Detaching Self-Worth from Productivity
Hello!
As I’m slowly establishing a consistent routine that encompasses my school and non-school related tasks, it can be hard not to equate productivity to self-worth. On the days I finish everything on my to-do list, I can’t help but feel better about myself for not getting distracted or unmotivated. On the days where I do virtually nothing, I feel bad for wasting a day.
In a world where productivity holds so much meaning and signifies a sense of accomplishment, it’s hard to detach how much we accomplish from how much we are worth. However, it’s important to remember that you are worth it on your best days and your worst days and the number of tasks you complete does not affect that.
Each day is a new day that serves as an opportunity for you to achieve your goals and do what makes you happy. Some days I complete all my tasks, but some days I only complete one task. And that’s OKAY. A lot of people show off this persona in which they’re super productive every day, and while that may be the case, it’s completely normal if your levels of productivity vary or the amount of days you’re productive vary.
If you set a goal to do something every day of the week, don’t beat yourself up for missing one or two days. Because you can try again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. Negative self-talk only hinders your motivation and dismisses the progress you have made, which is why you should acknowledge how far you’ve come since the beginning rather than focus on your mistakes.
When you think about it, our life is simply a series of new days in which we have the chance to start over if we want to pursue a goal. Just because you didn’t make time last week doesn’t mean you can’t try again this week. We’ve been given the opportunity to make each day what we want it to be and try again tomorrow if it didn’t work out as planned. Finally, keep in mind that acknowledging that it’s okay to have both lazy days and super productive days will also help boost your motivation and wellbeing because you’re no longer defining your inner self-worth based on external achievements.
With love,
Haya Ahmed
