Gentle productivity: how to be productive at your own pace

If you have ever started a new project, course or career path, you know that you need commitment to see it through.

When I was young, I believed that when you were talented at something you would naturally succeed at it. Over time, I have learned that this isn´t always true. Your raw talent needs to be cultivated. And we do this by dedicating our time and energy to it, over a longer period of time.

There will be days where you feel like everything flows, where you naturally show up because you feel so inspired that you can´t even stop yourself. And there will also be times when you wonder what the point of it all is, and whether it wouldn´t be better to give up altogether.

And that is where a certain level of discipline is really helpful. When you have a routine in place, and you have carved out time to spend on your goals and dreams, it makes it much easier to show up when self-doubt comes up. With distractions being everywhere, it helps to have certain tasks you can focus on when inspiration doesn´t flow as naturally.

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

In the world of self-development, just like in the world itself, there is a lot of focus on productivity. There are endless resources out there that share ways to be more disciplined, remove distractions, or create the best outcome in the least amount of time.

While these resources can be helpful, they can also create the narrative that if you aren´t maximizing all your time and effort, you are somehow falling short. The idea that we always need to be productive in everything we do can create a cycle of overwhelm, and then shame and guilt when we feel like we aren´t as productive as we could be.

Social media can be a great source of inspiration, but also the root of comparison, as we will always see people that do what we want to do but better or faster. Conversations in offices and workplaces are also often focused on how much we have delivered, as proof of the value we add.

This all puts a lot of pressure on us, which often shows up as perfectionism. Personally, I always feel this pressure in my body: my muscles become tense, my breathing shallow. It is a very panicky energy that want to move you into action and fix things, work extra hard and make up for the time you have lost.

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 rather on constantly proving your worth to yourself and other people.

I often notice that resources around productivity see everything as a means to an end to be more productive: rest, creativity, meditation. But that in itself is very survival based. It often comes from a deep-rooted belief that we need to prove our worth and work really hard to deserve good things.

While discipline is important, this does not have to mean that we have to give up on other interests, or used them as a way to succeed. Discipline can be about removing some of the distractions that don´t nourish you in any way, and instead give more time to activities that fill your cup. Instead of endless scrolling (often a protection mechanism from unwanted feelings), you dedicate your time not just to your dreams, but also to rest and joy.

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 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.

It is not about pushing yourself through rigid routines, but about connecting to why you want to move forward in that specific area. About connecting 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 honors 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.