You are always busy and consistently on the move. You think you are getting things done - and you feel great! But you end up feeling exhausted, drained of all your energy. You retire for the day, and guess what? Tomorrow is another day! Only to find out that your critical work remains unfinished. 

You're busy but not productive. 

And that's when I read about toxic productivity from Tobi Emonts-Holley. I can relate to his idea on toxic productivity, so I've written my take on his idea. 

Toxic productivity happens when your to-do lists fill up faster every day. No matter how busy you are, you are still behind.

The question is, how can you overcome it? 

Begin with your Why

Go back to the ultimate reason you're doing what you're doing. Understand what drives you. Because at the end of the day, it all boils down to you. 

Your why should be the foundation of everything you do. It could be a vision of a life you want to achieve, an aspiration of life you've been yearning. It could be a passion. Perhaps you want to be successful in your work because you want to be stable to provide for your desires. 

Whatever your purposes are, connect and stick to it. Everything you do should move in its direction. Don't let distractions steer you away.

Do a brain dump

If your brain is too cluttered with all the different tasks bombarding you, get your journal and begin writing them down. Categorize your to-do lists and unload your mind. 

I read somewhere that our minds hate unresolved issues. That's why we have difficulty sleeping when we still have problems unsolved. Unresolved issues create an open loop in our brain, and we get restless until we close it. 

Journaling closes that loop. It tricks our minds into thinking that we have resolved the issue and the idea is safe in an "idea vault" that is our journal. It's a helpful hack if you ask me.

Do, delegate, delete

So you have written all your thoughts in a paper and categorized them into an order of priority. What's next?

Identify among your list the things that you can do, delegate, and delete. 

DO. The things you have to do. You can still further classify this as Urgent and Important, Important but not Urgent, and Urgent but not that Important. 

DELEGATE. You delegate the things that others can do for you to expedite the process. It is helpful because you're not only saving time, but you are also empowering others to grow. 

DELETE. You delete the things that are not important. These are distractions that keep you busy all the time and take away much of your time. 

Identify your Daily Win

Every day you face your To Do List, identify that one thing that should be the focus of all your accomplishments. Plan out which of your tasks will make you feel like a winner. 

What I do is list down all the things I need to do. It gets overwhelming because I have several items on my list, and I can't do all of them in a day! So I choose which of them will be my primary focus for the day, and as soon as I tick them off, I already feel accomplished. 

Take control of your day. You need to master your timetable, don't let your timetable master you. 

Evening shutdown

At night, you shut yourself from all the work-related things and let yourself relax and recharge for the day. Spend time with your family and for yourself. Listen to relaxing music, watch a movie, or have a sound sleep. 

Remember that your goal is to live a life, not just make a living. Productivity is commendable, but it is not everything there is to life. 

Credits to Tobi Emonts-Holley.