Breaking Free from Toxic Productivity: An ADHD Perspective

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As an ADHD coach who was diagnosed later in life, I’ve spent years grappling with the concept of productivity. Like many of you, I’ve felt the constant pressure to do more, be more efficient, and reach that elusive state of “peak productivity.” But here’s the thing: much of what we’re told about productivity isn’t just unhelpful for those of us with ADHD—it can be downright toxic.

Today, I want to dive deep into the concept of toxic productivity and how it affects those of us with ADHD. We’ll explore why we often feel busy but unproductive, and I’ll share some practical tips to shift from toxic productivity to a more intentional, feel-good approach that actually works for our unique brains.

The Productivity Paradox

In full transparency, I am not an expert in productivity. I will admit that on the days when I feel productive or maybe just busy, I feel better at the end of the day. I feel like I’ve spent my energy and hopefully moved myself towards some kind of outcome.

But I also admit that my relationship with productivity can be a little unbalanced. I think I derive too much self-worth from being productive, even when my productivity is just me running in circles, because I don’t really know what my efforts are in service of. And I think that’s where a lot of us get hung up.

Defining Toxic Productivity

At this point, I want to introduce you to two concepts that really define the spectrum of productivity. On one end, we’ve got toxic productivity, and on the other end, we’ve got what I call feel-good productivity. Let’s start with toxic productivity because I think a lot of us can identify with it.

Toxic productivity is simply the need to constantly feel like you need to be productive, even when it’s at the expense of your physical or mental health. It’s often referred to as workaholism. Based on what I’ve read, it’s also seen as a coping strategy for trauma, which makes a lot of sense. It’s basically the glorification or even the obsession with being busy.

The Consequences of Toxic Productivity

The clear problem with this obsession is that the busyness isn’t coming from a place of intention or forethought about what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s more of a nervous system reaction where you feel like if you don’t push through this massive load of work, there’s going to be a terrible consequence.

But as we all know, there’s no end to that feeling of “I have to get all this stuff done, or I can relax when…”

In reality, and I know this from personal experience, we’re often doing things for the sake of doing them. More often than not, we’re acting from a place of sheer panic because we don’t actually know what we want.

We thrash around in this ocean of busy panic, assuming that at some point we might hit land and get some clarity on where we want to go. But that, my friend, is magical thinking.

No amount of running around in circles is going to give you clarity. Being busy never leads to clarity; it’s actually the opposite. Being still will eventually quiet the mind and give you the ability to hear yourself think.

The Myth of the Perfect Planner

Here’s another truth bomb: There is no amount of planners, organization systems, or digital apps that will save you from your own toxic productivity or constant need to feel busy. So many of my clients come to me thinking that if they can find the right productivity system, it will fix all their problems and they’ll be able to get everything done. But that is just delusional because no planner out there is going to organize your life for you until you have the clarity and vision of where you’re actually going (that’s why I created the Vision to Action goal setting planner).

Moving Towards Feel-Good Productivity

So now that we’ve covered toxic productivity, let’s go to the other end of the spectrum where I’m labeling this feel-good productivity. This concept is inspired by Ali Abdaal’s recent book, which if you haven’t read, is really good.

Feel-good productivity is not about doing for the sake of doing. It’s about spending a lot more time and energy thinking about where you want to go and how you want to experience the actual journey of getting there.

Practical Steps for Intentional Productivity

Here are a few practical tips that you can use to not only be more intentional with your time but also improve your level of productivity so that it aligns with your true goals:

1. Get clear on your strengths, values and needs. I offer several assessments in both Vision to Action (which is a goal setting template) and Distraction to Action, which is a productivity system for ADHD adults.
2. Use your self-knowledge to choose goals that matter to you. Resist the urge to say yes to things other people want you to do. That can often be automatic, so it can take conscious effort to stop.
3. Be clear on what you’re willing to do and not do in order to reach your goals and live the life you want. What are you ok saying no to?
4. Adopt a habit of planning your weeks, and then reflecting on what you accomplished. This will help you stay connected to your goals (because often we forget what they were!)

The Importance of Clarity

So now that we know a lot of this toxic productivity and obsession with busyness is coming from trying to keep up with expectations, whether they’re perceived or real, the first thing we need to do is take a step back and look at our lives.

Why are we being busy without any clear direction? Is it for ourselves or based on someone else’s expectation? Once you get really clear on that, whether it takes you two hours or two years, you can start saying no to all the busy that’s just there for the sake of being busy. It can be really scary to take that pause and ask yourself, “What am I doing for myself versus everybody else?” But when you do that, it’s a huge turning point and an opportunity to start making decisions that are in alignment with what you want.

Embracing Your Sovereignty

When you get clear on who you are and what you want to go after in your life, not only do you have more time, patience, clarity, and focus to do that thing, it will also make you a happier human being. It will make you more present for the people in your life that matter. If you’re a parent, it will model what you want for your kids when they become adults. It will show them that they can make choices based on who they are and take full responsibility for the outcome.

Need an ADHD-Friendly Roadmap to Feel Good Productivity?

If you struggle with ADHD, as I do, thinking about these heavy concepts without a framework or a structure can be really hard. That’s why I developed my productivity program, Distraction Action. It helps you figure out who you are and what you want, prioritize your goals, break them down into steps, and build them into a planning system. It’s there for you if you need the extra support.

Either way, I hope this has been helpful for you. And on that note, I’ll see you in the next post. Bye for now! I hope this blog post captures your voice and provides valuable insights for your readers. Let me know if there are any adjustments you’d like to make!