What is toxic productivity and what are its effects on women?
Toxic productivity is on the rise in today’s society with hustle culture, relentless grinding and increased pressures from social media to always be the best.
Holistic life coach and author of Women Who Work Too Much, Tamu Thomas explains that toxic productivity is the obsessive compulsive need to be productive at all times.
“It’s not just related to work, it impacts all spheres of our lives. It is people who can’t rest, feel guilt for taking time out or think they should always use their time effectively,” says 47-year-old Thomas who experienced this in her past.
Why do women feel toxic productivity?
A survey of 1,020 people for employment software firm Employment Hero found that more than two-thirds of women (69%) experience burnout in the workplace versus just over half (56%) of men.
“Women are sold the idea that we can have it all. This was constructed in the late Seventies, early Eighties, during an economic downturn in Western countries. We were told we can have the good career, be a good mother, partner, sister, friend, all at the same time” says London-based Thomas.
“However there was nothing being done at a systemic level to support women. There was no infrastructure put in place to take up the slack. There were also narratives if you did take a break that you were lazy, not serious or not ambitious enough.”
“Women have been doing unpaid labour for so long that we are used to taking on more,” says author and founder of F*ck Being Humble, Stefanie Sword-Williams who faced toxic productivity head-on last year.
“We are also used to doing more without any recognition and as a result we don’t even realise when we’re throwing ourselves into toxic productivity.”
What are the signs of burnout?
“Each individual is different however some minor signs are feeling like every day is Groundhog Day. The things you used to have zest and excitement for no longer work or perhaps you’re more irritable than usual,” says Thomas.
“You also have less capacity for things other than work and let go of the things that give you joy. Another common occurrence for women I speak to is undereating or forgetting to eat during busy working days.”
Explaining that through her own burnout last year, Sword-Williams went through a mixture of experiences including emotional numbness which also left her struggling to reach high positive moments.
“I then experienced emotional flooding where I couldn’t stop crying for six weeks,” she says. “It’s important to know that when you do reach this stage of burnout and full capacity, you cannot be creative. I couldn’t tackle projects or business ideas because I felt so uninventive.
“Physical pains are also a symptom of burnout such as a tight chest, throbbing pains in the back and twitching eyes which all lead me to start somatic therapy,” says 32-year-old Sword-Williams.
How to change the cycle of toxic productivity
“Ask yourself what gives your life meaning. When you’re in burnout you’re just aligning your goals with what your workplace or society wants you to do. So you need to get really clear about what gives your life meaning,” says Thomas.
“When I broke down it wasn’t conquering Mount Everest or having a £500,000-a-month turnover business that was going to bring me joy. It was laughter, dancing, singing, helping somebody out. Those things made my life feel rich and meaningful.
“You also need to understand what your strengths are. A lot of us end up in burnout because we’re not playing to our strengths and instead are trying to please everybody.
“I would advise women to weave in the top five strengths throughout their working week and utilise them,” says Thomas.
“Lastly, get to know yourself and your menstrual cycle – if you still menstruate. This will give you insights into exactly where you are throughout the month. This helps during stages like your luteal phase when your inner critic is harsh but you will know it’s just hormones and you can let it go.”
Sword-Williams says: “Start activities where you are not being measured, not performing and not trying to be the best at something.
“I started swimming and the more I went, I stopped counting laps and just allowed my body slow down. Swimming has become a calm and meditative practice for me as I’m not competing against myself or anyone else to do it.
“Lastly, set boundaries with people. My friend told me once, I’m not a bad person for saying no. You need to remember you don’t owe strangers anything.”
How do we find balance?
“I would say to focus on fewer projects. I was previously rushing through so many ideas but I noticed that none of them were being reached the way I wanted them to. So now I focus on one project at a time,” says Sword-Williams.
“It’s time to redefine success,” says Thomas. “Ask yourself what do you want to be successful for? My ultimate goal is to be a well-rested woman. Of course I need a good amount of money to do so in our capitalistic society but I will always ask myself is this thing taking me away from or towards being a well rested woman?
“I don’t think balance exists. I think that when we try to strive for balance, we spread ourselves too thing. Life works in harmonies and seasons. When you appreciate that not only are you able to give yourself grace, you’re also not going to expect or put pressure on yourself to bloom in the middle of whatever your winter season is.”
