8 Principles of Sustainable Productivity for Long-Term Wellbeing
Think of the most "productive" day you had last week.
When did you start your day?
When did you finish?
Did you have time to exercise and relax?
How did you feel at the end of it?
...Could you keep it up for the rest of your working life?
If you're American, your working lifespan is around 50 years (and yep, if you were wondering, that's the longest of any wealthy nation).¹ For reference, other nations set a target working lifespan between 30-45 years.
While few people expect everyday to be their "most" productive day ever, the constant workplace pressure to perform, produce, and stay ahead of accelerating trends acts as a default setting, pushing employees to overwork.
When workplace leaders internalize this pressure by embedding it in corporate value systems, the result is a toxic culture of productivity that normalizes burnout and churns through exhausted workers.
So what can you do?
Instead of aiming to make everyday your most "productive" day ever, aim for more sustainable productivity. In this article, explore the foundational principles of productivity without burnout (yes, it's possible).
What Is Sustainable Productivity?
Sustainable productivity is essentially the antidote to toxic productivity.
Instead of maximizing output at all costs for immediate profit, sustainable productivity optimizes the resources available to workers for long-term fulfillment.
In a corporate context, the argument for sustainable productivity is often justified by the high cost companies pay for employee turnover; with this reasoning, sustainable productivity is the solution to the inefficiencies of toxic productivity.
This article focuses on sustainable productivity from the perspective of workers, rather than companies. Because the discussion of sustainable productivity is dominated by the perspective of companies, it's important to recognize the areas where human needs are overlooked, undermined or simply un-acknowledged in the discussion of improving productivity.
Use the tips below to identify dynamics of toxic productivity in your workplace, outline the path to more human-centered, sustainable productivity, and guide you toward setting boundaries at work in order to protect your wellbeing.
9 Tips for More Sustainable Productivity
1. Consider health your new #1 non-negotiable.
Prioritizing your health - both mental and physical - is the foundation for sustainable productivity. How often do you clock in longer hours, skip that walk because you feel guilty taking a break, or push through illness in order to meet expectations at work? While these decisions may seem insignificant in the moment, over time, they reinforce the habit of consistently prioritizing the demands of work above all else. To improve your ability to manage stress both on the job and (especially) outside of work, you need to flip this script. Prioritize your mental health, physical health, and social wellbeing - and don't negotiate these terms with your boss, if possible. The shift here is to recognize that productivity is only possible if you're healthy; caring for yourself is necessary to keep the gears running, not a luxury or leisure-time activity.
2. Set more realistic goals.
Are your goals at work a help - or a hindrance? While goal-setting has great benefits for your focus and overall sense of purpose, your success all depends on how achievable your goals are. People often confuse the idea of setting "realistic goals" as some kind of cop-out; if you're not pushing yourself, are you really trying your best? The truth is no - and you shouldn't strive to try your best everyday. If you do, you're probably all too familiar with burnout. Setting more realistic goals is about breaking down your big dreams into achievable steps that you can take everyday. This practice encourages you to work at a sustainable pace and make continuous progress, while leaving time to re-evaluate your plans if need be.
3. Plan different types of activity, challenge, and rest into your day.
If you're coming straight home from work and crashing on the sofa, you probably know how exhausting the daily grind can be. The strange thing is that this is a totally normal response to sitting all day. Why? Well, monotony has a strange way of draining your energy. Most people know that exercise - even just 20 minutes of walking - boosts energy, improves cognitive functioning, and reduces stress.² But similar "feel-good" benefits come from socializing with others, having new experiences, and focusing deeply, and un-interrupted on a task for a period of time. Mix up your daily work routine with different types of rest (like reading, napping, or quiet time), mundane tasks like checking emails, meetings and social activities, and tasks that challenge your intellect to keep your day feeling balanced and engaging.
4. Connect to the “why” behind your work.
If you find yourself asking "why am I even doing this?" on a regular basis at work, it might be time to reflect on the purpose of your work. Understanding "the big why" behind even the most mundane daily tasks on your to-do list can boost your motivation, and totally transform your approach to getting things done. When you acknowledge the "why" behind your work, you can shift your focus from just getting through the day to how completing certain tasks supports your long-term goals. This reflection process tends to be easier if you're aware of your own values and any areas where your role at work conflicts with your value system. Taking the time to reflect on yourself will enable you to find a professional role and working environment that supports your growth over time. What's more sustainable than that?
5. Organize projects around productivity cycles.
Nobody is at 100% productive capacity all of the time. At some point, everyone needs to sleep, eat, rest, and move. The body has a natural energy curve throughout the day - and some bodies experience monthly variations in peak energy, and, depending on where you live, even seasonal ups and downs. Embracing the concept that your productivity varies organically over time according to nature can free you from the (false) idea that everyday, in theory, can be your most productive day yet. If you can, try working in productivity cycles that vary in length (for example, scheduling some tasks for bi-weekly review rather than daily updates) and create more space in your schedule to gear up and down depending on how you feel. Working with your productivity cycles is a form of energy management; a planning technique that encourages you to adapt activities to your energetic resources rather than sticking rigidly to the clock.
6. Learn to recognize the warning signs of burnout.
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is an occupational hazard caused by chronic stress.³ In 2022, 59% of US workers reported experiencing burnout.⁴ If your working lifespan is 50 years, the chances are pretty good that you'll burn out at some point - or work with someone who does.
For this reason, it's essential to know the warning signs of burnout and take steps for prevention before it's too late.
Burnout is characterized by:
Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of cynicism related to one's job
Reduced professional efficacy
Don't ignore the red flags of burnout culture, and take proactive steps to address these symptoms during the honeymoon phase.
7. Schedule flexibility into your daily routine.
Life is unpredictable. Even with extensive preparation, change can throw you off-balance and out of focus if you're the kind of person who panics when things don't go according to plan. Besides creating a bullet-proof crisis plan to take the guesswork out of what to do when things really go wrong, it's a great idea to integrate flexibility into your daily routine to respond to changes in your priorities as they arise. Planning even just a little flexibility into your daily work routine can help you focus on responding to change in your working environment, rather than reacting from a place of rigidity, fear, or habit. Here are a few examples that you can try:
Maybe you take the bus to work, but are within walking distance. When the sun shines, why not start the day with a walk?
If you typically spend an hour responding to emails every morning, but clear out your inbox in 10 minutes - set the remaining time aside for something that you love to work on but rarely have time.
Or maybe, you work from home two days per week but don't really take advantage of the flexibility that working from home offers. Maybe suggest co-working with a friend one of those days to mix things up.
8. Continuously prioritize (and re-prioritize) your tasks.
If change is the only constant, then your priorities should adapt! There are several prioritization methods out there to help you identify which tasks are most important. In terms of maintaining productivity over time, though, prioritization isn't something you do once and move on. Regularly monitor and re-adjust your priorities to reflect your circumstances; once a week or once a month, at least. And as for choosing a prioritization method? A good rule of thumb is that if your most limited resource changes - time, money, or energy - it's a good time to review your prioritization system and make sure it's meeting your new needs. Continuously checking in with your priorities (and systems) ensures that you're always working on the tasks that return the resource that you need most, so you're not overwhelmed by responsibilities that drain you in the long-run.
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1. Council, National Research. Aging and the Macroeconomy. National Academies Press eBooks, 2012. https://doi.org/10.17226/13465.
2. “Walking: Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health,” Mayo Clinic, March 12, 2024, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261.
3. World Health Organization: WHO. “Burn-out an ‘Occupational Phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases,” May 28, 2019. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.
4. Workforce.com. “Workforce Management Software News, Blog, and Resources,” n.d. https://workforce.com/news/statistics-on-employee-burnout.