Heya, thanks for the responses on to the video! Just wanted to clarify a few things, sorry if I've not done a good job explaining: I didn't pick the boys in the thumbnail because they're the most guilty of what I mentioned - I picked them because they're the most identifiable productivity youtubers, and because I doubt they'd mind being in it. Also, I've gotten a few comments saying I'm projecting in this video - 100% yes. All of these things are things I've thought, felt and dealt with myself, as is everything on my channel. I'm the first person guilty of feeling these things. And lastly, it is quite a negative video: that was the point, everything wrong with productivity. I talk a lot about how much I love it in almost every other video, and probably will do in the future ones too - I just wanted to show everything I disagree or that annoys me about it too. Soz for the spam :)
I think they will mind and they should mind the point is they have started with nothing and now they reached to a point where they a team to support them,the least you could have done is not to put them in your thumbnail
I love you're true to yourself and don't try to change your narrative to please others. You don't deny things that are facts, especially about you, which some people may not like. It's really refreshing to see this attitude to life, and I really admire you for that.
But it's normal to be pissed off when things don't go your way and glad when they do. If someone bases self love on something external that's just toxic in itself.
@Benediktas G. "It's normal to be pissed off when things don't go your way and glad when they do." This is just my personal opinion and two cents, but I think maybe we have just grown up in a culture that normalized that mindset. . I agree that it is totally normal to be disappointed when things don't go your way, and be happy when they do. I think the problem with constantly maximizing productivity however is that it works a lot like an addiction. When you want to do more and more, faster, better, the amount of joy and appreciation you have for each small accomplishment diminishes in return over time. Not to mention, a lot of the disappointment that people feel when they fail to accomplish a task gets directed inwards. Like "What is wrong with me? Why can they do it but I can't?" This, is an unhealthy mindset. It saps your energy and motivation to do anything, it encourages perfectionism and a fear of making mistakes - and mistakes are essential to learning and growing. . Since we are not emotionless, robotic, perpetually functioning machines living in perfect environments with absolutely no interruptions to our lives, this adherence to constant productivity and constant upward efficiency is not really possible. Life happens. Everyone has something that might stop them from working at 100% or even 20% efficiency. In my view, it's better to be kind to yourself, understand that you are only human, mistakes are inevitable and are totally okay, and that sometimes life is more difficult for you in some ways than it is for others and that may be interrupting some of your progress. Once you acknowledge that and are understanding enough to be patient towards yourself, you become much better at enduring life's hardships. Like she said in the video, you are in a long term relationship with yourself. It's best to be kind to the person you are with for life.
I did something like this with enjoying life. I can only enjoy life and the little moments if I'm being productive. Spent 1.5 years in this horrible place of not being able to be productive and then not being able to feel joy in everyday life because of it. Now even tho I've become productive ( coz my environment changed) but still whenever I try to live and enjoy the everyday life My brain resists
This video and comment is what I need to hear. It’s been a rough couple months figuring life out and falling in these rabbit holes get you no where overall. Honestly just stresses you out more. Everyone has their own life and sometimes you just need to realize that what works for you works for you, and just overall be happy in the process.
Most importantly I have seen these productivity youtubers staying "Alone" at their homes. I would like to see how they deal with their family members and productivity together.
such a good point! manny lower income households have limited space and working around that alone can be so hard for young people when it comes to studying, practicing a skill or working. it's so unrealistic to the point where it just makes you feel really bad...
I always felt useless for being unable to find a job and work outside my home but recently I've been appreciating the effort and work I do at home which no one does!!! Improving my cooking skill and having this idea in mind "the Society is built on people with different roles and I don't have to be like anyone,I'm gonna live and accept this season of my life"
Honey, you can’t imagine how I relate to your comment. I am in that phase as well and you just gave me new insight. I’ve been in a depressive mood for the past month , and now , boom, new point of view THANK YOUUUU
Well....i dont have enough words to say how much i relate to this comment... But yeah much needed now i as i was going through anxiety seeing soooo many productive people on youtube telling me how unemployed i am ❤️❤️
After yet ANOTHER episode of burnout, I've found myself feeling borderline allergic to listening to a lot of the productivity gurus and advice I've been obsessed with for ages. The brainwashed part of me feels very guilty for tuning them out and attempting to reconnect with my own natural rhythms, because I've long since stopped trusting that I know what's best for me! This was a much needed perspective, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Just being honest bro..Matt Davella , Gabe Gult..just to mentioned a few..there are very few things I like about them...they can be really toxic at times...to the point where you starting questioning your own thoughts..you compare yourself to them..I completely stopped watching their videos..one day he will be minimalist..next day his opinion is contradicted...you are unique and you will get there..stay away from these toxic gurus..dear friend 😉
New insight unlocked 💡. "Productivity is not about producing a lot. It is applying your best effort in the areas your value in a way that makes you respect yourself at the end of the day."
I’m a parent of 3, I cook and clean, do the school runs and help with homework…that’s productive right? 😅 You’re right the famous productive UA-camrs are not parents 🤣
Necessary message. Well said. Productivity isn't a goal, it is a means to a goal. When I watch Ali Abdaal talk about productivity I wonder if he ever goes outside and enjoys fresh air. Thanks for another good video.
@@emdadurrahmanjami7706 yeah cause if they do and they are the most productive people in the world why aren't they like elon or mark or bill gates in terms of success or money
I went to school with Ali and I think he really does get outside often. Like, I've seen him post Facebook photos from walking trips he's been on a few times. I'd love to be able to say 'Well Ali may be good at X but at least I have Y', but he really is preternaturally good at everything he does, and always has been
@@gh0sthussi3n83 I imagine it's just a matter of luck, once you're talking about the differences in the levels of success between very talented people. Like, to become a billionaire you need to be very talented *and* lucky. Ali is the most productive human being I've ever met, on top of being naturally gifted. I haven't watched his channel so idk if he mentions any of these but at school he was skilled at magic tricks, chess (not enough that I didn't occasionally beat him though), digital art, World of Warcraft and every academic subject, and he put the hours into all of them.
@@meabhmurphy9090 Well, he's not good at all at giving truly good advice based on science and psychology, as all this cult to producitivity is objectively harmful at an individual and collective level. So... he's far from being good at everything. He should make a little more effort informing himself. Or maybe he just doesn't care... as long as he's making the bucks.
Maybe you need a break; Maybe you need to socialize; Maybe you need to help other people or feel valuable in a community or society; This should go down in the history books of YT productivity videos. All of them singularly focus on individual productivity that we often forget that growth is much more fulfilling and purposeful when done together with the people around us. Kudos for calling this out!
It's always the same. Trying to squeeze out every last bit out of yourself, a piece of land, a company and so on - the community - humanity - also loses something. Haven't we learnt anything over the last years? Community well being before maximizing productivity or revenue!
@@BeanSprouts02 A man is not an island, and it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes it's easier to do good things for other people than it is to do good things for ourselves for one reason or another.
I'd argue there's a silver lining to it. Never feeling good enough and seeking productivity for productivity's sake is where you get miserable. The key is knowing what level of productivity is sufficient, and _why_ you want to do the task in the first place. Humans hate stagnation. A very low level of productivity can make a task more exhausting. So trying out some productivity tweaks can be a good thing: It can take off outside pressure that demands a certain minimum of progress, and give yourself more momentum to get you closer to the sweet spot; ideally a flow state. Just refrain from making it a competition tied to your self-worth.
Every time when one of my most "productive" friends talks about how they woke up at 6 am to go to the gym for 3 hours and tutored for 2 hours, studied SAT, and advanced math AND hung out with their friends, it makes me feel like if i dont do those things i am the problem for being lazy and unproductive when in fact I do things to help myself. I try to learn more things about mentality and issues like these in the world and learning art. I think the typical sort of "productivity" is different for so many people but it is generalized into this specific lifestyle.
I've never been happier and more comfortable than just working a basic job, hitting the gym in my free time and chill the rest of the time. The job is needed for food and a roof, the gym is needed to keep my body in check due to chronic pain and disability and the rest of the time is consumed by the aforementioned pain. It's a bit empty but it's the best I can do for now. The bit of free time I got enough mental and physical space to hang out, it's usually with family.
Non-creative people can force their productivity onto a schedule. Doesn't work that way for creative work. I find that I need about 10 hours of sleep for full steam output. Which constantly puts me on some weird ass schedule that either undershoots or overshoots 24 hours. Which means that if someone forced me onto a normal schedule, I would be less productive. Because I wouldn't get enough sleep.
Being productive is neither positive nor negative but at the same, it can either improve your life or make you more anxious and miserable. But it doesn't make you a better or more valuable person. You have every right to spend your evenings watching Netflix and eating nachos and deserve as much respect as a person who learns how to play the piano.
In the end what matters is if you manage to add value to your life and that of people and society around. That you're not just a consumer but also a producer.
@@suyashneelambugg It does matter but you have every right not to do that as well. It does not diminish your intrinsic value as a human. I work hard for myself mainly for selfish reasons. Seriously, there is nothing glorious about it.
Could you tell me why does a person who is probably not doing anything useful in life and is binging Netflix and eating snacks all day deserving of respect. Sure they're not any less as human beings but why do I or anyone else have to give them respect? Why do they deserve respect?
@@dihanmustakeem4089 Firstly, because they are a human being and they do not owe you anything just because they were born into this world. Secondly, because you have no idea why they do what they do. You don't know their life and struggles. Having motivation is, in my opinion, a privilege and a gift.
@@IESWlodarczyk i specifically stated "it doesn't make then any less human" but just as they don't owe me anything, why should anyone owe them respect, that's my question, I obviously don't mean go out of your way to disrespect them but why do I have to respect them?
As a mother if three, student and part of an active muslim community, the way i feel balance and thriving is to live slowly and focus on doing what i have in front of me with love and presence. This keeps me very productive because slow living, focusing on the needs of people around me and my own with love and care, keep me from becoming burnt out and having to escape with screens and eventually wasting so much time.
I think that's a great philosophy to have. I hope to be similar when I have a family. Sadly, I've met many people who seem to resent family life and only think about the things they could do if only their kids weren't around - have a better career, go on more holidays, buy nicer things, etc. They spend all that time yearning for an alternate reality that they miss all the great parts of family life. I'll try to remember the phrase "live slowly" for sure!
I have also found some productivity youtubers encouraging less sleep like 4 to 5 hours, they say that you can recover that lost sleep by taking naps. But honestly naps are not a complete replacement to complete, undisturbed 7-8hr sleep. Lack of sleep can increase the chances of health problems in the long term like diabetes, heart related problems, memory loss, decreased concentration, obesity, depression, tiredness, fatigue, etc. i hate those youtubers who encourage less sleep
Actually most of them like Matt D'avela and Ali Abdall talk about Benefits of sleep and how it's important and how you should even get 9 Hours of sleep , but Tbh there's others who do the opposite so I understand
My god, Lakshya. Thank you for bringing this up. I already have persistent insomnia until like 1 to 2 AM because I tend to overthink and overstress about the next day; sometimes even to finish more work or studying. The idea of less sleep makes me feel like I lose the ability to truly let go of my stress and doubts.
Also, not everybody has the time or ability to take naps throughout the day. Right, if you wake up at 4am to hit the gym or do a side hustle before your full time job, you couldn't nap at your job (most places at least) and by the time you get home and eat dinner, it's too late to nap, because you shouldn't nap to close to bed, because that messes up your ability to get to sleep at the time you want
I just love sitting around doing nothing much, maybe listening to music, reading a good book, chatting with friends. I love doing nothing much ... anyone else feel the same?
I do that and don’t feel good. Meanwhile if I just leave the house and walk around and do literally nothing…I still feel good at the end of the day. Your mileage may vary.
'Chatting with friends ' is actually 'something'. This is you reinforcing your relationships and making them stronger and tougher. Do you know a lot of adults don't even have one friend? Too busy with whatever in life and in the end they are alone.
Productivity UA-cam definetely worsened my depression when I was a teenager and now, after 4 years of therapy, I finally unlearn to love myself conditionally, as you put it. So thanks for pointing this out!
I really resonate with being an "abusive parent" to yourself - especially during exam season for me right now, its so easy to push past the feeling of not wanting to work. I have come to realise that breaks and socialising are crucial for getting quality, focused ,work done. Yet another great video btw, keep it up!
I feel like the focus on being as efficient as possible can put so much pressure on people to work ‘perfectly’ all the time, to the point I become so paralysed with anxiety if I’m not doing everything efficiently
This was a great video. Saw it on Nebula and came here specifically to comment. I'm quite vocal about my problems with it but I'm basically a bitter old man and an outsider, so it's valuable coming from someone within the ecosystem. One thing I noticed the other day was a productivity creator giving a tip about how to avoid wasting time and all the comments below were "Guilty!" and I just wondered why you'd want to watch someone who just makes you feel guilty? Agree with your excellent points, and wish you luck incorporating these ideas into your future ✨productivity content✨
how do you feel about the pig amount of "productivity content" on Nebula? Like i love neubula but i realy dont want to deal with the hole topic wenn i am downwinding! also great conet on your side!
Hello Elizabeth, I love your videos and your well-thought analysis of the things you explain. And I was actually waiting for a video like this because I really do believe that striving for more and more comes from unhealthy place. On the same time it's good to improve as a person. It would be great if you could really integrate more of how you create a personal work life balance and being relaxed (so important for our health and so underestimated) in your future videos! 😊
I love how UA-cam has been giving me productivity videos in my recommendations for a while, mostly without me actively seeking out that kind of content, and now gives me this as if to say "but don't overdo it" :D Also, I do agree with everything you say here. Appreciate your perspective! :)
Love that you called out the "unfair advantages" that aren't apparent in many productivity videos. It's so easy to get caught up comparing ourselves to the point that is detrimental to our mental health. We also need to remember that a high level of productivity is cultivated over time, and we should be mindful of this when we don't meet our own, often unrealistic, expectations. As always, thanks for your bravery and candor :)
I've just finished med school (6 years in my country). I fell down the rabbit hole of crazy productivity and optimazing everything when I was struggling to keep up during my first year. And - to be fair, it did help me during that time. In my second year I was almost 'perfect' with time manegament - and I remember almost nothing from that year aside from some really crazy partying at the end - but, yeah, I did have pretty notes, perfect anki decks and pretty good results (still not straight A's though). And then I fell in love during the summer before my third year and it finally hit me I literally can't have a good relationship with scheduling every minute of my life. So slowly I let go of most of my 'perfect' productive habits. I still studied a lot (because well, med school) but I learned that my notes need to help me and not look instagram-ready and take 3 times more to take. There were periods of time when I was less available to my family and friends but also those when I started to say 'yes' to even last-minute things. I really thought about what I want to take away most from my university and I decided it's practical skills and hands-on experience - so I started to assist doctors during some night shifts. I also had to take a part-time job. Surprisingly, despite spending much less time studying my results were still... Fine. Not exceptionally good, but I'd say better than avarage. I know everyone wants to be 'the best' and 'top of the class' but... Well, I think it wouldn't happen to me anyway. And I'd lost so much in other areas of my life trying. So the point you made aboout crazy productivity being selfish is absolutely true. It's absolutely fine if you want to live alone and focus solely on your progress, but most people have friendships/romantic relationships/kids and then calendars with every minute planned can literally (sorry!) go f**k themselves. It's not going to work.
"don't believe everything you think". this phrase seems so obvious and cliché, yet I still feel interestingly different every time i say it out loud. the pandemic turned every student into a psychological case lol
My big problem is that I’m ADHD so even the simplest tasks are immensely more overwhelming than they are to a normal person. I try to stay efficient and productive without holding myself to any strict standard or feeling like I have to meet a certain quota.
This is the truest, most honest video about productivity I've watched. The truth about a LOT of those productivity vlogger influencers is that they already had money before they started and so they had cushioning to fall back on if they failed, so they had more freedom to try things in a different way than many of us could afford to, and thus were able to achieve a lot more. It makes a difference.
This video just made me realize something very interesting, I never stopped to take care of myself, and when I do, I get judged, even by myself. Thank you for this video.
Love your second point - productivity culture makes you respect yourself conditionally. Trying to undo this programming in my life right now and was so helpful to hear you put it this way!
It's great to hear you address the issue of toxic productivity! As someone who has had two severe burnouts I hope to help others avoid this fate by having a more holistic and healthy approach to productivity. The online space really needs more voices like this. Thank you for making this video!
I just got into productivity UA-cam because I have ADHD and want to improve my time management and just overall productivity. But it's obvious that we need to take all the tips with a grain of salt - we're all different and can't assume that everything is applicable to everyone. Not all techniques will work for everyone, and for example when watching Ali Abdaal, some tips are very clearly only for people with a lot of money. Some of these creators suggest apps that cost even 30 dollars a month, which just isn't viable for everyone - especially when it's not the only app we need to pay for 😅
Or saving at the expense of others. Basically considering all task is outsourceable to a lower- earner, which you would find and can keep. Like the successful males mostly rely on a successful wife at home managing food dress kids household chores, calendars, investments, letterboxes.
I like How to ADHD, it's a channel aimed at those uf us with attention problems. It's very helpful. Productivity video, not so much. Also, remember these 'gurus' may be at the high end of the human spectrum for energy, mental stability, IQ and/or EQ. If that's true, they likely have well off ,emotionally stable families. That's a lot of advantages while they're busy making the rest of us feel inadequate. 🙄
Everyone is different and unique in their shortcomings and strengths. I have the same comparison issue but found that trying out their suggestions and sticking to what really works with me is the best thing for me. It can be time consuming and very frustrating but the moment something clicked and caused better results was the greatest thing happening during the lows. I hope this advice helps and wish best of luck for your own journey.
I'm usually extremely lazy to press that like button for a video I like. But honestly, this video just forced my impulse to hit like. Such value packed content in a single vid! You're courageous to talk about this.
You make some really good points. The way we feel about ourselves should not depend on how much we have done in a day...easier said than done, especially when living in a society that continues to support and reward constant productivity.
My mom who is a boomer had to tell me to consider the factors you brought up when I started to beat myself up. I bring up the fact what generation she's from because I think this overexposure to social media has disproportionately informed the younger generations on what life is really like and for people not impacted by it as a way of life they still seem to understand what it is to be an average human just living life. Parenthood, obligations, and resources should be considered in productivity. Thank you
I’m so glad it was you how address this issue. I used to follow all this productivity gurus for more than 10 years until I finally stumbled upon a book In The Flo by Alissa Vitti and understand the way we women function and how our productivity for us is cyclical not lineal as for men. It really helped me to come to a deep forgiveness for myself. And now I feel more energized and productive. Thanks for this video.
Productivity is about balance. The advice shared in these productivity videos are to be applied only with consideration to your own circumstances, things that no UA-camr, and nobody, can know but you. Productivity UA-camrs aren't bad people, productivity isn't bad, but not taking care of yourself or hating yourself is. Balance is key, to good health and a good life.
One hundred percent. Productivity advice is so prescriptive and one-size-fits all! We don't all operate on the same energy system or schedule. Some people get done in three hours what takes others eight then need more rest (especially Projectors). Some people do well fasting in the morning or getting up early to work out, and this is depleting for others. 2:00 Listen to your body, just like you said. Good video Elizabeth!
Really , really Important topics that are 99% on the time omitted. Especially the pieces around disability & understanding we all have different starting points. Nicely done !!
This was sorely needed! And as always, well said. The bottom line, I feel, is the inequity that is often overlooked. Productivity is SO circumstantial and subjective.
Shocking thumbnail and title with a warm and intelligent message! You're the emotional intelligence messenger needed in this realm of productivity. Thank you Liz, you are super inspiring!
This is why balance is really important. You get too much pressure from the online community that you tend to forget that you also need to take care of yourself. Self-worth is paramount.
I just discovered your channel from your "Habits aren't for Everyone" video. It was very helpful to me. Even though I'm almost 50, I've spent most of my life feeling bad for not doing things the way others do. Now, after recovering from an eating disorder and healing from an abusive marriage I know that productivity isn't important to life, experiences are. Your future self will thank you for eschewing productivity BS. No one dies wishing they were more productive. I have a friend whose a hospice nurse who tells me most people regret not spending time with loved ones, or doing things they were afraid of. Sorry for long comment, but I just wanted to say you're on the right track. ❤️
Productivity makes yourself selfish. - - I was blind to this one when I was at the height of my career / college life. Now after burnout and enjoying lazying around and giving time to myself, I realized I was selfish. There's a good thing being lazy.
Productivity is about making the most of each moment, and to be happy about it. If you’re not happy with it, that’s probably not the perfect definition of productivity(although Pain is essential for a lot of stuff)
just saw a clip of you with Ali Abdaal. I cannot express how happy I was to see you express your honest opinion with him. Although he was extremely rude and obviously blinded by his parents sliver spoon that he keeps in his pocket, you were real. Respect.
I am single, have a full time job, a mental disability and a heavy part time study schedule (carrying 7 credits every semester). None of these videos speak directly to my situation because there is so much unsaid. They really give a distorted picture of what "everyone SHOULD be doing". I'm tired of it. Thanks for this video. You've just earned a new subscriber!
You make some very valid points. Especially with ‘productivity videos’ not really representing real life for someone with a 9-5 job, or someone with kids, etc. I tried finding (morning) routine videos that start at a reasonable time (not 4-5am) and includes things like school or work. Those are very hard to find 🫤 However! Most productivity youtubers I’ve come across always state that the tips they give are working for /them/ that they might not work for someone with another schedule or lifestyle. At the end of the day the responsibility of how you approach these videos and the advice in them still lays with the viewer. If you find that a certain routine is not working for you or if things seem unrealistic then you can just close the video. Experiment and work out what works for you personally. Take some tips and ditch others. Like, I’m NOT a morning person, so I know that I don’t need to beat myself up over not having a 5am morning routine. I know that that just won’t work for me, no matter how hard I try. But there are other things in a morning routine people show you that I might try out. And if it doesn’t work, let’s move on to the next experiment.
I slipped into productivity UA-cam looking for Notion tutorials, and I felt that many of the templates or solutions are far more than what I need and want right now. While I will take their knowledge and "pro tips" on how to create the Notion solutions that I want, I'm deliberately leaving out half of the advanced stuff that have to do with time and deadlines. So this video is kind of a validation that the bits and pieces I'm taking (and the ones I'm not) to make what I want for today, is the proper direction towards self-respect/self-love and a healthy balance. Thank you.
After a long struggle with youtube productivity videos, I've come to many of these same conclusions. Thanks for publishing this perspective-- it's an important message.
Thank you for voicing this! I did go down the productivity rabbit hole a little bit and then I realized that I actually sympathise more with aspects of slow living (esp. thanks to The Cottage Fairy). The pressure to be productive really puts value on what we do/make/contribute rather than how we do things, who we are, how we think etc. This shift of perspective was the biggest step in helping myself feel happier in the long term.
You are one of the best youtubers I have ever seen. Thankyou for being so truthful and raw because literally no one seems to understand that everyone is different and everyone's is trying to spew the same generic garbage in the name of productivity. Thank you so much Lizzy!!! 💝
While I completely get what you're trying to say and agree, I still find it quite unfair to some youtubers. For example, the only productivity youtuber I ever watched was Thomas Frank. He helped me in high school and in college. Currently I am close to completing my Bachelor's and I can safely say he had a big part in my achieving this. What I want to say is, I didn't learn only how to "study" or "be productive" on his channel. I learned how to take it easy, enjoy my hobbies, I saw with what passion he liked things he talked about, and that his relationships were healthy. He didn't succeed because he was talking about productivity, although that was most certainly a part of it. He succeeded because he helped young people like me, because he had genuine passions in life and he strived to achieve them, but he also knew when to stop with this "hustle" and just enjoy life. And I am ever grateful to that man for everything he unknowingly did for me. That's why I find this unfair.
Came from Ali QnA session with you but subscribing to you cause you are so down to earth. It's honestly very refreshing to see a UA-cam video being realistic and pointing out some of us have kids, families to tend to etc. Its unrealistic to be full productivity without having a family or team to support you or having some financial support when you are in the early stages of your adult life.. I followed your former boss (Ali) for maybe 2 or 3 years but he feels so unrelatable. You fill that gap.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Being hyper productive all the time doesn't come naturally to me, I like to just wander about and not do much at all on a lot of days, but forcing myself to be productive always left a bad impression on my mind, and after every few months I used to just burn out, both physically and mentally.
I greatly appreciate productivity YT as it gave me a way to implement keeping a well-kept home and lifestyle on my own. The bigger struggle was pulling my head out of my shell and noticing how much I missed with all the time and energy I spent on myself, that's still a daily struggle
Its Just same as Watching yt videos on 1.5 speed may make you productive but reading or listening to books or podcast at high speed may make you feel that you have done reading a book but actually you only end up getting the book done but not getting the full knowledge of the book
Listening to most UA-camrs speak at even 1.5 speed is too much for me. I don't like it. Audiobooks are a little different, because I think the pacing is a little slower, but it would still depend on the individual narrator for me
Great video! Interesting that you work with Ali and have this attitude… I’m on your side with this way of thinking, feeling like you always have to be doing something, has been crippling for me. Being my okay with just being, has been far healthier.
All of this!!! You've done a fabulous job at explaining the darker side of productivity, don't get me wrong, I love being productive and getting shit done, but it can be taken too far and can do real damage to yourself, your friendships, and relationships. Thanks for the realness!
ive just arrived here from your previous employer with the opinion that he just makes money by telling other people he makes money while taking their money and provides a false sense he is providing a service where other can replicate him. this is exactly the video i needed to stumble across afterwards to feel im not going crazy.
Also their definition of productivity is so limited because there is so much more to being productive than working like a robot. Cleaning your room is productive, taking care of personal hygiene is productive, taking care of others is productive…. Like for them productivity is just school or paper work or making money or being disciplined and making sure you have a picture perfect routine, etc. It also doesn’t account for change, and the things in your life that may happen that could disrupt whatever routines or things you’re already used to doing….. So while productivity youtube can be good to a certain extent, but it’s also very closed off and narrow in soooo many ways. Nobody has the energy to do the same thing for the rest of their lives.
The amount of peace, calmness and self content your videos have given me since I discovered your channel recently is extraordinary. Thank you so much for putting all your thoughts and experiences out here! ❤
This is the best video i came across in youtube in months. I had this insight on productivity for a long time. But again I thought i was justifying my lazyness by having such thought. Never thought I would see someone talk about it that too in such organized manner. It summed up the topic so well and brought up almost all the exact point.
I have multiple disabilities including ADHD, which naturally means that focusing too much on productivity is very toxic for me. My therapist is helping me work on balancing my need to do things with realism and self acceptance. I hated myself when I was feeling unproductive...which is extra messed up because I wasn't able to be productive thanks to the state of my conditions at the time. Thank you for bringing this up!
This is hugely valuable advice for those attempting to be more 'productive' in any aspect of their lives. Without these underlying understandings, particularly about the mental implications of trying to strive for better, we can find ourselves in a very unhealthy place. Love this!
A small change which these youtubers should do in their Productivity videos is to add the work of all their teamates working behind the scenes and getting things done and also to mention the payment of their team in getting the job done !! This would give the proper workflow of that youtuber
Elizabeth, I’m soo glad I found your channel.. the way you work, what your think about sleep, being a night owl and not feeling the need to shift it because everyone else says so, all of the issues you mentioned in this video about productivity, and what you spoke about in another about how you focus on skill based results instead of object based results and that everything is building to become YOU rather than becoming these “things” or “identifiers” to label yourself.. It’s all exactly how it felt for a long time but never heard anyone else talk about it so I felt lost and alone.. I never knew how to articulate it.. and my self worth was somewhat shattered because I would constantly be striving to follow all these “gurus” online and never manage to achieve what they achieved, or even follow them longterm because I’d end up quitting because their focus is always on success goals and achievements (object based results) rather than the skill building aspect of it all. So just wanted to say THANK YOU SOO F*CKING MUCH Elizabeth for being you and for having the courage to share your perspective because it’s exactly what’s I’ve needed to hear for SOO LONG.. Thank you for your voice and thought, and for helping me reframe all of this into what actually makes sense for me and resonates/aligns with me. Peach, love, and all the rest.. have a great day.. really appreciate you.. and keep doing what you’re doing 😁✌️
I completely agree with all your points! I love watching productivity content, but at the same time there are definitely some unhealthy mindsets and views about how things should be done in order to be considered "productive" and discussing these points helps everyone be more realistic with themselves. So thank you for talking about it!
People becoming "successful" by making how to improve productivity/focus/attention/success was sickening for me, nice to hear I wasn't the only one. I think the best tips for improving come from people that had success on the area you want success, and not from people who became successful by taking advantage of people's need and sometimes desperation to improve themselves.
Also productivity is mostly measured in zero-sum-games. That is practically you rob friends and relatives for your OWN success. Whic is a short-term thinking.
Bruh,....BRUH.... You've just explained the issues I have with this space so much better than I could've ever that it blew my mind. This may be what I needed to finally start being happy with myself again
procrastinating or not studying enough ruins my life so much that I'd rather be brainwashed and productive than to take care of myself RN and be stressed when I don't get the results I wanted
this is absolutely amazing. im a person with a very strong work ethic but chronic illness saps my strength regularly and i feel like a failure each time i don't power through, or each time i have energy but use it inefficiently. the idea of a universal standard of productivity adds so much pressure but its not about the end result, as you said, its about the unique and personal process doing, and doing in a way that works for you. thats all. thank you for a great vid, elizabeth!
Oh my yes! Thanks for creating and posting this! I find Gary Vee to be motivational BUT the whole "what do you do between 7pm and 2am" thing is ludicrous for many people. As someone with a young family the 7pm-10pm period is still family time, at which point having been awake since 6am I am cream-crackered and ready for sleep by 11pm at the latest. Even if I was to try and soldier on, let's say 10pm-2am, that would passing out into the world of sleep around 2:30am .... to then get up at 7am, just 4.5 hrs later?? For 1-2 days yes, but ongoing no chance, i'd suffer mental collapse after the first week of trying to live on 4.5hrs per night !! This is why the whole "Day in the life of" craze also annoys the hell out of me! Who gets up at 5am, meditates, goes to the gym, drinks a protein shake all before starting work - only to rinse and repeat in the evening?? Not this working Dad, that's for sure! :) Again, thanks for posting.
Heya, thanks for the responses on to the video! Just wanted to clarify a few things, sorry if I've not done a good job explaining:
I didn't pick the boys in the thumbnail because they're the most guilty of what I mentioned - I picked them because they're the most identifiable productivity youtubers, and because I doubt they'd mind being in it.
Also, I've gotten a few comments saying I'm projecting in this video - 100% yes. All of these things are things I've thought, felt and dealt with myself, as is everything on my channel. I'm the first person guilty of feeling these things.
And lastly, it is quite a negative video: that was the point, everything wrong with productivity. I talk a lot about how much I love it in almost every other video, and probably will do in the future ones too - I just wanted to show everything I disagree or that annoys me about it too. Soz for the spam :)
Thx for sharing ur honest opinion
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
I think they will mind and they should mind the point is they have started with nothing and now they reached to a point where they a team to support them,the least you could have done is not to put them in your thumbnail
@@zamrasul2628 i mean it's an effective thumbnail, i wouldn't know what the video is about if she just put some random channel.
love your thumbnail and dramatic intro!
I love you're true to yourself and don't try to change your narrative to please others. You don't deny things that are facts, especially about you, which some people may not like. It's really refreshing to see this attitude to life, and I really admire you for that.
"Productivity makes you respect yourself conditionally" Damn, this cuts to the heart of the issue so clearly. This is an awesome breakdown
We all need to hear this!
But it's normal to be pissed off when things don't go your way and glad when they do. If someone bases self love on something external that's just toxic in itself.
That is indeed a great quote, utterly important.
@Benediktas G.
"It's normal to be pissed off when things don't go your way and glad when they do."
This is just my personal opinion and two cents, but I think maybe we have just grown up in a culture that normalized that mindset.
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I agree that it is totally normal to be disappointed when things don't go your way, and be happy when they do. I think the problem with constantly maximizing productivity however is that it works a lot like an addiction. When you want to do more and more, faster, better, the amount of joy and appreciation you have for each small accomplishment diminishes in return over time. Not to mention, a lot of the disappointment that people feel when they fail to accomplish a task gets directed inwards. Like "What is wrong with me? Why can they do it but I can't?" This, is an unhealthy mindset. It saps your energy and motivation to do anything, it encourages perfectionism and a fear of making mistakes - and mistakes are essential to learning and growing.
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Since we are not emotionless, robotic, perpetually functioning machines living in perfect environments with absolutely no interruptions to our lives, this adherence to constant productivity and constant upward efficiency is not really possible. Life happens. Everyone has something that might stop them from working at 100% or even 20% efficiency. In my view, it's better to be kind to yourself, understand that you are only human, mistakes are inevitable and are totally okay, and that sometimes life is more difficult for you in some ways than it is for others and that may be interrupting some of your progress. Once you acknowledge that and are understanding enough to be patient towards yourself, you become much better at enduring life's hardships. Like she said in the video, you are in a long term relationship with yourself. It's best to be kind to the person you are with for life.
I did something like this with enjoying life. I can only enjoy life and the little moments if I'm being productive. Spent 1.5 years in this horrible place of not being able to be productive and then not being able to feel joy in everyday life because of it.
Now even tho I've become productive ( coz my environment changed) but still whenever I try to live and enjoy the everyday life My brain resists
I feel like productivity youtube is a feel good procrastination method for many people. It is like being constantly in the tutorial hell
They just give you illusion of being productive
@@hughjass1 omfg both of you said really amazing things and it's so trueee
Bingo
This video and comment is what I need to hear. It’s been a rough couple months figuring life out and falling in these rabbit holes get you no where overall. Honestly just stresses you out more. Everyone has their own life and sometimes you just need to realize that what works for you works for you, and just overall be happy in the process.
YES! It's totally a procrastination metod... "I will feel less guilty about procrastinating if I will watch a video on how to procrastinate less" 😜
Most importantly I have seen these productivity youtubers staying "Alone" at their homes. I would like to see how they deal with their family members and productivity together.
such a good point! manny lower income households have limited space and working around that alone can be so hard for young people when it comes to studying, practicing a skill or working. it's so unrealistic to the point where it just makes you feel really bad...
Yess!!!
So much this. Half my time my routine goes haywire because someone in my family interrupts me with a task or needs me.
THIS!!!
this!
I always felt useless for being unable to find a job and work outside my home but recently I've been appreciating the effort and work I do at home which no one does!!! Improving my cooking skill and having this idea in mind "the Society is built on people with different roles and I don't have to be like anyone,I'm gonna live and accept this season of my life"
Thank you for this.
I actually needed this. Thank you.
I love how you describe life as different seasons! that is such a nice mindset :))
Honey, you can’t imagine how I relate to your comment. I am in that phase as well and you just gave me new insight. I’ve been in a depressive mood for the past month , and now , boom, new point of view THANK YOUUUU
Well....i dont have enough words to say how much i relate to this comment... But yeah much needed now i as i was going through anxiety seeing soooo many productive people on youtube telling me how unemployed i am ❤️❤️
After yet ANOTHER episode of burnout, I've found myself feeling borderline allergic to listening to a lot of the productivity gurus and advice I've been obsessed with for ages. The brainwashed part of me feels very guilty for tuning them out and attempting to reconnect with my own natural rhythms, because I've long since stopped trusting that I know what's best for me! This was a much needed perspective, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Just being honest bro..Matt Davella , Gabe Gult..just to mentioned a few..there are very few things I like about them...they can be really toxic at times...to the point where you starting questioning your own thoughts..you compare yourself to them..I completely stopped watching their videos..one day he will be minimalist..next day his opinion is contradicted...you are unique and you will get there..stay away from these toxic gurus..dear friend 😉
wow reconnecting with your natural rhythms sounds so healthy! I too try to figure out my natural rhythms. Good luck!
@@MrCassett I'm more tuned in every day, and yeah, it's awesome... Highly recommend! Thank you, and all the best to you on your journey too!
@@alinameanslight2897 Thank you!
New insight unlocked 💡. "Productivity is not about producing a lot. It is applying your best effort in the areas your value in a way that makes you respect yourself at the end of the day."
I want that on a poster in my flat
I’m a parent of 3, I cook and clean, do the school runs and help with homework…that’s productive right? 😅
You’re right the famous productive UA-camrs are not parents 🤣
That *is* productive. Kudos to you! 👍🏼
That is definitely productive!!
@@mrsBainbridge thank you, trying my best!
@@janhaviramakrishnan8539 thanks! Wish my wife says that too! 😢
I so feel this
You have amazing content! Very well thought out!
OH MY THANK YOU!!!
@@elizabethfilips Thank to you for this amazing explanation
I am a Big fan of your channel. You have an amazing voice.
@@theaverageguy74230:28
2:45 2:45 2:45 2:45
Necessary message. Well said. Productivity isn't a goal, it is a means to a goal. When I watch Ali Abdaal talk about productivity I wonder if he ever goes outside and enjoys fresh air. Thanks for another good video.
Most probably it's his job to make videos on this topic. Sometimes I think are they really follow every rules they talked about!
@@emdadurrahmanjami7706 yeah cause if they do and they are the most productive people in the world why aren't they like elon or mark or bill gates in terms of success or money
I went to school with Ali and I think he really does get outside often. Like, I've seen him post Facebook photos from walking trips he's been on a few times.
I'd love to be able to say 'Well Ali may be good at X but at least I have Y', but he really is preternaturally good at everything he does, and always has been
@@gh0sthussi3n83 I imagine it's just a matter of luck, once you're talking about the differences in the levels of success between very talented people. Like, to become a billionaire you need to be very talented *and* lucky.
Ali is the most productive human being I've ever met, on top of being naturally gifted. I haven't watched his channel so idk if he mentions any of these but at school he was skilled at magic tricks, chess (not enough that I didn't occasionally beat him though), digital art, World of Warcraft and every academic subject, and he put the hours into all of them.
@@meabhmurphy9090 Well, he's not good at all at giving truly good advice based on science and psychology, as all this cult to producitivity is objectively harmful at an individual and collective level. So... he's far from being good at everything. He should make a little more effort informing himself. Or maybe he just doesn't care... as long as he's making the bucks.
Maybe you need a break; Maybe you need to socialize; Maybe you need to help other people or feel valuable in a community or society;
This should go down in the history books of YT productivity videos. All of them singularly focus on individual productivity that we often forget that growth is much more fulfilling and purposeful when done together with the people around us.
Kudos for calling this out!
It's always the same. Trying to squeeze out every last bit out of yourself, a piece of land, a company and so on - the community - humanity - also loses something. Haven't we learnt anything over the last years? Community well being before maximizing productivity or revenue!
How would you help other ppl if you cant help yourself
@@BeanSprouts02 A man is not an island, and it takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes it's easier to do good things for other people than it is to do good things for ourselves for one reason or another.
Not for me, I dont give a damn about other people, I want to improve myself
@@askerzie that’s ok Ivan, you can live an unfulfilling life never caring for others, which will push people further and further away from you.
"Productivity makes you respect yourself conditionally".
I've struggled with this one a lot in the past. It's not easy to break free from it.
I'd argue there's a silver lining to it.
Never feeling good enough and seeking productivity for productivity's sake is where you get miserable.
The key is knowing what level of productivity is sufficient, and _why_ you want to do the task in the first place.
Humans hate stagnation. A very low level of productivity can make a task more exhausting.
So trying out some productivity tweaks can be a good thing: It can take off outside pressure that demands a certain minimum of progress, and give yourself more momentum to get you closer to the sweet spot; ideally a flow state.
Just refrain from making it a competition tied to your self-worth.
Every time when one of my most "productive" friends talks about how they woke up at 6 am to go to the gym for 3 hours and tutored for 2 hours, studied SAT, and advanced math AND hung out with their friends, it makes me feel like if i dont do those things i am the problem for being lazy and unproductive when in fact I do things to help myself. I try to learn more things about mentality and issues like these in the world and learning art. I think the typical sort of "productivity" is different for so many people but it is generalized into this specific lifestyle.
pro tip : when ppl talk about how productive they are, most of them are lying plain and simple
I've never been happier and more comfortable than just working a basic job, hitting the gym in my free time and chill the rest of the time. The job is needed for food and a roof, the gym is needed to keep my body in check due to chronic pain and disability and the rest of the time is consumed by the aforementioned pain. It's a bit empty but it's the best I can do for now. The bit of free time I got enough mental and physical space to hang out, it's usually with family.
Also consider there are different capability to sleep few and learn much. They are doctors ( medical, juridical). Rest 95% of society is not.
Non-creative people can force their productivity onto a schedule. Doesn't work that way for creative work.
I find that I need about 10 hours of sleep for full steam output. Which constantly puts me on some weird ass schedule that either undershoots or overshoots 24 hours.
Which means that if someone forced me onto a normal schedule, I would be less productive. Because I wouldn't get enough sleep.
@@Arkansya not really.
Being productive is neither positive nor negative but at the same, it can either improve your life or make you more anxious and miserable. But it doesn't make you a better or more valuable person. You have every right to spend your evenings watching Netflix and eating nachos and deserve as much respect as a person who learns how to play the piano.
In the end what matters is if you manage to add value to your life and that of people and society around. That you're not just a consumer but also a producer.
@@suyashneelambugg It does matter but you have every right not to do that as well. It does not diminish your intrinsic value as a human. I work hard for myself mainly for selfish reasons. Seriously, there is nothing glorious about it.
Could you tell me why does a person who is probably not doing anything useful in life and is binging Netflix and eating snacks all day deserving of respect. Sure they're not any less as human beings but why do I or anyone else have to give them respect? Why do they deserve respect?
@@dihanmustakeem4089 Firstly, because they are a human being and they do not owe you anything just because they were born into this world. Secondly, because you have no idea why they do what they do. You don't know their life and struggles. Having motivation is, in my opinion, a privilege and a gift.
@@IESWlodarczyk i specifically stated "it doesn't make then any less human" but just as they don't owe me anything, why should anyone owe them respect, that's my question, I obviously don't mean go out of your way to disrespect them but why do I have to respect them?
As a mother if three, student and part of an active muslim community, the way i feel balance and thriving is to live slowly and focus on doing what i have in front of me with love and presence. This keeps me very productive because slow living, focusing on the needs of people around me and my own with love and care, keep me from becoming burnt out and having to escape with screens and eventually wasting so much time.
I love this perspective ☺️
I think that's a great philosophy to have. I hope to be similar when I have a family. Sadly, I've met many people who seem to resent family life and only think about the things they could do if only their kids weren't around - have a better career, go on more holidays, buy nicer things, etc. They spend all that time yearning for an alternate reality that they miss all the great parts of family life. I'll try to remember the phrase "live slowly" for sure!
I have also found some productivity youtubers encouraging less sleep like 4 to 5 hours, they say that you can recover that lost sleep by taking naps. But honestly naps are not a complete replacement to complete, undisturbed 7-8hr sleep. Lack of sleep can increase the chances of health problems in the long term like diabetes, heart related problems, memory loss, decreased concentration, obesity, depression, tiredness, fatigue, etc.
i hate those youtubers who encourage less sleep
Yes, the miracle morning make me wanting to sleep less, it wasn't a good thing :((
Awesome point Lakshya
Actually most of them like Matt D'avela and Ali Abdall talk about Benefits of sleep and how it's important and how you should even get 9 Hours of sleep , but Tbh there's others who do the opposite so I understand
My god, Lakshya. Thank you for bringing this up. I already have persistent insomnia until like 1 to 2 AM because I tend to overthink and overstress about the next day; sometimes even to finish more work or studying. The idea of less sleep makes me feel like I lose the ability to truly let go of my stress and doubts.
Also, not everybody has the time or ability to take naps throughout the day. Right, if you wake up at 4am to hit the gym or do a side hustle before your full time job, you couldn't nap at your job (most places at least) and by the time you get home and eat dinner, it's too late to nap, because you shouldn't nap to close to bed, because that messes up your ability to get to sleep at the time you want
I just love sitting around doing nothing much, maybe listening to music, reading a good book, chatting with friends. I love doing nothing much ... anyone else feel the same?
"Ones trash is another's treasure", totally agree.
@@descendentcross4105 wow, didnt even think this can be applied to this too! thank you!
Same!
I do that and don’t feel good. Meanwhile if I just leave the house and walk around and do literally nothing…I still feel good at the end of the day. Your mileage may vary.
'Chatting with friends ' is actually 'something'. This is you reinforcing your relationships and making them stronger and tougher. Do you know a lot of adults don't even have one friend? Too busy with whatever in life and in the end they are alone.
Wooow. It must have taken a lot of courage to talk about this coz its less talked about but its absolute true Good job
Oh thank you!
@@elizabethfilips you are welcome
Productivity UA-cam definetely worsened my depression when I was a teenager and now, after 4 years of therapy, I finally unlearn to love myself conditionally, as you put it. So thanks for pointing this out!
🤞🥰
I really resonate with being an "abusive parent" to yourself - especially during exam season for me right now, its so easy to push past the feeling of not wanting to work. I have come to realise that breaks and socialising are crucial for getting quality, focused ,work done. Yet another great video btw, keep it up!
I feel like the focus on being as efficient as possible can put so much pressure on people to work ‘perfectly’ all the time, to the point I become so paralysed with anxiety if I’m not doing everything efficiently
This was a great video. Saw it on Nebula and came here specifically to comment. I'm quite vocal about my problems with it but I'm basically a bitter old man and an outsider, so it's valuable coming from someone within the ecosystem. One thing I noticed the other day was a productivity creator giving a tip about how to avoid wasting time and all the comments below were "Guilty!" and I just wondered why you'd want to watch someone who just makes you feel guilty? Agree with your excellent points, and wish you luck incorporating these ideas into your future ✨productivity content✨
how do you feel about the pig amount of "productivity content" on Nebula? Like i love neubula but i realy dont want to deal with the hole topic wenn i am downwinding! also great conet on your side!
THANK YOU for taking the time to comment Rohin! Means the world, mad respect for your channel and work 🙏
Hello Elizabeth, I love your videos and your well-thought analysis of the things you explain. And I was actually waiting for a video like this because I really do believe that striving for more and more comes from unhealthy place. On the same time it's good to improve as a person. It would be great if you could really integrate more of how you create a personal work life balance and being relaxed (so important for our health and so underestimated) in your future videos! 😊
@@dererste2870 good video idea
I love how UA-cam has been giving me productivity videos in my recommendations for a while, mostly without me actively seeking out that kind of content, and now gives me this as if to say "but don't overdo it" :D Also, I do agree with everything you say here. Appreciate your perspective! :)
Thank you!
Ibid!
Love that you called out the "unfair advantages" that aren't apparent in many productivity videos. It's so easy to get caught up comparing ourselves to the point that is detrimental to our mental health. We also need to remember that a high level of productivity is cultivated over time, and we should be mindful of this when we don't meet our own, often unrealistic, expectations. As always, thanks for your bravery and candor :)
Unfair advantages. AKA life.
I've just finished med school (6 years in my country). I fell down the rabbit hole of crazy productivity and optimazing everything when I was struggling to keep up during my first year. And - to be fair, it did help me during that time. In my second year I was almost 'perfect' with time manegament - and I remember almost nothing from that year aside from some really crazy partying at the end - but, yeah, I did have pretty notes, perfect anki decks and pretty good results (still not straight A's though). And then I fell in love during the summer before my third year and it finally hit me I literally can't have a good relationship with scheduling every minute of my life. So slowly I let go of most of my 'perfect' productive habits. I still studied a lot (because well, med school) but I learned that my notes need to help me and not look instagram-ready and take 3 times more to take. There were periods of time when I was less available to my family and friends but also those when I started to say 'yes' to even last-minute things. I really thought about what I want to take away most from my university and I decided it's practical skills and hands-on experience - so I started to assist doctors during some night shifts. I also had to take a part-time job. Surprisingly, despite spending much less time studying my results were still... Fine. Not exceptionally good, but I'd say better than avarage. I know everyone wants to be 'the best' and 'top of the class' but... Well, I think it wouldn't happen to me anyway. And I'd lost so much in other areas of my life trying.
So the point you made aboout crazy productivity being selfish is absolutely true. It's absolutely fine if you want to live alone and focus solely on your progress, but most people have friendships/romantic relationships/kids and then calendars with every minute planned can literally (sorry!) go f**k themselves. It's not going to work.
Great journey! ❤
How did you manage to have a part time job? Is it easy to have one in med school?
"don't believe everything you think". this phrase seems so obvious and cliché, yet I still feel interestingly different every time i say it out loud. the pandemic turned every student into a psychological case lol
She’s too productive with her words. I can’t understand a single thing without giving this video my complete concentration.
I put it on ×.75 playback speed and it helps a lot.
I had to slow the video down a little, it was giving me anxiety 😅
@@marina_souto They try way to hard
I slowed it down. I couldn't keep up. Perhaps that was the point, but...
@@MakeWayForCat nice suggestion~
This was a great vid
You’re so well spoken and able to articulate such important messages in a clear and welcoming way 🙌🏻
Thank you so much!!
My big problem is that I’m ADHD so even the simplest tasks are immensely more overwhelming than they are to a normal person. I try to stay efficient and productive without holding myself to any strict standard or feeling like I have to meet a certain quota.
As a parent struggling to feel productive I feel heard and seen. Thank you!
This is the truest, most honest video about productivity I've watched. The truth about a LOT of those productivity vlogger influencers is that they already had money before they started and so they had cushioning to fall back on if they failed, so they had more freedom to try things in a different way than many of us could afford to, and thus were able to achieve a lot more. It makes a difference.
This video just made me realize something very interesting, I never stopped to take care of myself, and when I do, I get judged, even by myself. Thank you for this video.
Love your second point - productivity culture makes you respect yourself conditionally. Trying to undo this programming in my life right now and was so helpful to hear you put it this way!
It's great to hear you address the issue of toxic productivity! As someone who has had two severe burnouts I hope to help others avoid this fate by having a more holistic and healthy approach to productivity. The online space really needs more voices like this. Thank you for making this video!
Thank you! Hope you've found some balance now too!
@@elizabethfilips It's definitely a work in progress. ;)
I just got into productivity UA-cam because I have ADHD and want to improve my time management and just overall productivity. But it's obvious that we need to take all the tips with a grain of salt - we're all different and can't assume that everything is applicable to everyone. Not all techniques will work for everyone, and for example when watching Ali Abdaal, some tips are very clearly only for people with a lot of money. Some of these creators suggest apps that cost even 30 dollars a month, which just isn't viable for everyone - especially when it's not the only app we need to pay for 😅
Or saving at the expense of others. Basically considering all task is outsourceable to a lower- earner, which you would find and can keep. Like the successful males mostly rely on a successful wife at home managing food dress kids household chores, calendars, investments, letterboxes.
It is quite unrespectful to yourself pay for what a good sposure would do, and also neglecting what people invest time in writing you their opinion.
Same . I m trying to draw the line at listening to advice and letting it pass me by while I find something suitable to me .
I like How to ADHD, it's a channel aimed at those uf us with attention problems. It's very helpful. Productivity video, not so much. Also, remember these 'gurus' may be at the high end of the human spectrum for energy, mental stability, IQ and/or EQ. If that's true, they likely have well off ,emotionally stable families. That's a lot of advantages while they're busy making the rest of us feel inadequate. 🙄
I think it’s ADHD Dave (ironically) that has a really good video on productivity hacks that don’t work for adhd - check it out!
I needed to hear this today to stop comparing myself to others’ impossibly perfect UA-cam lives and successes. So important. Thank you!
Everyone is different and unique in their shortcomings and strengths. I have the same comparison issue but found that trying out their suggestions and sticking to what really works with me is the best thing for me. It can be time consuming and very frustrating but the moment something clicked and caused better results was the greatest thing happening during the lows. I hope this advice helps and wish best of luck for your own journey.
Also, don't copy the suggestions to the exact minute and detail but tailor the best working method(s) for yourself.
I'm usually extremely lazy to press that like button for a video I like. But honestly, this video just forced my impulse to hit like. Such value packed content in a single vid! You're courageous to talk about this.
THANK YOU 🙏
A lot of people needed to hear this. Finally said...this must be understood!
You make some really good points. The way we feel about ourselves should not depend on how much we have done in a day...easier said than done, especially when living in a society that continues to support and reward constant productivity.
I would simply say, aim to do what makes you happy in the moment, if you can do that and earn sufficiently at the same time you are winning.
My mom who is a boomer had to tell me to consider the factors you brought up when I started to beat myself up. I bring up the fact what generation she's from because I think this overexposure to social media has disproportionately informed the younger generations on what life is really like and for people not impacted by it as a way of life they still seem to understand what it is to be an average human just living life. Parenthood, obligations, and resources should be considered in productivity. Thank you
I’m so glad it was you how address this issue. I used to follow all this productivity gurus for more than 10 years until I finally stumbled upon a book In The Flo by Alissa Vitti and understand the way we women function and how our productivity for us is cyclical not lineal as for men. It really helped me to come to a deep forgiveness for myself. And now I feel more energized and productive. Thanks for this video.
Productivity is about balance. The advice shared in these productivity videos are to be applied only with consideration to your own circumstances, things that no UA-camr, and nobody, can know but you. Productivity UA-camrs aren't bad people, productivity isn't bad, but not taking care of yourself or hating yourself is. Balance is key, to good health and a good life.
I like your ending quote: "dont believe everything you think"
Its short, it makes me think and it fits well with your channel
One hundred percent. Productivity advice is so prescriptive and one-size-fits all! We don't all operate on the same energy system or schedule. Some people get done in three hours what takes others eight then need more rest (especially Projectors). Some people do well fasting in the morning or getting up early to work out, and this is depleting for others. 2:00 Listen to your body, just like you said. Good video Elizabeth!
Holyyyyy smokes this thumbnail!!! Whoa, you are nailing it!
But where is her ladder ?
OH THANK YOUUU
@@elizabethfilips yeah but where is your ladder ?
@@rayansyed1714 still moving it around, haven't decided yet
@@elizabethfilips yaay !
Really , really Important topics that are 99% on the time omitted. Especially the pieces around disability & understanding we all have different starting points. Nicely done !!
Thank you Yvette!
Lol I love the first time stamp “Elizabeth’s dramatic intro” 😂
This was sorely needed! And as always, well said. The bottom line, I feel, is the inequity that is often overlooked.
Productivity is SO circumstantial and subjective.
Shocking thumbnail and title with a warm and intelligent message! You're the emotional intelligence messenger needed in this realm of productivity. Thank you Liz, you are super inspiring!
OH my, thank you Linda!
you mean clickbait
This is why balance is really important. You get too much pressure from the online community that you tend to forget that you also need to take care of yourself. Self-worth is paramount.
“You don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Have a good day, cheering you.
I just discovered your channel from your "Habits aren't for Everyone" video. It was very helpful to me. Even though I'm almost 50, I've spent most of my life feeling bad for not doing things the way others do. Now, after recovering from an eating disorder and healing from an abusive marriage I know that productivity isn't important to life, experiences are. Your future self will thank you for eschewing productivity BS. No one dies wishing they were more productive. I have a friend whose a hospice nurse who tells me most people regret not spending time with loved ones, or doing things they were afraid of. Sorry for long comment, but I just wanted to say you're on the right track. ❤️
Your editing is sick! - All this is so true, so many times productivity has turned into my worst enemy. Great Video
Thank you Darrell!!! 🙏
Productivity makes yourself selfish. - - I was blind to this one when I was at the height of my career / college life. Now after burnout and enjoying lazying around and giving time to myself, I realized I was selfish. There's a good thing being lazy.
Productivity is about making the most of each moment, and to be happy about it. If you’re not happy with it, that’s probably not the perfect definition of productivity(although Pain is essential for a lot of stuff)
just saw a clip of you with Ali Abdaal. I cannot express how happy I was to see you express your honest opinion with him. Although he was extremely rude and obviously blinded by his parents sliver spoon that he keeps in his pocket, you were real. Respect.
I am single, have a full time job, a mental disability and a heavy part time study schedule (carrying 7 credits every semester). None of these videos speak directly to my situation because there is so much unsaid. They really give a distorted picture of what "everyone SHOULD be doing". I'm tired of it. Thanks for this video. You've just earned a new subscriber!
You make some very valid points. Especially with ‘productivity videos’ not really representing real life for someone with a 9-5 job, or someone with kids, etc. I tried finding (morning) routine videos that start at a reasonable time (not 4-5am) and includes things like school or work. Those are very hard to find 🫤
However! Most productivity youtubers I’ve come across always state that the tips they give are working for /them/ that they might not work for someone with another schedule or lifestyle. At the end of the day the responsibility of how you approach these videos and the advice in them still lays with the viewer. If you find that a certain routine is not working for you or if things seem unrealistic then you can just close the video. Experiment and work out what works for you personally. Take some tips and ditch others.
Like, I’m NOT a morning person, so I know that I don’t need to beat myself up over not having a 5am morning routine. I know that that just won’t work for me, no matter how hard I try. But there are other things in a morning routine people show you that I might try out. And if it doesn’t work, let’s move on to the next experiment.
I slipped into productivity UA-cam looking for Notion tutorials, and I felt that many of the templates or solutions are far more than what I need and want right now. While I will take their knowledge and "pro tips" on how to create the Notion solutions that I want, I'm deliberately leaving out half of the advanced stuff that have to do with time and deadlines.
So this video is kind of a validation that the bits and pieces I'm taking (and the ones I'm not) to make what I want for today, is the proper direction towards self-respect/self-love and a healthy balance. Thank you.
with every video I appreciate you more. the part about respecting yourself conditionally? Hit me in the chest. Thank you for shining a light on this
After a long struggle with youtube productivity videos, I've come to many of these same conclusions. Thanks for publishing this perspective-- it's an important message.
Thank you for voicing this! I did go down the productivity rabbit hole a little bit and then I realized that I actually sympathise more with aspects of slow living (esp. thanks to The Cottage Fairy). The pressure to be productive really puts value on what we do/make/contribute rather than how we do things, who we are, how we think etc. This shift of perspective was the biggest step in helping myself feel happier in the long term.
This video immensely reduces my self hate, love this! ❤
Dito :)
You are one of the best youtubers I have ever seen. Thankyou for being so truthful and raw because literally no one seems to understand that everyone is different and everyone's is trying to spew the same generic garbage in the name of productivity. Thank you so much Lizzy!!! 💝
While I completely get what you're trying to say and agree, I still find it quite unfair to some youtubers. For example, the only productivity youtuber I ever watched was Thomas Frank. He helped me in high school and in college. Currently I am close to completing my Bachelor's and I can safely say he had a big part in my achieving this. What I want to say is, I didn't learn only how to "study" or "be productive" on his channel. I learned how to take it easy, enjoy my hobbies, I saw with what passion he liked things he talked about, and that his relationships were healthy. He didn't succeed because he was talking about productivity, although that was most certainly a part of it. He succeeded because he helped young people like me, because he had genuine passions in life and he strived to achieve them, but he also knew when to stop with this "hustle" and just enjoy life. And I am ever grateful to that man for everything he unknowingly did for me. That's why I find this unfair.
Came from Ali QnA session with you but subscribing to you cause you are so down to earth. It's honestly very refreshing to see a UA-cam video being realistic and pointing out some of us have kids, families to tend to etc. Its unrealistic to be full productivity without having a family or team to support you or having some financial support when you are in the early stages of your adult life.. I followed your former boss (Ali) for maybe 2 or 3 years but he feels so unrelatable. You fill that gap.
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Being hyper productive all the time doesn't come naturally to me, I like to just wander about and not do much at all on a lot of days, but forcing myself to be productive always left a bad impression on my mind, and after every few months I used to just burn out, both physically and mentally.
I couldn't agree more!
I greatly appreciate productivity YT as it gave me a way to implement keeping a well-kept home and lifestyle on my own. The bigger struggle was pulling my head out of my shell and noticing how much I missed with all the time and energy I spent on myself, that's still a daily struggle
Its Just same as Watching yt videos on 1.5 speed may make you productive but reading or listening to books or podcast at high speed may make you feel that you have done reading a book but actually you only end up getting the book done but not getting the full knowledge of the book
Listening to most UA-camrs speak at even 1.5 speed is too much for me. I don't like it. Audiobooks are a little different, because I think the pacing is a little slower, but it would still depend on the individual narrator for me
Great video! Interesting that you work with Ali and have this attitude… I’m on your side with this way of thinking, feeling like you always have to be doing something, has been crippling for me. Being my okay with just being, has been far healthier.
I check up my playback speed and it's normal😭
samee
Same, I thought I had it on 2x speed
All of this!!! You've done a fabulous job at explaining the darker side of productivity, don't get me wrong, I love being productive and getting shit done, but it can be taken too far and can do real damage to yourself, your friendships, and relationships. Thanks for the realness!
Remember that the most important relationship in a person's life is their relationship with themselves💘
ive just arrived here from your previous employer with the opinion that he just makes money by telling other people he makes money while taking their money and provides a false sense he is providing a service where other can replicate him. this is exactly the video i needed to stumble across afterwards to feel im not going crazy.
Love it. YT needs more vids like this, they keep bottom G’s in their place and happy about it
😂😂 fr
Also their definition of productivity is so limited because there is so much more to being productive than working like a robot. Cleaning your room is productive, taking care of personal hygiene is productive, taking care of others is productive….
Like for them productivity is just school or paper work or making money or being disciplined and making sure you have a picture perfect routine, etc.
It also doesn’t account for change, and the things in your life that may happen that could disrupt whatever routines or things you’re already used to doing…..
So while productivity youtube can be good to a certain extent, but it’s also very closed off and narrow in soooo many ways. Nobody has the energy to do the same thing for the rest of their lives.
ok that intro was a whole CINEMATIC experience
The amount of peace, calmness and self content your videos have given me since I discovered your channel recently is extraordinary. Thank you so much for putting all your thoughts and experiences out here! ❤
anyone think she made this playback at 2x speed so that when Ali watches it at 2x, he has to slow it down and pay attention?
🤣🤣
I actually ended up verifying my playback speed settings, and then I was stumped! 🤣
@@KaushikNSanji me too 😂 had to use 0.75x not sure if ali can still focus at 2.00x with this one 😅
Lol yeah, I played it at .75 speed and it sounded much better
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is the best video i came across in youtube in months. I had this insight on productivity for a long time. But again I thought i was justifying my lazyness by having such thought. Never thought I would see someone talk about it that too in such organized manner. It summed up the topic so well and brought up almost all the exact point.
I have multiple disabilities including ADHD, which naturally means that focusing too much on productivity is very toxic for me. My therapist is helping me work on balancing my need to do things with realism and self acceptance. I hated myself when I was feeling unproductive...which is extra messed up because I wasn't able to be productive thanks to the state of my conditions at the time. Thank you for bringing this up!
"Don`t believe everything you think." That`s the best closing advice I`ve heard on a UA-cam video
I don’t want to be an entrepreneur. I want to clock in do a job I like and have no problems with anyone.
This is hugely valuable advice for those attempting to be more 'productive' in any aspect of their lives. Without these underlying understandings, particularly about the mental implications of trying to strive for better, we can find ourselves in a very unhealthy place. Love this!
A small change which these youtubers should do in their Productivity videos is to add the work of all their teamates working behind the scenes and getting things done and also to mention the payment of their team in getting the job done !!
This would give the proper workflow of that youtuber
Ali Abdaal sortoff did that recently in a video of his.
@@advait35 Credits need to run for every video.
Elizabeth, I’m soo glad I found your channel.. the way you work, what your think about sleep, being a night owl and not feeling the need to shift it because everyone else says so, all of the issues you mentioned in this video about productivity, and what you spoke about in another about how you focus on skill based results instead of object based results and that everything is building to become YOU rather than becoming these “things” or “identifiers” to label yourself..
It’s all exactly how it felt for a long time but never heard anyone else talk about it so I felt lost and alone.. I never knew how to articulate it.. and my self worth was somewhat shattered because I would constantly be striving to follow all these “gurus” online and never manage to achieve what they achieved, or even follow them longterm because I’d end up quitting because their focus is always on success goals and achievements (object based results) rather than the skill building aspect of it all.
So just wanted to say THANK YOU SOO F*CKING MUCH Elizabeth for being you and for having the courage to share your perspective because it’s exactly what’s I’ve needed to hear for SOO LONG.. Thank you for your voice and thought, and for helping me reframe all of this into what actually makes sense for me and resonates/aligns with me.
Peach, love, and all the rest.. have a great day.. really appreciate you.. and keep doing what you’re doing 😁✌️
I completely agree with all your points! I love watching productivity content, but at the same time there are definitely some unhealthy mindsets and views about how things should be done in order to be considered "productive" and discussing these points helps everyone be more realistic with themselves. So thank you for talking about it!
Thanks for the comment!!
“Productivity makes you respect yourself conditionally.” OOOOOOOOOOOF I felt that in my core.
Found this at a perfect time, I am unlearning toxic productivity right now
'The further you go down the rabbit hole, the less innocent things become...' wow, that's so well put
People becoming "successful" by making how to improve productivity/focus/attention/success was sickening for me, nice to hear I wasn't the only one. I think the best tips for improving come from people that had success on the area you want success, and not from people who became successful by taking advantage of people's need and sometimes desperation to improve themselves.
Also productivity is mostly measured in zero-sum-games. That is practically you rob friends and relatives for your OWN success. Whic is a short-term thinking.
This is one of the best thumbnails I've seen from any channel this month! Killer work!
Wow finally someone having issues with productivity the goal is get the thing done ✅
Bruh,....BRUH....
You've just explained the issues I have with this space so much better than I could've ever that it blew my mind. This may be what I needed to finally start being happy with myself again
procrastinating or not studying enough ruins my life so much that I'd rather be brainwashed and productive than to take care of myself RN and be stressed when I don't get the results I wanted
Your point about it being selfish is so damn true. Felt that one
this is absolutely amazing. im a person with a very strong work ethic but chronic illness saps my strength regularly and i feel like a failure each time i don't power through, or each time i have energy but use it inefficiently. the idea of a universal standard of productivity adds so much pressure but its not about the end result, as you said, its about the unique and personal process doing, and doing in a way that works for you. thats all. thank you for a great vid, elizabeth!
Oh my yes! Thanks for creating and posting this! I find Gary Vee to be motivational BUT the whole "what do you do between 7pm and 2am" thing is ludicrous for many people. As someone with a young family the 7pm-10pm period is still family time, at which point having been awake since 6am I am cream-crackered and ready for sleep by 11pm at the latest. Even if I was to try and soldier on, let's say 10pm-2am, that would passing out into the world of sleep around 2:30am .... to then get up at 7am, just 4.5 hrs later?? For 1-2 days yes, but ongoing no chance, i'd suffer mental collapse after the first week of trying to live on 4.5hrs per night !! This is why the whole "Day in the life of" craze also annoys the hell out of me! Who gets up at 5am, meditates, goes to the gym, drinks a protein shake all before starting work - only to rinse and repeat in the evening?? Not this working Dad, that's for sure! :) Again, thanks for posting.
As someone with a few friends for whom productivity videos are helping them drown in their own insecurities, thank you for this, I'll share it widely.