I’ve been thinking about shame and its connection to productivity, and I believe there is a link.
When we performs a shameful action, the feeling of shame unsettles us. At this point, we might start doing something productive to feel better about our shame.
If the action that caused the shame becomes a habit,then each shameful event can be followed by a productive period.
Take doom-scrolling on Instagram as an example. We plan to spend 5 minutes but end up chasing one reel after another for 2 hours. Then the shame kicks in, and we feel like we have to do something to compensate for the wasted time, like focusing on a project that has been postponed for a while.
Then, the feeling of satisfaction comes, and a cycle is formed. Addictive social media use, which has its own cycle, creates shame. Shame acts as an itch that drives us to work harder. The itch is scratched, and our satisfaction with our productivity reinforces this pattern, possibly continuing for a long time—maybe even a lifetime.
I haven’t done any research on this, but my hunch is that too many people rely on this method to get things done. What’s the problem, then? The problem is that the undesirable habit remains undesirable but gets credit for something it doesn’t deserve. We don’t need to waste time and energy doing something unhealthy in order to be productive. In both the short and long term, the undesirable behavior hinders our progress. Unconsciously, we credit it for what we’ve accomplished, while consciously blaming the habit for the work we didn’t do.
While I mentioned doom-scrolling, this pattern can be found with many other unhealthy behaviors, especially if the habit excites our nervous system or gives us a boost.
I think one thing we can do when we find ourselves trapped in this loop is to remember that doing nothing is actually hard. If we don’t engage in wasteful behaviors, the remaining time can be used for what we truly want to do. Again, it’s hard to do nothing—if in doubt, try mindfulness meditation.