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The Toxic Productivity Culture
- Emmy Beeson
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
I recently worked with a client who, when discussing goals, said, “Teach me to relax!” After unpacking that statement more, I heard things like, “I’m not sure I have ever truly been in a state of relaxation,” and “I don’t know how to slow down, and “I have high expectations for myself.” As I listened more, I heard the echo of so many more leaders and to be completely candid, I heard my own echo from years past - from a time when I too was trapped by the toxic productivity culture.
With technology constantly at our fingertips, where do we really draw the hard line about when “work”stops and “life” begins? My good friend who is also The Fulfillment Coach at WeInspireWe, Melanie Foote-Davis, will tell you straight up that she dislikes the phrase “work/life balance” and believes we should be living when we are working - having joy in every direction. This inspiration from Melanie grounds me in a lesson I learned a few years ago. I didn’t know how to bring joy, balance, and calm to all aspects of my life. It felt very out of character for me. I had come to identify with the fast-paced, always on-call, race, race, race lifestyle and trying to slow down actually made my body physically uncomfortable. I thought "I thrive under pressure" and used that as rationalization to continue on that same path. Can you relate?
With no other place to start, I took the “fake it till you make it” approach. I had to put one foot in front of the other and create new boundaries, putting a practice in place that required an entirely different set of mental and emotional muscles that I just didn't have. I had to live with the unease those practices created until my body could detox the hyper-productivity that had become "normal" for me.
Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson recently published an article in a May 2025 edition of Education Week called How Educators Can Escape Toxic Productivity and they asked these questions for reflection. If you can say yes to these answers, maybe it is time to learn to fake good boundaries and peaceful practices until they become a natural way to operate:
Do you feel uneasy when you’re not working?
Are late nights and weekend hours the norm (not the exception)?
Do you equate being tired with being successful?
Have your personal relationships or health taken a back seat?
Is it difficult to say no, even when your plate is full?
If you answered yes to these questions, there's a high likelihood that you suffer from (or live with) toxic productivity: defined as the unhealthy obsession with being constantly busy and productive, often at the expense of one's physical health, mental well-being, relationships, and personal fulfillment. To change this, here are some new practices to consider.
Define “Enough” - Set clear boundaries for what success looks like each day. Know when to stop working, even if everything isn't finished.
Schedule True Downtime - Block off time in your calendar for rest, hobbies, and connection—and treat it as non-negotiable as a meeting.
Set Tech Boundaries - Turn off notifications, define “off hours,” and avoid work email or messaging apps outside of work times.
Practice Saying No (Without Guilt) - Protect your time and energy by declining tasks or commitments that don’t align with your priorities. (And PS - you don’t have to explain why you are declining. Simply say, “No. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Unlearn “Busy = Worthy” Thinking - Notice when guilt or self-judgment creeps in during rest—and gently reframe it as necessary and valuable because guess what? REST IS NECESSARY AND VALUABLE!
Reconnect with Joy and Purpose - Reengage with activities that aren’t productive but are meaningful: art, nature, laughter, music, or daydreaming.
Reflect Regularly - Use journaling or mindfulness practices to check in with your emotions, energy levels, and whether your choices align with your values. (This is now one of my favorite practices!)
And to all of our leaders out there who are responsible for setting expectations for other people’s time, I have two questions for you:
How can you model these practices for others, and
How can you create structural rules that actually enforce these expectations?
Here are two examples to consider. In regard to modeling these practices, what would it be like for your team to hear you say, “I have been successful with my work today and even though all the items aren’t checked off my list, it is time to leave (or log off)”? And for actually setting structural rules and enforcing expectations, what would your team think if you said, “we aren’t emailing each other after 6pm on the weekdays and not at all on Saturday and Sunday. I expect you to have down time and enjoy yourselves outside of work?”
All of these changes will initially create anxiety in our bodies, make us feel restless, and maybe even a little bit twitchy. This is normal though because we are detoxing our constant addiction to adrenaline and cortisol, and we are building new emotional and mental muscles. To build muscle, we first tear down the fibers, and then grow them back stronger. We have to “fake it” until they become our new way of doing business.
As individuals and leaders, we have created a culture of toxic productivity. And because that is true, we are the only people who can dismantle that culture and build one of boundaries, balance, enrichment, and joy.
Are you ready to shift away from toxic productivity? Are you ready to bring work and life into harmony together? Know that "fake it till you make it" is a great place to take a step forward. Coaching is also a powerful tool that you can use to overcome. We are here for you!
Emmy Beeson, The Change Coach, has dedicated her life to educating and serving others, knowing that by growing within, we can grow others in even more significant ways. Emmy knows that by asking key questions, one can open up and discover a whole new way of approaching the world. If you're ready to look within, schedule a free strategy session with Emmy today.
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