The Myth of Productivity
There’s this lie we’ve all agreed to tell ourselves: that productivity equals worth. That if you can cross off every item on your to-do list, you somehow become more valid, more successful, more human. Spoiler alert: that’s garbage. Productivity is a moving finish line; the closer you get, the further it runs. And for those of us who live with ADHD, anxiety, or just a regular case of being human, chasing that finish line can feel like running a marathon on a treadmill. Exhausting, and you never actually get anywhere.
As someone whose ADHD has been in 4K lately, I really have come to abhor to-do lists. Because it’s a reminder of things I still need to do and a running tab on things I haven’t done. When that list gets longer, my AD4K Paralysis has a stronger hold. For a while I used to-do lists to point me in the right direction of my tasks for a single day. But here’s something the lists don’t tell you; when you start your day with a to-do list, something always happens. Tasks get added. Tasks you probably didn’t sign up for. So you have three options:
Add it to your “To-Do List” and go on about your damn day.
Don’t add it to your “To-Do List” and say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Tomorrow. Aka, the mythical land where I suddenly become organized.
Don’t add it to your “To-Do List” and do it anyway as an adhoc item.
The thing that becomes tricky with to-do lists is triggering your ADHD Paralysis. Becoming overwhelmed too quickly.
What works best for me, although let’s be honest here, it’s hit or miss, is breaking up the tasks into manageable chunks. Not looking at it as a whole, because that’s overwhelming, but in fragments. Managing your time is also good. But let’s again be honest here. Time to AD4K people is really more of a suggestion. Not based on the reality of how our brains work. But if you’re able to set timers for yourself for a specific task, do it. It can work, but it’s definitely not easy.
At the end of the day, productivity is never going to be the thing that proves my (or your) worth. My to-do list doesn’t get to define whether I’m lovable, successful, or enough. Sometimes I’ll crush the list, sometimes I’ll lose the list, and sometimes the list will just laugh at me from across the room. That’s fine. Because the real myth isn’t that I’m behind, it’s that anyone is ever fully “caught up.” We’re all just figuring it out, one unfinished list at a time.
© Dereck Pritchard, 2025. All Rights Reserved.
