I am not my work
My worth is not connected to productivity.
Just because I can max myself out, doesn’t mean I should.
Is that even desirable? Do I want to max out? What would I even be like? Frantic and crazy haired like Doc from Back to the Future, buzzing around without focus or getting anything fully done. That doesn’t sound fun or enjoyable.
Is that even optimal, for employers? Doesn’t going to the max of productivity and efficiency mean other things are sacrificed–like strategic thinking, evaluation, course correction? Go, go, go means there’s no time to zoom out and see if it’s going well.
If I max out there’s nothing left.
I have no fun left, no brain power left, no energy.
That’s not beneficial to me or employer. Or my friends and loved ones.
What a fucking dumb idea to work hard at work and then dedicate any energy I have left to more work! That’s essentially what maxing out is–what ‘doing it because I can’ means.
Preserving a bit of what’s left could be used for play. Imagination! Creativity! Social activities! Shit, even rest and recharging with a bath or a book or good film. Things that actually energize and fill humans back up.
Logically, it makes no sense to max out. But I have 100% been guilty of pushing my limits because I have associated that kind of productivity with being good, being valued, and with WORTH.
Reminder: my worth is not tied to my work, the amount I can produce, or even the quality.
My worth is my being, my thoughts, my energy, my contributions. My energy can lift others so that’s what I’ll protect. That’s what I bring to the table.
Talk soon,
Coach Miche Miche
Journal Prompts
What is really driving me to squeeze even a little bit more out of my work day?
Once you answer, ask why. Then ask why again to get to the root of it.