University is a trying time for most people. You’re trying to keep your grades up, want to get involved in the community, as well as figuring out what comes next. More often than not, you’ll look at the people around you and feel like you’re not doing enough. You could be working part-time, taking a full course load, be a member of 5 different clubs, and still feel like that’s not enough. I’ve encountered people in this situation a lot, and I’m here to tell you not to stress yourself out.
There are people who are subject to fall into what is known as a ‘toxic productivity mindset’. As described above, you could be doing as much as your time and body allows you, but still feel like you need to do more. You might have two free hours in your otherwise fully-packed day and wonder what activity you can fit in. There is a constant need for you to be doing something, because otherwise you feel like a sitting duck; like you’re not contributing anything to the greater good.
I’ve always looked up to people who are highly involved, and even aspired to be a small percentage of how productive they were. However, this aspiration quickly turned into inferiority,and I slowly started to fall into the toxic productivity mindset myself. I felt guilty about having free time and not achieving anything during that time. As I tried to work more rigorously, I found that I had low energy and motivation to do my work, which resulted in procrastination. So ironically, my strong desire to be productive resulted in me dreading my work and losing valuable time.
There are two things that are really important to remember if you ever feel yourself falling into this ‘toxic positivity mindset’. Firstly, breaks are essential. As much as you may not want to accept it, you are human, and you need to recharge. Being constantly productive may yield high benefits in the beginning, but can lead to burnout very quickly – which is less than ideal. Take time to rest your brain, eat, and hydrate. Secondly, what works for others may not work for you. You may see someone who’s able to balance multiple responsibilities at once, which you may or may not be able to do. Reflect on yourself and how much you know you can effectively take on. Everyone’s styles of working are different. At the end of the day, you know yourself best and what helps you be the best version of yourself.