2 min read

Escaping the Trap of Pseudo Productivity

David DeWitt, CFP® : May 24, 2024 12:00:00 PM

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If you’ve ever spent an entire day organizing your desks, cleaning your house, or diving deep into topics that offer a hit of dopamine but are ultimately unimportant, you are not alone. This phenomenon, known as "pseudo productivity," is when we feel busy and productive without accomplishing anything truly significant

The Trap of Pseudo Productivity

Pseudo productivity can take many forms:

Organizing and reorganizing our workspaces.
Setting up a new budgeting app or planner.
Deep diving into various topics out of curiosity.
Spending hours on social media.
Making to-do lists that never get done.
Creating Spotify playlists to boost productivity, but not getting any work done.
Spending excessive time finding the perfect exercise routine instead of actually exercising.

These activities give us a sense of accomplishment and release dopamine, but they distract us from meaningful work. This of us who struggle with ADHD may find ourselves frequently caught in this cycle. It feels good in the moment, but it's ultimately unproductive.

What Causes Us to Slip into Pseudo Productivity

Oftentimes, the allure of new tools and apps is strong, encouraging us to spend lots of time fiddling around with new systems and processes. For example, you may find yourself spending hours importing your favorite blogs into a new reading app that compiles and categorizes your favourite content. While this concept is fantastic for taking notes and organizing your reading material, it’s not a top priority. Even with the best intentions of completing tasks that hold higher levels of importance, it is easy to fall into the trap of pseudo productivity.

Additionally, roadblocks such as procrastination and perfectionism can often lead to pseudo productivity. Procrastination is often rooted in a fear of failure and rejection sensitivity. It's easier to avoid tasks that open you up to judgment and criticism, even if they align with your passions. Instead, you may gravitate toward activities that feel easy and within your control, that you are more likely to complete to a higher standard because they are familiar and sit in your comfort zone.

Perfectionism, particularly socially prescribed perfectionism, also plays a significant role. This type of perfectionism stems from a belief that others harshly judge and criticize us, leading to social anxiety. This can feel like a constant struggle to overcome the fear of failure and the pressure to deliver perfect work.

Addressing the Underlying Issues

When we engage in pseudo productivity, we essentially escape into an alternate reality where we can do whatever we want instead of what we need to do. This form of escapism helps us avoid the negative emotions associated with challenging tasks. While it provides temporary relief, it doesn't address the root causes of my procrastination and anxiety.

To break free from this cycle, we need to understand and accept our tendencies. Here are some strategies that have can help:

Awareness: Recognize when you're engaging in pseudo productivity and understand why.
Lower Expectations: Set achievable goals to build momentum and confidence.
Self-Compassion: Talk to yourself kindly and acknowledge that it's okay to struggle.
Address Imposter Syndrome: Reflect on your accomplishments and remind yourself of your expertise.
Acceptance: Embrace your ADHD traits and work within your strengths and limitations.

How This Impacts our Finances

Pseudo productivity has significant implications for personal finances. Much like spending hours organizing your desk, you might find yourself obsessing over finding the perfect budgeting app or creating detailed financial plans without actually implementing them. This kind of productive procrastination can lead to financial neglect, where critical actions like tracking expenses, paying bills on time, or making strategic investment decisions are postponed.

This is where recognizing this tendency is crucial for developing healthier financial habits and ensuring that your financial management efforts lead to tangible, positive outcomes. Set small, manageable goals and be kind to yourself if you don't meet them right away. By acknowledging the challenges you face and setting reasonable goals, you will make strides towards a brighter financial future.

Moving Forward

For those with ADHD, it’s understandable how challenging it can be to manage pseudo productive tendencies. However, by becoming more aware and implementing small changes, we can improve our productivity and well-being. It's essential to approach this journey with curiosity and without judgment. By understanding its roots and implementing strategies to address it, we can improve our focus and productivity and get back to the tasks that are truly important.

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