When Do Productivity Hacks Lead to Burnout?
Photo by Carl Heyerdahl on Unsplash
When I was starting out in my career I loved learning about productivity hacks and programs. For example, one of the most popular productivity programs at my earlier job was the Getting Things Done program. I also liked learning about and implementing Inbox Zero to get a handle on my inbox. There's a whole industry out there full of people claiming to help you become more productive.
Eventually though, I realized that these productivity tricks weren't helping me get home any faster. I was working faster but all that bonus time was filled by more work. Pretty soon I had a higher than average workload compared to my other coworkers. My workload was still manageable during an average workday. It was decidedly not manageable when things hit the fan, as they often can in healthcare. There was no slack in my workload which meant I would have to put in long hours to catch up during difficult times.
That's how productivity hacks can lead to burnout. If you're not careful about where your time ends up going you might not be happy with the end result. One of the scales of burnout is exhaustion. You make yourself more susceptible to burnout when you reduce time spent on things you enjoy and increase time spent on things you hate. Before you try out a productivity hack ask yourself these questions:
Do I actually want to reduce time spent on this activity?
What am I going to do with the extra time?
Now, I'm much more measured about where I try to increase productivity. I still do Inbox Zero because it helps me cut the time spent thinking about emails. (Let's be honest, no one wants to spend any time thinking about emails). I don't use productivity hacks when it comes to reducing time on things I enjoy doing. For example, in the book The Four-Hour Workweek Tim Ferriss describes a method of speed-reading to get through books faster. I've used a lot of the tips in that book but I don't use that particular tip because I enjoy the time I spend reading.
I'm also not afraid to leave a little slack in my workday. My most interesting ideas usually come when I'm not focusing on anything in particular. I no longer try to plan 100% of my day with productivity. Instead, I plan 80% of my day and let the remaining 20% fill itself naturally with new ideas.
What's your favorite productivity hack? Send me an email.