Do you feel like it’s impossible for you to sit idle?

You always feel this urgency to “do” something. Be productive. Taking a moment for yourself feels like a waste of time. And you could use that time to do something.

And it doesn’t matter whether you’re working on a goal or watching 2 hours of Instagram reels. You just have to do something.

I suffered with it for a very long time. I just couldn’t sit still. My mind always wanted to be engaged in something. Entertainment, music, learning, whatever.

My body needed a break, but my mind kept jumping from one thing to another. What’s next, what’s next, what’s next.

I just couldn’t sleep. My head would be heavy, my eyes watery, but I kept on reading or watching something on my phone.

And there was a week when I slept at around 4 a.m. every single day of that week.

I was exhausted. Couldn’t focus. Completely unproductive. And just felt lifeless.

And that’s when I realized, this had to stop. It was taking a toll on my mental and physical health.

I thought it had something to do with my routine or working on too many goals, but when I really started digging, it was a whole different animal.

The roots of productivity anxiety

You feel a sense of urgency because you were probably trained by some adults in your childhood that being a sloth was not OK.

As an introvert, you need that space and alone time to do nothing. Relax and refuel. Process recent events. Make sense of everything in your mind.

But you were probably not allowed to do that as a child.

As a child, I heard parents telling their children,

“Stop watching TV. Make yourself useful.”

“Stop wasting time. Go do your homework.”

Imagine that as a child, you’re just chilling looking out the window, and your mom asks,

“What are you doing?”

You’d immediately say, “nothing.”

You learned to never say that you weren’t doing anything, instead, you’d say something very productive just to avoid getting into trouble.

This seed was planted in your mind that being lazy, doing nothing was something you shouldn’t do.

That’s when we start “pretending to be busy” around adults to avoid getting in trouble. And to feel guilty when not productive because our subconscious mind keeps a record of what was said to us.

And now, as an adult, you’ve carried on that pattern. Your mind never lets you sit still. You always have this anxiety to do something.

To deal with anxiety, you may develop all kinds of coping mechanisms, like:

– Binge watching

– mindless scrolling

– checking your phone all day

Just to feel like you’re doing something and not wasting your time.

You end up dissipating your energy in ten different directions. You’re unable to focus on one thing. You may even feel overwhelmed. Which further exhausts your mind, and you keep on procrastinating your goals.

But on the other hand, when you learn to control this anxiety and mindfully focus your energy into one direction, you can achieve anything in your life. Effortlessly.

Let me explain how.

 

The ‘One Tab’ Life

Imagine your brain as a web browser. When you have too many open tabs, you’ll naturally run out of processing power.

You feel distracted because your mind has a tendency to jump from one tab to another. And at the end of the day, you get nothing done.

I discovered a simple 3-step system to deal with my productivity anxiety. And from the day I started using this, it has not only made me more productive, but also helped me live a more balanced life with a sense of inner satisfaction.

Here’s how:

 

Step 1: Close all the tabs

It’s okay to do nothing.

Uncondition yourself from your childhood programming by raising your awareness. By believing that you need alone time to actually be productive.

In fact, as an introvert, it’s essential for your mental health.

Go for a walk.

Meditate.

Listen to some music.

Cook.

Or just stare at the wall.

Do whatever helps you refuel. And allow yourself to do it as long as you need it.

You’re a human being, not a machine.

 

Step 2: Prioritise 

Neurological science has demonstrated that the human brain is incapable of focusing on two things at once.

You may label yourself as a multi-tasker and all that. But when it comes to learning and doing deep work, it’s impossible.

You don’t have to do everything at once. You’re not missing out on anything. The FOMO that you feel is only your brain longing for another dopamine hit.

Eat the frog. Finish the hard thing first. Because everything else you’re doing is only an escape from doing that one thing that’s hard and painful.

Work on one open tab. And promise yourself not to open another until you’re done with the first.

Do one thing well. Then move on to the next.

 

Step 3: None of it matters

That’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the truth. And deep in your heart, you know it too.

Nobody is going to remember us a hundred years from now. Yes, exceptions are always there. But for the majority of people, it’s true.

The happiness you imagine that you’ll get at the end of reaching a goal or the fruit of your action is just an illusion. Just work.

Find happiness in the action itself, not what lies at the end.

This life is a gift. Make it useful by doing the things that matter to you. Things that you love.

Forget about what other people are doing, they’re playing their own game. You play yours.

Focus your time, energy, actions, and emotions on one thing.

It’s okay to take breaks. Do nothing. Be unproductive. Because it’s not about competing with other people, or doing more than everyone else around you.

It’s about becoming the best at what you do.