What real productivity looks like: how to avoid toxic productivity

If you’re tired, it’s probably toxic productivity

I love productivity. If everybody gets more done (more of what they want), then we get a better, more beautiful world.

But if getting more done means you’re so exhausted that you slump on the couch at the end of the work day, doomscrolling to death, and eating the most convenient junk food around you… then that’s toxic productivity.

That’s the problem when we see productivity as “doing more”. That’s the problem when doing more becomes the obsession, rather than the intention. That’s the problem when productivity turns into toxic productivity.

It’s like a fruit. Generally, the more time you give the fruit to ripen, the sweeter it becomes. But leave it to ripen for too long, and the fruit spoils. Productivity is like ripening a fruit. The point of productivity is to make the fruit sweeter.

But when you focus on the ripening process itself and forget that it’s about making the fruit sweeter, you let it ripen for too long and the fruit spoils. Yes, it ripens more – but what was the point of it if you can’t eat the fruit after that?

The aim of productivity is to help us live in a better world by doing more. It’s not the “more” that’s the goal – it’s the better world.

So I’m advocating positive productivity, which is about holistic efficiency. It’s not about maximising output at any cost. It’s about output that considers all the costs – including the invisible ones.

Real productivity is efficiency

At its core, productivity is about efficiency. Using the shortest amount of time, using the fewest resources, and minimising intangible costs like stress, emotional exhaustion, and negative impact on the environment.

It’s about doing the right things in the most effective, least harmful way.

To get there, we need to consider three different types of efficiency:

• Time efficiency: Using the shortest amount of time to complete tasks
• Resource efficiency: Using the shortest amount of tangible resources (like money, energy, fuel, and manpower) to complete tasks
• Emotional & environmental efficiency: Minimising the hidden, intangible costs (like mental wellbeing, physical health, relationships, and pollution) to complete tasks

It’s like this. Let’s say you achieved inbox zero by having a 15-minute lunch at your desk (while you check emails), but then you’re so tired you fall asleep on the MRT ride back and miss your stop – is that truly productivity?

Positive productivity is about doing meaningful things better. It’s the concept of deep work – the ability to focus without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks (Newport, 2016). That is what leads to real productivity and fulfilment.

The hidden costs of toxic productivity

I don’t like to use the word “toxic productivity” because I feel that as long as something gets done, it’s okay. It’s progress. But the truth is that toxic productivity is toxic because it uses up a lot more resources than you might realise at first.

Toxic productivity is like the very cheap car that uses very cheap fuel. It’s manufactured in sweatshops that exploit people, releases thick black smoke in its wake, and might be structurally unsafe (leading to accidents later). Yeah, it’s fast and cheap – but if you end up dying, then was it really a good purchase in the first place?

So if we shine a light on the negative externalities of toxic productivity, they include:

• Physical health problems: Long hours of work are linked to higher rates of stroke and heart disease, not to mention the stress eating that often results.
• Mental health issues: Anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses are more likely, which are exacerbated by the physical health problems that also crop up.
• Reduced creativity and innovation: Overwork stifles the brain’s ability to think out of the box and solve problems.
• Neglected relationships: When we’re in the throes of doing more work, it often comes at the expense of spending time with the people who matter the most to us.
• Environmental consequences: The obsession with doing more leads to choices that tax our natural resources and the environment, because the only metric we use is output.

and the big one

• Burnout: Chronic overwork leads to exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness. Burnout isn’t just about working long hours, it’s about working in a way that violates your sense of meaning, rest, and control (Maslach & Leiter, 1997). In fact, burnout is now recognised by the World Health Organisation (they spell it as “burn-out”) as an occupational phenomenon.

Positive productivity: a holistic equation

To understand this better, we need to look at the common productivity equation we’ve been taught, which is:

Output = Effort ÷ Time (false)

We’re told to grind harder, put in more effort, and just keep at it. While that’s true to an extent (and I can’t stand lazy bums), there’s more to this productivity equation. It’s actually

Output = (Resources + Intangible Costs) ÷ Time

The thing about effort (which is a resource) is this. Once it hits a certain limit, we actually tend to draw on other intangible costs to power the output, such as:

• Physical Energy
• Emotional Energy
• Focus
• Mood
• Relationships
• Health

and because these don’t usually come with a dollar cost, we don’t see it.

These are the other resources that pay the price of increased output.

Positive productivity asks us to consider the full, holistic cost of a task.

Basing positive productivity on positive psychology

In positive psychology, PERMAH is a model of wellbeing (Seligman, 2011). Positive psychology is the science of optimal human flourishing – so it makes sense that elevated wellbeing helps you to do more.

In other words, being well, helps you to work well.

Leveraging on all these factors of wellbeing help you to be more efficient – holistically efficient – thus achieving true, positive productivity. Here’s how:

• Positive Emotions : We generally know that joy makes you do things with more ease, but it’s also about understanding that all emotions, including negative ones, are useful. For me, my anger usually fuels TikTok output, whereas anxiety fuels written content (like this one). It’s about redirecting the energy of the emotions so that it’s used in a more beneficial way.
• Engagement: Being in flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) is a more easeful way to accomplish tasks – which translates into better efficiency. It makes sense – if you’re engaged, then there’s less wastage (distractions) of energy in doing things.
• Relationships: Asking for help and tapping on your network is an underrated way to improve productivity, because it’s very unstructured and more randomised – but that’s the whole point. The stronger your relationships and network, the more help you’re able to tap on.
• Meaning: Understanding the big why for your tasks – your purpose and meaning – also makes it more easeful to complete it. This comes hand-in-hand with relationships, because we often complete our tasks with a broad goal of supporting the people we care about in addition to the intrinsic satisfaction we get from doing it.
• Accomplishments: Looking back at what we’ve done also gives more confidence to complete our tasks, which counters impostor syndrome.
• Health: Being in good health is critical to making our tasks more easeful. Doing your work when you’re free from back pain versus doing work when you have the sniffles makes a world of difference. Anyway, you should go rest if you’re sick.

Ultimately, it’s about making your tasks more easeful.

Emotions actually help productivity

I used to want to neuter my emotions because I felt that they hindered productivity. But I realised it’s really about talking to your emotions and seeing them as a resource, rather than an obstacle.

We all have emotions. It’s about regulating, not suppressing, emotions. That’s howe we get better performance and long-term health (Gross, 1998). After all, we also have legs, which can have tight calves and cramps – we regulate our calf muscles through stretching and exercise, rather than suppressing them. It’s the same with our emotions.

In any case, Goleman (1995) also posits that emotional intelligence is a better predictor of long-term success than raw intellect. Success is one of the goals of positive productivity.

Understanding how different emotions activate different strengths is the key, such as:

• Joy: Activates creativity and collaboration
• Anger: Focused execution and boundary-setting
• Gratitude: Teamwork and resilience
• Calm: Clarity and decision-making

Rest is productive (yes, really)

Okay I know this is a paradox and I also need to learn to rest more and I feel a little embarrassed preaching rest when I also need more of it but here goes.

Rest is productivity.

To do more, you have to do less.

Rest, recovery, and mental disengagement are necessary for sustained performance. The key word here is “sustained” – you don’t want to burn out while being productive, because then what would be the point? Play is also a form of rest, so it’s not just about sleeping – it’s about recharging and recovery.

A study by Sonnentag and Fritz (2007) showed that strategic recovery (taking breaks, sleeping well, mentally switch off from work) leads to increased engagement and productivity the next day. It’s about playing the long game, not just about maximising output for today.

Then there’s the creativity aspect (which is very important to me). When your mind wanders during rest, it often solves problems and connects ideas subconsciously – giving you the insight that occurs simply because your mind wasn’t hyperfocused (Chao, et al. 2025). It’s why we get great ideas in the toilet.

And lastly, rest is about the permission to be human (Beh-Shahar, 2007), which acknowledges your need for downtime as part of sustainable excellence.

Tips for embracing positive productivity

So how do we do it? How do we shed toxic productivity and embrace positive productivity? Here are my suggestions.

1. Schedule rest in your calendar

I don’t mean putting down sleep in your calendar (although that’s not too bad an idea, and you can use sleep apps to help you track that). Rest also means play, remember? And scheduling play, which can include things like Dungeons & Dragons games or urban exploration (okay lah that’s me), is scheduling rest. After all, recovery today improves performance tomorrow (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2007).

2. Set a “daily highlight”

Make sure that you do at least one meaningful thing a day that gives your day purpose (Clear, 2018). Remember that having meaning and purpose makes your tasks more easeful, and ease means efficiency.

3. Use the implementation intention framework

I’m a fan of implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1999) because they’re a way of automating your thought processes. It basically means you map out the workflow of “if X happens, I will do Y; if B happens, I will do C”. Why? It makes you more mindful and considerate of your intentions, and you also play through all the possible scenarios in your head and name the emotions that may come up while you’re in a calmer state.

4. Use temptation bundling

Pairing hard tasks with small pleasures (Milkman, Minson, & Volpp, 2014) is a form of self-control management, and also a factor in building good habits. But at it’s core, it’s about making things more easeful – if you have something good to look forward to (or you integrate pleasurable activities into the task), then it’s certainly more helpful

5. Use the 80% rule

I wrote about how to make decisions faster to avoid regret and one of the key ideas was that “80% is good enough”. That’s literally one of the mantras on my wall.

The whole idea behind this is that perfectionism isn’t the goal – efficiency is. It saves your time by focusing your energies on the effort that will reap the most reward.

Reclaim productivity on your own terms with positive productivity

If your productivity has been making you fall apart – then it’s probably not real productivity. True productivity should create value without so much collateral damage, integrate rest as part of productivity, build on the elements of wellbeing for optimisation, and make you feel more alive.

Positive productivity is a practical strategy for busy people to improve productivity without finding out that some hidden cost has reared its ugly head. You can break free from toxic productivity and all its myths – more hours is more output, pressure increases performance, productivity is only about speed and/or quantity – through holistic efficiency and taking care of yourself.

So the next time you want to squeeze in one more task on your to-do list – stop. No. It’ll cost you more than you think. It won’t make your world better.

Positive productivity is about creating that better world.

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References

Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (1997). The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It. Jossey-Bass.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press.

Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books.

Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). The recovery experience questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 204–221.

Chao, Z. C., Hsieh, F.-Y., & Wu, C.-T. (2025). Long-distance exploration in insightful problem‑solving. Communications Psychology, 3, Article 53. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00235-4

Ben-Shahar, T. (2007). Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment. McGraw-Hill.

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. Avery.

Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.

Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. (2014). Holding the Hunger Games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60(2), 283–299.

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You might also want to read:

• 5 Benefits Of Treating Your Emotions Like People
• Permission to play: how “doing nonsense” is the smartest productivity hack you’re not using
• The paradox of overplanning – how to embrace uncertainty to boost productivity
• Eliminate regret by deciding faster: do more with quicker, better choices