Do you ever feel like you’re not doing enough?

You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do, but you can’t stop looking for “what’s next”. It’s a feeling many solopreneurs experience. And there’s even a name for it. It’s called productivity guilt. It’s basically a feeling of guilt about not meeting your own expectations. You increase the amount of work you do to meet these expectations (usually unrealistic) to avoid the feeling of doing nothing.

Instead of taking time to celebrate your achievements, you cover up your feelings of “laziness” with more work.

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For as long as I can remember I’ve felt the burden of productivity guilt.

Sometimes I’d be making progress, but not as much as I thought I should. Other times I’d tick all the tasks off my to do list, and still feel like I hadn’t done enough. When it came time for rest and relaxation, I’d beat myself up.

Instead of focusing on all the things I’d achieved, I’d fixate on the things that I didn’t.

Hardly a healthy work-life balance!

Over the years I’ve learnt that knowing when enough is enough is essential in succeeding as a solopreneur. Not only is this crucial to your wellbeing, but a healthy work-life balance can’t exist with productivity guilt hanging over your head. So instead of beating yourself up, you need to cut yourself some slack. I know. That’s easier said than done.

Which is why, today, I want to share some tips to avoid feeling guilty about not being productive.

4 Tips to Beat Productivity Guilt

Let’s keep this as simple as possible. Productivity guilt is basically a mindset issue.

It tells you not to settle for less than perfection. That you need to be constantly busy in order to be successful. And to not enjoy free time until you have completed everything on your to-do list.

So, by changing your mindset, you can start to lessen the impact of productivity guilt.

1) Shift Your Mindset

One of the biggest, but most challenging shifts you can make is your mindset. You can switch your mindset on productivity by reminding yourself to:

• Embrace rest: Your brains not built for 8 hour days. It can only handle 4-5 hours of deep-work a day. Take breaks every 60-90 minutes to recharge and maintain your focus. And stop pressuring yourself to push through. End your day before you’re exhausted. Because solid work depends on solid rest.
• Focus on the process: It’s impossible to achieve everything in a day, week, or year. There’s always going to be something you cannot achieve. Focus on your growth and learning throughout the process, because unrealistic expectations lead directly to productivity guilt.
• Celebrate your wins: Maybe you didn’t get to that task you were planning to do. But maybe you finished another task ahead of time. Maybe you took some time out of your day to help a family member or friend, or did some jobs around the house.

Rather than stressing over the things you didn’t achieve, focus on all the things you did.

2) Plan Your Day

What’s the most important thing you need to do today? What can wait? Plan your day in advance. If you start your day with a loose to-do list, it’s too easy to keep adding things to it. You’ll end your day with more on there than when you started. That’s when the guilt arrives.

3) Know the difference: Busy vs. Productive

So often we confuse being busy with being productive. If you’re busy you might be:

• Sorting emails into folders
• Showing up to pointless meetings
• Attending to work “emergencies”

And the worst bit is, it feels good. You’re getting small “wins” and a dopamine hit along with it.

When you’re productive however, you’re focusing on your goals, getting results, and making progress. Not just spending day after day putting out fires.

4) Get off Your Computer Screen

You don’t always have to sit at your desk to be productive.

In-fact, constantly sitting at your desk can be counter-productive. Taking breaks throughout the day helps you stay focused and energised, and it doesn’t stop there. Sometimes you need a whole day, or even a week off. You might be more productive if you take some time off, and allow yourself to properly rest and recharge.

If productivity isn’t happening, it’s time to rest.

Step away from the computer, and stop trying to force it. I often take hours out of my workday to go and ride my bike. By stepping away I allow my mind to do its thing, and during that time, resolve some of the issues I’d been struggling with at my desk.

If you solve 1-2 big problems by stepping away, that’s still a pretty productive day ‘at work’.

Conclusion

Recognising productivity guilt for what it is, is the first step to beating it.

Remember, stop beating yourself up when it comes time for rest and relaxation. Focus on everything you’ve achieved and be kind to yourself. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to a healthier work-life balance, and some guilt-free rest.

See you next week.

Josh

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