11/14/2024

Let’s End Toxic Productivity

We must make time for ourselves

"I'll sleep when I'm dead." I'm embarrassed to admit that this is a line I used to repeat, whether to justify working until 2:00 a.m. to hit a deadline or squeezing in just one more email or skipping meals because "I don't have time."

But I learned the hard way that this joke isn't funny. The 2024 Mercer Global Talent Trend Report data supports agrees. This robust study of more than 12,000 global participants suggests that 82 percent of the workforce is at risk of burnout, citing excessive workload, exhaustion and financial strain as the main culprits.

This is toxic productivity in a nutshell — essentially an unhealthy compulsion to be productive at all times, often at the expense of our mental and physical well-being, relationships and overall quality of life. It's a common sentiment in today's work culture, where the drive to be constantly productive is often celebrated, if not expected. But this mindset isn't just harmful; it's dangerous.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Harvard Business Review.