Learning to Recognize—and Heal from—Toxic Productivity

Israa Nasir, MHC-LP, is a New York City-based psychotherapist and the author of Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More.

The term “toxic” can be used to describe habits or behaviors that have crossed a threshold of intensity or frequency that makes them unhealthy. In other words, it is taking a generally helpful action to an extreme where it causes more harm than good. For example, doing a favor for a loved one or being positive can both be healthy, good habits. But when doing favors turns into chronic people-pleasing, or putting a smile on turns into masking your true feelings, the behaviors may now be toxic.

In the case of toxic productivity, unhealthy habits begin to show when we consistently put work, personal development, or accomplishment above our personal needs. Some examples of toxic habits are:

• Turning down social events to do work or self-improvement.
• Forgetting (or choosing not) to eat meals during the day.
• Feeling guilty about not getting enough done.
• Working overtime on a regular basis.
• Feeling overwhelmed with events or activities for weeks (or months) at a time.

We are used to thinking in binaries, so it’s likely we see an action as A) healthy or B) toxic. But a productivity binary, however—much like many other binaries—is a false construct. There is no A or B—black or white, healthy or toxic; instead, productivity lives on a spectrum. You can be productive and go out with friends after work (instead of it being a waste of time). You can get things done and choose not to follow culturally prescribed goals (instead of being unambitious). In fact, the power of being “somewhere in between” is where we have the most flexibility to grow, to find our sweet spot, and to have compassion for ourselves and others.

That said, as we move toward the toxic end of the spectrum, we begin to feel a negative impact on our overall health. This impact can happen in two ways. Toxic productivity habits negatively affect our physical health, as the desire to be productive outweighs our priority for sleeping, eating a consistently healthy diet, or making time for social relationships. Remaining in the more extreme end of the spectrum can also impact us at the emotional level, causing us to feel self-doubt, inviting comparison of ourselves to others, and amplifying shame and guilt. These habits strengthen feelings of low self-worth and the lack of belonging. At the most extreme, we can experience burnout—a feeling of profound emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion as a result of excessive and prolonged stress.

Unfortunately, it is very easy to overlook these feelings as we chase the high of meeting a goal or achieving something. The more we ignore this emotional distress, the more it starts to show up in our relationships as irritability and short tempers, our bodies as vague aches and fatigue, and our minds as cynicism and pessimism. We can even become “stuck” in our toxic productivity, where our own thoughts and behaviors fuel even more negative thoughts and behaviors, pushing us further toward the toxic end of the spectrum.

How Do You Know If You’re Stuck in Toxic Productivity?

In David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College (later published as an essay titled “This Is Water”), he tells a story about two young fish who are swimming in a lake. An older fish swims by and asks, “How’s the water, boys?” After the older fish swims away, the two younger fish look at each other and wonder, “What the hell is water?”

Wallace’s story points out that when we are surrounded by something, it becomes difficult to recognize it. We live in a world immersed in messages that glorify toxic productivity, such as aspirational phrases like “hustle culture” or “boss energy”; these messages make it difficult to even notice, let alone discern, which parts of their impact are healthy or unhealthy for you.

Learning to objectively observe yourself is one of the most important ways you can become aware of your toxic thoughts and behaviors, break the toxic productivity cycle, and begin to heal yourself. In fact, self-awareness is a key first step in changing any behavior. Ask yourself where you currently fall on the productivity spectrum: see if your thoughts and behaviors could be classified as normal productive actions or if they are becoming too toxic—causing more harm than good. The following lists are some of the most common thoughts or statements clients have shared with me that reflect their toxic productivity mindset. Take a look and reflect on whether you’ve ever caught yourself saying or thinking anything similar:

• “I’ll take on this project as well. Really, it’s no problem.”
• “You go ahead—I’ll eat lunch later.”
• “I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow, but I’ll still have access to my work email, so don’t hesitate to reach out if anything comes up.”
• “I’ll sleep better after I’ve finished             .”
• “If they were truly my friends, they’d understand why I can’t get together on weeknights.”
• “I can’t delegate this task! No one can do this as perfectly as I can.”

Once you are more aware of your toxic productivity thoughts and habits, you can ponder the why behind the what—looking into your thoughts regarding productivity in general and how these affect your thoughts and behaviors. You can use this information to finally see all the “water” that surrounds you.

Excerpted with permission from Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More by Israa Nasir (Bridge City Books, 2024).