In an age of instant gratification and easier access, it’s very easy to get addicted to things, people, behaviors, tools, gadgets. Today’s WorthWorkin4 Wednesdays blog post attempts to understand how popular productive habits, routines and tools don’t deliver what they promise. In fact, many of them, when used ineffectively, can do quite the opposite that is, they bring down productivity.

Often, during the course of the day, we need things to find help, comfort and support to get stuff done, to feel in control, to feel better.

Thus, support and help are good things that we need in our work and daily lives. These things make us work in a better and faster way. They make us feel better as well.

These things can be your cup of tea, having a quick bite, or habits like giving your mind a break by scrolling the social media, tuning into the TV, touching base with a friend, taking a painkiller or a relaxant, relying on an app to get the workout you need, so on and so forth.
 
We have all been there: it can be a thing as simple as having another cup of coffee, or something as complex as excessively relying on a friend for support and validation.

How Addictions Negatively Impact Us

 So when does something beneficial and good start becoming harmful for us. Basically, it is our tendency to over rely and get dependent on these things that make us get addicted to them.

Addictive stuff slowly and insidiously erodes away our potential by making us dependent on them. Over the course of time, we discover that we are unable to function without their aid. We find out that even a smaller change in our routine or work requirement would affect us badly. Consequently, we are unable to cope up with even the slightest change in the routine or pace. More importantly, we also discover that no longer able to maintain our performance without the help of the addictive. Thus, these productivity aids eventually become counterproductive.

The truth is that our addictions, big or small, negatively impact our attention span and mood, our productivity, and ultimately, our health and peace of mind.   

Why It’s Harder to Control or Get Rid of an Addiction

Some kinds of addictions are easier to spot, and thus control or eliminate. On the other hand, other kinds of addictions can be subtle or hidden, nestled inside normal, acceptable behavior, even masked and recommended as a productivity booster or aid. They are far harder to get rid of. Different stimulants and apps are a perfect example of that.
Here are some of the popular productivity tools and habits that can become counterproductive:

Caffeine (Too Much is Never Good)

Caffeine that is tea and coffee are an effective, natural and pleasant way to improve our attention and focus. A cup of tea or coffee awakens our body and senses in the morning. Moreover, caffeine helps us curb tiredness and fatigue and maintain and improve our mood and attention span during the day.
However, having one too many coffee or tea cups can make us feel distracted and jittery. Furthermore, excessive caffeine dehydrates our bodies and negatively impacts our appetite and sleep cycles.

Conclusively, it’s good to find your balance when it comes to a stimulant like caffeine. While two to three cups of a caffeinated beverage are good for your concentration, focus and productivity, five to six cups a day can be really harmful for your health in the long run.

Productivity Apps – The Double Edged Sword  

In the age of technological advancements, newer productivity apps are making their way. They have an easy to use and attractive interface and help us save time and energy. However, productivity apps are the shiny balls.

Not all productivity apps are effective because they are generalized and impersonal. They don’t deliver always what they promise. Moreover, many of them are merely used because they are popular in your circle.  

For instance, push notifications promise you to help you stay up to date and become more responsive. But they are not only distractive, but also counterproductive because they disrupt your attention span by making you switch among tasks and check out social media posts of interests.

An issue with productivity apps that are really effective is our tendency to become over dependent on them. This means that if, for some reason, we don’t have access to our favorite apps, we won’t be able to do our work properly.
Conclusively, productivity apps are like a double-edged sword which make you make certain gains, but at a greater cost i.e., your concentration.

Music – It Can Take Your Attention

There is no denying that music has a powerful impact on your moods.  Thus, it is no wonder that people love to listen to music during work and different activities.  
Pleasant background noise in cafes, restaurants, bars, gym, in the car can help us feel relaxed, boost our adrenaline and stimulate our appetite.
Moreover, when we are studying or doing professional work, listening to music can lower our stress level, make us feel relaxed, reduce the monotony of repetitive tasks, thus help us focus better and work longer.
However, if the music is too stimulating, or has lyrics or loud sounds, thereby requiring our active listening and attention, then it would end us distracting us and lowering our productivity.  Likewise, if the music we are playing is not according to our mood at that time, it may end up proving to be too jarring for our senses.

Furthermore, listening to any kind of while doing a task that requires your utmost attention and concentration can be a bad idea. This is because while music improves your mood and productivity, it does not always improve the quality of your work, especially when doing tasks that require your full mental concentration.

Hence, creating a personalized list separately for your needs, mindset, the nature work you are required to do at that time can help you positively utilize music for your productivity.

To Sum Up

We need routines, tools and habits and tool to improve our work, relationships and life. However, our tendency to become over dependent on these doesn’t improve our productivity. On the contrary, they harm our productivity and depreciate the quality of our work and our lives.

The Way Forward

Deeper self-reflection, journaling, working with a psychologist or a life coach can help you unearth addictive habits, behaviours and patterns. Once you are able to control those addictive patterns, your productivity would improve. Alongside, your life would start to improve in ways you couldn’t have envisioned earlier.