How to Lower Your Productivity and Start Living

We had two bags of nootropics, several liters of coffee, five different task-planning apps, three social media challenges, a fitness tracker, a biography of Jobs, and an endless number of motivational quotes of every kind and shade.

Not that it was a necessary supply for life, but once you start increasing your productivity, you have to go all the way.

The only thing that caused concern was motivational quotes. Nothing in the world is more helpless, irresponsible, and corrupt than a person armed with motivational quotes.

Higher, faster, stronger.

We work at maximum capacity, stay up late, and increase efficiency.

Ideally, you should be useful not only to your employer but to society as a whole: volunteer, save the planet, fight for justice.

And if you happen to have a free minute, you shouldn’t lie around on the couch — you should be developing yourself: taking courses, going to the gym, networking with the “right” people, coming up with new brilliant ideas, and so on.

Even entertainment has to be efficient: bright, stylish, and meaningful. Every second counts!

Under this constant pressure, people either turn into robots with trembling hands or into old souls with faded eyes.

Income grows, but so does anxiety. Success ends up being washed down with Prozac.

It’s not only the information noise and the endless vanity fair of social media that put pressure on us.

There’s also the pressure of startup romanticism—the trendy belief that to succeed, you have to work from morning till night like a maniac or an inspired artist.

In some cases, this is reinforced by perfectionism: the idea that everything must be done “right” and earn high marks, otherwise you’ll be criticized.

But a human is not a machine. A human is a work of art. A person doesn’t have to be efficient—they should be expressive.

Seven tips for those tired of productivity pressure:

1. Spend a day in bed

This means a workday—otherwise it doesn’t count.

“Call in sick,” turn off the internet, and stare at the ceiling until evening—this is the first step toward recovering from busyness.

Pet a cat, look out the window, draw a little flower. You can also go for a walk, but make sure it’s without a goal. Idleness was praised even by ancient philosophers.

Imagine yourself as Aristotle, with flies crawling over him, and he’s too lazy to brush them away—because he’s thinking about the eternal.

2. Start learning something “useless”

In today’s world, “useless” means something that can’t be directly monetized. Something that will never be useful for your job or increase your market value.

Drop your Spanish classes and learn Sanskrit instead. Take up birdwatching. Become an expert in Byzantine literature. Think about the eternal alongside Aristotle.

3. Stop reading the news

Don’t comfort yourself with the illusion that you need to stay informed about important events.

First, you don’t.Second, the latest Hollywood sex scandal is hardly something important.

The vacuum that appears after switching off this noise can easily be filled with the “useless” studies from the previous point. While everyone else is stuck on clickbait, you have a tab open with lectures on the topology of time—let them be jealous.

4. Don’t do tasks after seven

The things you deal with after 7:00 PM accumulate in your hips and under-eye bags.

Your brain doesn’t have time to process them, which is why you might have nightmares about failing an algebra test.

With practice, you can move to a stricter “diet”: no tasks after 4:00 PM—and eventually, no tasks at all.

5. Leave the cult of Friday

Oh no, the weekend is coming—better urgently figure out what to do!

Otherwise, you’ll be crushed by the guilt of having a “not exciting enough” weekend compared to the constant buzz of life, right? Breaking out of this vicious circle is simple: forget about weekends and create adventures on weekdays instead.

Real adventures: with songs, a bit of rebellion, and memory blackouts.

And then scare your colleagues with your morning hangover. Let them be jealous.

6. Add a touch of messiness to your appearance

A morning hangover pairs perfectly with wrinkled clothes.

Let yourself go a little. No one really cares how you look.

Excessive attention to your appearance is just another neurosis to overcome. And trying to please others is the last thing you should be doing.

“But I’ll ruin my reputation!” you’re probably thinking. Well, in that case, you’re not ready for freedom yet.

7. Slow down

Choose longer routes.

Eat slowly and mindfully.

Don’t reply to messages right away—and don’t answer phone calls at all.

Listen to music in full albums, never in the background.

Instead of a quick morning shower, take a forty-minute bath.

Be late. Disappear sometimes.

Life is too short to rush.