and respecting the menstrual cycle can make a big difference in productivity. Instead of seeing menstruation as a hindrance because it affects energy levels, mood, and cognitive abilities, we can use it as a guide for working in harmony with our natural capacity. When we align our work with our bodies' rhythms and maximize our effectiveness, it can greatly impact our productivity and the expectations we set for ourselves.
Resetting Your Expectations
The foundation of sustainable productivity lies in managing our personal energy. This involves recognizing our limits, setting boundaries, and establishing routines that support our well-being. *cough* ie. understanding your capacity and then honoring those needs across your life *cough* We each have a unique capacity, and we must develop self-awareness to understand what productivity means to us individually. This requires listening to our bodies, respecting our needs, and finding a balance between work and self-care. By doing so, we naturally adjust and reset the expectations we have for ourselves.
To achieve sustainable productivity and personal well-being, it's important to take a whole human approach. By considering all these elements, we can create routines and systems that optimize our individual capabilities, enabling us to navigate challenges and thrive in both our personal and professional lives. Let's question traditional productivity ideas, break free from societal expectations, and create a path that honors our true selves. This will ultimately lead to a more fulfilling and sustainable way of living and working.
For me personally, adopting a whole human approach that takes into account natural energy cycles, tailored routines, and balancing my workload with my menstrual cycle allowed me to discover a more sustainable relationship with productivity—one that embraces harmony, self-awareness, and flexibility.
Talk soon,
Hannah
