Productivity Dysmorphia & Me

Saturday, January 29, 2022

How to Overcome Productivity Dysmorphia | LifeHacker.com

Finally, you aren’t defined by your accomplishments. Your accomplishments should be defined by you. You are more than the deadlines you meet, the subscribers you rack up, or the money you earn.

I needed to read that.

A few years ago I was winning awards and scholarships and accolades for my accomplishments (you can read about them on LinkedIn 🤓). And then, well, nothing really. An occasional atta boy here and there, but nothing I could hang on a wall.

And for some reason, it really kind of wrecked me. I got really depressed, despite treatment. And it persists because if I’m honest with myself, I still crave that kind of recognition-I still let my accomplishments define me. (I also let my possessions define me, but that’s a story for another therapist on another day.) Through some self-compassion and intentional reminders like this one, I’m slowly learning to find satisfaction in new places and ways. I’m definitely not there yet, but hey. Maybe one day.

TL;DR: Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t build Rome in a day.