We can all get pretty addicted to accomplishment.
That shit feels good right?
Checking boxes on our to-do lists.
Productivity can be its own reward.
But sometimes, we can get hooked on productivity for productivity’s sake.
We lose sight of the main objective and just get busy being busy.
I can tell when I’m stuck in this cycle because I can’t stop checking my phone.
Even when I’m having dinner or watching a movie with my wife, I find myself sneaking peaks at email.
Or when I’m out walking the dog, and I’m still staring at my screen.
Then I know I’m hooked. It’s got me.
So how can we unhook from the momentum and addiction to being productive?
The answer is simple and counter-intuitive.
We stop being “productive” for a while.
That’s it.
Just break the cycle for a few hours or a day, and you’ll more than likely be back to a more normal and natural headspace.
The hard part is stopping. Because it somehow feels scary and like we’re quitting or giving up if we don’t keep going.
So treat it like an experiment. Just stop with all the busy work for 6-12 hours and see if your mind doesn’t return to less frantic, more normal thinking.
Busyness will always be there, waiting for you. You can go back anytime you want. But you don’t have to….