Healthy unproductivity is an art and a practice worth learning. Are you a person who has fun and rests without any guilt or internal drive to return quickly to productivity? If so, well done and others can learn from you. Or, are you a person who feels pressure to be productive, to work, to tend to your to-do list all of your waking hours? Maybe you’re a person who says work must come first and be complete before you can enjoy yourself and relax. Perhaps you believe that unproductivity is useless and lazy. Life gives you all sorts of messages about productivity vs. unproductivity that can be very hard to sort.
American culture transmits clear values about productivity. Get up earlier, fit more into a day, work harder, earn more, save more, buy more, buy bigger…all in the name of achieving success and the American Dream. The family you come from may also have transmitted some values regarding productivity. Work before play, the early bird gets the worm, only lazy people rest, always moving, never sitting, slowing down will get you left behind. Your personal goals can also be strong drivers that do not permit unproductivity.
While having a good work ethic is admirable and important, it can be overdone. Personal growth matters, and at the same time, your brain and body need breaks from the stimulation of productivity. Living in overproductivity can result in hypervigilance in your physical body that often leads to anxiety, depression, excessive tension, chronic pain, other health issues, and relationship problems. Balance between productivity and unproductivity is actually a worthy goal. You don’t always need another growth-oriented book, instagram account, or podcast.
Sometimes what you need is consistent time to intentionally put away productivity and embrace fun and rest. Your body was made to need both productive work and unproductive activities meant to spark enjoyment.
So, how do you slow down and pursue some healthy unproductive time?
7 Ways to Practice Healthy Unproductivity
- Evaluate your current balance of productivity vs. unproductivity. Do you have trouble resting or being still? Do you turn fun activities into something productive? Are you ruled by a to-do list? How often do you engage in intentional unproductive fun or rest?
- Go deeper. Reflect on what is driving your overproductivity. What current or historical messages make you feel behind or guilty when you rest or are unproductive? What did your parents and other family members teach you about productivity and rest/fun? What are you afraid will happen if you stop producing? How might your sense of value as a person be connected with your productivity? What spiritual messages might be influencing your views of rest/fun?
- Give yourself permission to engage in healthy unproductivity. Remind yourself that life is best lived with a balance of productivity and fun/rest. Your mental and physical health need some unproductivity. Rest/fun are not lazy but healthy and kind for yourself. You will be more productive in your work time when you take unproductive rest time.
- Explore unproductive activities. Remember the whole point is that it is not productive. Remember what has been fun or restful to you before. Read an unproductive book, use creativity for the sake of fun, play with your pet, lay in a hammock, take a nap, dance to music you love, bake for the joy of it, color, do puzzles, watch a funny show, take a long bath, sit in nature, take a stroll, soak up some sun. Find your version of unproductive fun and rest.
- Plan. Create intentional and consistent space in your schedule for healthy unproductivity. Mark your calendar. Keep things you need for your fun pursuits handy so participating in activities is accessible. Create a restful space where you can enjoy rest and fun regularly.
- Practice. Pick an unproductive activity and spend an hour engaging in it. It’s okay if it is uncomfortable at first. Gently remind yourself that some unproductivity is good for your mind, body, and soul. Let yourself get immersed. Your tasks will still be there later.
- Repeat. Mark time off in your calendar once a week when you will not schedule other things. Use that time for healthy unproductivity and through repetition, your brain will begin to embrace your new habit.
Taking time for restorative unproductivity is very likely to bring energy and enthusiasm back into your productive life pursuits. Be gracious and consistent with yourself as you explore healthy unproductivity as a life practice. Connect with us along your journey for counseling and coaching at Journeybravely.com.
