Does productivity make us busier?

No matter how hard I work, I seem to be drowning in tasks. For every one that I cross off my list, two more take its place.

I might be more productive now than I’ve ever been. I am getting far more done and usually in much faster. But I seem to have less free time.

As someone who values free time, the goal of productivity is to reduce time spent on work. The more productive I get, the more I take on.

It’s not just me. I see it everywhere. We exist in a world with incredible convenience, yet we’re more rushed than ever.

We congratulate ourselves when we sit and meditate for 20 minutes, or read a book on our lunch break. As if that minuscule fraction of our day is truly meaningful “me time.”

But it’s often the only downtime we ever get.

If your goal of productivity is to find more time for yourself, stop losing that time to more work.