Gentle productivity: how to be productive at your own pace

In today´s society, we are encouraged to measure our value and self-worth against how productive we have been that day.

There is an inherent focus on productivity in today´s world. We are widely encouraged to measure what we are doing against the outcome we get from doing it: in business, workplaces, the gym, even with activities that are not supposed to be productive, like meditation. And this focus is understandable: we want to make sure that we are spending our time and effort on things that truly matter.

The world of self-development has played into our focus on productivity with endless resources on productivity ´hacks´: ways to be more disciplined, remove distractions and create the best outcome in the least amount of time.

These resources can be very helpful. Anyone who has ever started a new project, learned a new skill or wanted to implement a new habit knows that you need a certain amount of discipline to see it through. We need to dedicate our time and energy to it for a longer period of time for it to flourish.

There are days where everything flows, where you naturally show up because you feel so inspired that you can´t stop yourself. But with most of our hopes and dreams come with fears and doubts, and there will also be days where you find yourself questioning the point of moving forward. On those days, it can be helpful to have a routine in place, something you can focus on to nourish your hopes and dreams.

But this focus on discipline can easily tip into a mindset that feels a little rigid.

The relentless focus on discipline and productivity that society encourages can create the narrative that we are falling short when we aren´t maximizing all our time and effort. The idea that we always need to be productive can create a cycle of overwhelm and then shame and guilt when we aren´t as productive as we could be.

Social media can be a great source of inspiration, but also the root of comparison. We will always see people out there that do what we want to do or are where we want to be in our journey, in a way that is better and faster than us.

This comparison puts a lot of pressure on us, which often shows up as perfectionism. This pressure is often felt in our bodies: it is that panicky feeling that wants to move you into action, but from a place of fear rather than inspiration. It often makes you feel tense rushed and scattered.

The overwhelm can even lead to procrastination. When you put so much pressure on yourself to do everything right, your project or task feels really heavy, which makes it challenging to get started or keep going.

Feeling a need to always be productive is a very survival-based mindset. It is not focused on thriving in a healthy, balanced life but on proving your worth to yourself and others.

It comes from the deep-rooted belief many of us carry that we need to prove our worth and work really hard to deserve good things. Productivity can be a coping mechanism to avoid the feeling of not being good enough. It is a shield that protects you from feeling your own vulnerability, a way to mask the parts of you that feel unworthy of the things you long for.

We often measure our value against how much we have produced that day, and this can make it seem like doing something is always better than doing nothing. But at times, there is great value in having pauses between all the doing. Gaps of time between tasks not only give us time to rest and restore our energy but also allow us to reflect on whether what we are doing is really aligned with who we are and where we wish to go.

Good things take time, and sustainable change means keeping a pace that matches our energy level and specific needs.

We also need unstructured time – time to experiment, play around with ideas that never come to life and cultivate our interests. Time that isn´t filled with something to do, where we have the space to see what wants to unfold. Moments where we see how we feel and what we feel like doing and follow that – even if it means doing absolutely nothing. We are not meant to always be productive.

Gentle productivity is about recognizing that everything including you has a natural timeline. it is about enjoying that you are currently here rather than beating yourself up about not being there.

It is about finding the balance between discipline and flexibility, between showing up for what matters to you and giving yourself space to be human.

We are all different in terms of how much rest we need, how fast we learn new things and how much time we get to dedicate to our goals. You need courage and self-trust to let the pressure of the world pass you by and grow at your own pace. But when you are honest about your needs and create a realistic routine, the chance is much higher that you will stick to it.

Gentle productivity is not about pushing yourself through rigid routines, but about to your deep-rooted desire for something and feeling motivated from that place. A place of joy and curiosity rather than force or criticism.

It is about building a realistic routine that fits into your life, and that honours your natural rhythm. When you are honest with yourself about your need for rest and how much you can do in a day, you allow yourself to grow at your own pace.

You then create space to enjoy the process. And as you celebrate your little wins along the way rather than criticize yourself for what you haven´t achieved yet, you learn to value what you offer.

It can be challenging to go at your own pace when the world always seems to put pressure on you to do more. To not give in to the pressure of where you feel like you should be, and to instead enjoy where you currently are. But the result is that you get to live a life where you dedicate your time towards something that matters to you, and that your success, whatever it looks like to you, is on your own terms.

 Gentle productivity tips

While gentle productivity looks different to each of us, here are some concrete tips that can help you on this journey:

1. Embrace small, consistent steps

Progress is progress, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem. Rather than feeling the need to do it all at once, focus on consistency. It takes away a lot of the pressure when you do things that feel manageable consistently over a longer period, and all these little steps together build momentum towards something bigger.

2. Honor your natural rhythm

Get to know the rhythm that works best for you. Take the time to reflect on your routine and see what works for you, and where you would like to adjust things. Treat rest as an essential part of your schedule and learn when you need breaks. The more you learn about your body and mind´s natural needs, the easier it will become to create a schedule that works for you.

3. Allow for flexibility in your routine

Consistency is much easier when you are flexible. Treat your routine as gentle support, not as a rigid schedule that you can´t deviate from. When you give yourself the space for life to happen and you don´t beat yourself up about missing a day, it becomes much easier to pick things back up the next day.

4. Celebrate the little wins

You might be inclined to focus on where you want to be and look at all the things that you still need to do to get there. I would like to suggest that instead you focus on the little wins along the way. Whether you share your progress with supportive friends or take a moment to acknowledge your wins by yourself, don´t let them pass you by.

5. Acknowledge your doubts, fears and discomfort.

When fears and doubts come up, it can be tempting to ignore them. But that often leads to procrastination, as we tend to avoid anything that brings up discomfort. I have written about this topic here.

Instead, make space to acknowledge these feelings. Talk about it, write about it, feel them in your body. Implement some calming practices. Only when you acknowledge and process these feelings can you move past them.

6. Connect to joy

Joy is the antidote to perfectionism. Give yourself space to be a little messy and see your project as a fun experiment where you try different things to see what works for you.

Focus on what brings you joy in your project, and in your life as a whole. Schedule time to do the things you deeply enjoy doing. If you have a hard time knowing what feels fun to you, your childhood favorite activities are often a great place to start.

If you would like to implement gentle productivity in your life and could use some guidance in this process, I invite you to plan an introduction call with me.