Toxic Productivity in Students

Productivity is getting the important things done consistently. Whatever your goals are, there will always be only a handful of things that are actually important.

Often we confuse productivity with getting more things done in a day. This ends up what is known as toxic productivity and the person is also glorified as a workaholic or a hustler. One gets obsessed to accomplish everything perfectly every time, leaving no time for reflections, reviews and relaxations.

Same applies for students striving day and night to achieve their goals. A fixation towards achieving more and more with unrealistic schedules each and every day cannot result in anything productive, but a gradual deterioration of the child's physical and mental health.

Identify when does productivity turn toxic?

Too many activities - Being actively involved in more than 2 activities everyday can be too taxing for the student to cope. Even if the student might enjoy each and every activity he chooses it could be quite hectic with no downtime to simply relax.

Burning at both ends - When students have to wake up very early for extra classes or tuition and also sit late at night to complete their regular assignments. It can be considered toxic productivity if for more than once a week the child doesn't get at least 6 hours of sleep.

Feeling tired in the morning itself - When students are very tired in the morning after a good sleep it means the child has been overloaded with activities more than he can handle. A very good look into the various activities need to be taken and priorities must be revised to make the routine manageable.

How to break the cycle of toxic productivity?

Review your goals and set realistic time bound goals -

Students need to take a hard look at all the goals they want to achieve. They need to make realistic goals that are time bound. This way they will achieve their goals and also be able to monitor their progress on a regular basis.

Prioritize your goals -

Students who are very ambitious might have to prioritize their goals based on the current situation. They need to focus on five major goals at any given point. Once they achieve the current ones, they can always aim to achieve the next five goals.

Avoid social media –

Social media isn’t completely real and the success stories shared there are the outcomes after a number of attempts and failures. Hence, do not idealize others success. A slogging routine each day and everyday isn’t possible for anyone and, shouldn’t be there at all.

Take proper rest every day -

Rest is of utmost importance and is needed on a daily basis and if possible, at regular intervals of the day. Proper sleep is a must.

Schedule exercise and family time on a weekly basis -

Exercise is important for our body to function at its best. It is important for our overall health. Similarly, family time is required and should be considered sacred. Setting aside time for exercise and family means you have taken good care of the most important matter in your life. Family and health are the backbone of any person and when they are taken care, then everything else can be sorted in the long run.

Hobby Time –

An activity which doesn’t overwhelm you, doesn’t push you to obsess over your productivity, basically a fun thing which relaxes your mind.

In other words,

“Life is all about balance. You don't always need to be getting stuff done. Sometimes it's perfectly okay, and absolutely necessary, to shut down, kick back, and do nothing.” - Lori Deschene

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