By Disha Ashar in Productivity — Feb 24, 2025

Overcoming Productivity Anxiety: Find Your Balance

Struggling with productivity anxiety? Learn how to balance goals & well-being, and take a break without worrying about your todo list.

Think about the last time you finished a big project, for school or work. What did you do when you triumphantly wrote the last word, saved the file, or closed the notebook? Did you heave a huge sigh, dance a little jig, and give yourself a small reward for being awesome? Or did your mind return to your to-do list, already starting to fret about the next item?

If it was the second, you're not alone. So many of us suffer from "productivity anxiety" -- constant anxiety about getting everything done -- and need to find the balance between our goals and well-being.

As we get increasingly competitive, we prioritize tasks and others' expectations of us more than our well-being. The fear of being left behind or not doing "enough" causes us stress and despair. You may think this fear is a good thing – a motivating factor that makes you do more, but in reality, productivity anxiety can negatively impact you.

Not to worry, there are many ways to recognize if you're heading down this path, and turning around before it is too late. Here's what productivity anxiety is all about, and how to overcome it.

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What is Productivity Anxiety and How to Spot the Signs

Productivity anxiety is, simply put, a feeling that you're not being as productive as you can be. You constantly feel like you’re not making progress on your goals or projects. You're forever worrying about whether you're doing something that's "important" and "impactful". The discomfort and lack of confidence in your performance stops you from trying to rest, relax, socialize, or do anything you deem is "unproductive".

Does your to-do list ever end? | Photo by Luis Villasmil

Everyone goes through it. I tend to doomscroll on social media at the end of the day -- and end up feeling guilty because I could have done my nighttime routine and gone to sleep early instead. Never mind the fact that I work on average 9-10 hours a workday -- there's always this niggling feeling that I can do better.

One reason for feeling this sense of guilt and anxiety could be a lack of true enthusiasm for what we're working on. When we're engaged in goals that are not something we enjoy, but we're doing it because we have to, our brain subconsciously points out all the ways that we may not be good at the work, resulting in a feeling of inadequacy.

Such anxiety should have no place in your daily life! To get rid of it, it's important to first recognize the signs of productivity anxiety:

A never-ending to-do list

A task list that does not seem to have an end, no matter how much you attack it. At the end of the day, you seem to have more tasks to do than when you started!

A tendency to work all the time

A classic symptom of productivity anxiety is feeling like you're not doing enough and may want to make up for it by giving all your hours to work.

A pursuit of perfection

Productivity motivated by anxiety demands perfection; if it's not exactly right, it's not good enough.

Constant comparison

Every person is on their own journey, but for you, it's a race and you need to come first. So you keep track of other people's Linkedin updates.

When did life become a race? And why am I losing?

Procrastination on certain goals

"Unproductive" activities, like reading for leisure, painting or even just cleaning up the house, may not seem worth the time and effort, and so they remain neglected for longer than necessary and sometimes even abandoned entirely.

Difficulty relaxing

Taking a breather, resting, and simply doing nothing seems unacceptable with productivity anxiety because there's always a feeling that important work remains undone.

Poor physical and mental health, sleep

Meals, exercise, and sleep are often neglected in pursuit of perfection and more goals, leading to poor health outcomes and decline in well-being.

Constant pressure and guilt

The pressure to be super productive can get very real! Everything becomes urgent; the idea of slowing down or taking a pause becomes unthinkable.

Factors that Lead to Productivity Anxiety

Hustle Culture

The power of the hustle is often hyped in social media. While hustling and expanding your horizons is good in some ways, it creates a tendency to keep working all the time, without finding fulfillment and balance in everything you already have.

It is natural to get a little envious when you see social media posts about people crushing it, making tons of money, buying houses, driving nice cars, and taking luxury vacations. Your first thought is, "Why haven't I been able to do this?"

But what you see is a lot of image crafting -- a curated, small slice of their life. Your friends are probably not partying 24/7. And when there is a rare case of someone actually sharing an honest picture of their life, more often than not, it's not a complete picture. They're not showing all their failures and setbacks. Consistency helps people get to the finish line, but everyone stumbles a few times; they simply prefer not to share it.

Fooled by image crafting | Photo by Karsten Winegeart

Competitive Environment

If your workplace "rewards" overworking with bonuses, promotions, and perks, you're probably feeling the pressure to keep up. Competition is healthy when it helps everyone push themselves to get better, but if it leads to a Hunger Games type situation where only one can win, you might need to consider changing arenas!

Performance Fears

If you're not confident about what you're doing, your self-doubt might exacerbate to a point where you worry that you won't be able to do it at all, if you don't constantly keep working at it.

Underlying Conditions

If you are diagnosed with ADHD, learning differences, or some other conditions, you may worry about your condition getting in the way of progress. You might start to believe that, to counter-balance this, you'll have to work harder than ever.

A note: learning and neurological conditions must only be confirmed by diagnosis from a licensed medical professional!

How to Ease Productivity Anxiety

Reframe your Mindset

Everyone faces challenges with their goals. What separates them is how they overcome them. Rather than beating yourself up and pushing to do more than your capacity, focus on making progress, getting smarter with your goals, and finding creative solutions.

Get Realistic

High expectations for yourself is great, but no one can do it all. Recognize and learn your limits, focus on working with them, and most importantly, learn to say "no". Saying "no" is the biggest gift you can give yourself for mental health!

Fix your To-Do List

Take a look at your goals and figure out your priorities and which ones are redundant (yes, you will have them!). Weed out all the ones carried over from last year which aren't important! It's not about mindlessly completing tasks, after all. A shorter, fresher, more focused to-do list will automatically have you working better and with more clarity.

Break Down Your Goals

The bigger your goals seem, the more pressure you feel in completing them. Break your goals into tiny, measurable steps to make them SMART-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/Realistic, Time-bound. Here's an example:

Goal--You must write a 200-page book on accountability (daunting, vague, difficult)

SMART Goal--You must write a 200-page book on accountability tools and techniques. You can do this in three months by writing at least five pages daily (Clear, precise, achievable)!

Want some help breaking down your goals? Try our SMART Goal Generator!

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Create Boundaries

Just like learning to say "no", you also need to learn how to set healthy boundaries for yourself and others. Commit to finishing work during work hours and not taking it home with you -- and make sure others understand this as well, so everyone's workload and expectations can be managed.

Improve Work-Life Balance

Use more of your time to pick up new habits, exercise, practice mindfulness, socialize, or simply learn to be.

Learn How to Do Nothing

Admit it, a full 24 hours of no phone calls, meetings, or emails sounds great sometimes -- being free is underrated! Everyone deserves a day or two of rest, with no agenda but to relax and let your body and mind be at ease.

Embrace Breaks and Imperfection

Practice taking breaks during work to reset your focus. Drink some water and do a stretch before you start another task. And as you work, spend less time fussing over the small details -- you can always refine them later.

Practice Self-Care and Compassion

Focus on your meals, sleep, and relaxation routine to help your mind and body not be "on" all the time – and don't beat yourself up for enjoying your downtime!

Ask for Help

Seeking help from a therapist or other professional is nothing to be ashamed of -- they have all the tools to help you understand why you face productivity anxiety and how you can overcome it.

Use Productivity Tools and Services

If you struggle with managing your productivity so you don't go overboard, take help from all the apps and services (like us!) available to help you set a realistic health schedule.

Scrambling to get everything done before I crack under the pressure. Sorry, had to do that. | Photo by Nik

Impacts of Unmanaged Productivity Anxiety on your Well-Being

Yes, we get it. Managing productivity anxiety almost seems like ... too much work.

It may well be, but the dangers of leaving it unchecked can be greater:

Trouble Completing Tasks

Ironically, productivity anxiety can lead to decreased self-worth and productivity. The more pressure you put on yourself to push, the more tasks are left undone. You can't do it all--but if you don't stop trying to, your capacity will keep getting smaller till even a few tasks seem impossible.

Poor Mental Health, Physical Symptoms

The guilt and anxiety won't go away if you don't take steps to get rid of them. Rather, they'll keep growing, and soon you'll be neglecting your physical and mental well-being just to get work done.

Fractured Relationships

People understand when you cancel on one or two events due to work, but if you make it a habit, they'll eventually write you off as an absent loved one -- someone you may know but no longer call close. It can be hard to repair these cracks if they get too wide.

Lack of Motivation and Satisfaction

Inadequacy and lack of self-worth and fulfillment may keep you "chasing" a goal that never arrives -- so, you may lose all your willpower and motivation and reach a mental rut.

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Final Thoughts

Productivity anxiety can have a negative impact on your personal and professional growth. Recognize its signs on time, address them, and find your way to a more balanced approach to work and life.

If like you liked this article, check out some more productivity advice here:

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