Expanding Definitions of Productivity & Accomplishment

Ever since I received a diary for my birthday when I was about 8 years old, I’ve had a journal in my possession. I like the idea of having a record to look back on—to see what the struggles and triumphs were of a certain age. It’s like reading a book whose ending I already know—I get a sense of perspective. The writing itself helps me in the moment, too.

At the end of 2016, I realized that my current journal was about to be finished, and that it contained just over a year’s worth of writing.  I was about to leave on a long trip for the holidays, and I decided to read through my journal—my year recorded. As I read, I took notes at the beginning of my new journal to synthesize (I am, at heart, someone who would like to be in school for their whole life—hence, the assigned reading and notetaking!).

I noted what I learned over the year or actually, what I am still learning. One of the things I began to learn in 2016 is this:

Expand Definitions of Productivity & Accomplishment

I am drawn to (driven to?) productivity, as so many of us are. It comes through our culture, this emphasis on doing, doing, doing. It feels good then, to be productive and to accomplish a lot in a day. It feels gratifying, as if all of this doing means something. If we dig way down deep, achieving might seem to mean that we are enough—good enough, hardworking enough.

The Tyranny of Getting it All Done

At the same time, this can feel like a kind of tyranny—that we MUST accomplish a lot, and if not, it could mean that we failed in some way. (Usually, these feelings are really vague and fuzzy, just under the surface and unconscious, yet permeating everything. The logic, it doesn’t hold up… but so it goes.)

I once spoke about this with my therapist, and we kept coming to somewhat of a barrier. It felt like she was saying, “Stop doing all those things. Relax. Just rest and be happy.” I responded to this sentiment with disbelief and maybe a little scorn. It just didn’t seem possible, desirable, or wise to take this approach. I’m not likely to suddenly believe that accomplishments are NOT important, and I know that getting things done is part of what makes me successful in my work.

And yet... my old default way of doing, doing, doing didn’t feel so wise either. That feeling of never being able to get quite enough done (because you can never get it ALL done) can put a a dark cloud over life. It robs some of the joy. It’s unsustainable.

Making a Shift

So clearly a different approach is needed. What my therapist and I eventually came to was this: yes, accomplishments are good, and yes, we value accomplishing things. But (and this felt revolutionary!) what if we expand the idea of what accomplishment means?

What if what I got done today was to grieve?

What if what I achieved was making art?

What if an accomplishment was noticing my tiredness, and taking a nap?

All of these things have their benefits, of course:

Taking time to grieve releases the pressure that builds imperceptibly when we’re holding sadness at bay.

Making art feeds the soul. It is play and wonder and beauty... all of these things that we need so crucially.

Physical health is a building block on which much of our well-being tends to rest.

Living as a Whole Person

Allowing these areas of life (and others) to “count” as areas of accomplishment creates a sense of balance where all is included, nourished, and valued—body, mind, and spirit… work, play, and rest.

Too often, mind and work take the top spots in what is valued, and this is reflected in how our time is spent. When only work is seen as a desirable and necessary accomplishment, any time spent in play, or in maintaining the body and nourishing the spirit is seen as “stolen” time, a guilty pleasure. When the amount of work done is the only measure that counts, any time spent resting is seen as weakness.

Conversely, this new learning is a more complex understanding—that body, mind, and spirit are interwoven, and that wellness and “accomplishment” in only one area is incomplete. Body, mind, and spirit each have their mysterious role to play in the functioning as a healthy and flourishing human.

What shifts for you when you broaden your definition of “accomplishment?”