How To Feel Productive And Fulfilled Without Sacrificing Wellbeing

Have you been feeling stretched to the point of breaking at work? It’s not just that the pace of work is quickening, but we’re also being asked to increase our learning, take more initiative, have greater accountability in decision-making, and be more self-directed. This combination of job demands is known as work intensification.

Increased Workload And Complexity

Work intensification has two components. The quantitative aspect has to do with the increased pace of work and a heavier workload, or being asked to do more in less time. Work days have become more compressed and less porous than they once were. For example, what was once considered a task for the whole week is not expected to be done in four days. Now add a higher word count and less administrative support to really feel the intensification.

The qualitative side of work intensification encompasses greater mental or emotional complexity in day-to-day work. Imagine that you used to create the content for social media and event invitations. Now you may also be asked to learn how to design these and decide who to invite and how to maximize your reach.

Combine these two forms, and we’re being pulled both vertically and horizontally at the same time.

Reasons For The Intensification of Work

According to an article published in 2023 in the journal Work & Stress, Saija Mauno and colleagues explain the intensification we are experiencing is a function of the rapid technological acceleration in modern society. Our reliance on digital technologies is steadily increasing. Adoption of new digital technologies at work was thrust on many of us during the pandemic, as we adapted to working from home during COVID-19 lockdowns.

We quickly moved to video conferencing, screen sharing, and collaborating with colleagues on digital platforms, like Slack or Teams. Now we’re experiencing the rise of generative AI with AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude helping us to produce more content, more quickly.

With this constant urgency for more, we often feel that we need to be reachable at all times. For those of who work from home, we may feel that we’ve lost the sanctuary that home provided as somewhere separate from work.

How To Protect Your Wellbeing

You can limit the impact of work intensification on your wellbeing and push back against unsustainable work patterns.

Communicate What You Are Able And Willing To Give

How many times do you start an email with: “sorry for the delay” or “apologies for missing your email”? Instead of expressing regret, consider being more forthright about what people can expect from you. Consider a clear expectation-setter in your email signature. A note in your signature can encourage mutual respect and highlight differences in people’s working hours:

“My workday may look different from your workday. Please do not feel obligated to respond outside of your normal working hours.”

Another option is to set your own boundaries by specifying the days of the week you will be working and the time frame it takes you to respond to emails. For instance, “My work days are Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will aim to respond to your email in 3 business days”.

For more firm boundary setting, try a calm inbox and alert others that you will not be compulsively checking emails at all times. Consider setting up an autoreply with:

“Please note that this inbox is a CALM inbox and is only checked once in the AM and once in the PM. I will do my best to respond to your message within 24-48 hours unless it’s the weekend, then you can expect to hear from me on Monday.”

For something more on the cheeky side, you might like: “Replies may be slower than molasses this month. For quicker results, try yelling really loud at your screen”.

Protect What’s Important

Instead of constantly switching from one task to another, focus on one project to prioritize for a day, a week, or a month if that’s how long it will take to complete. Block and reserve time for that priority and shut off distractions. This doesn’t mean you neglect all other tasks. But it does require you to ignore everything else during the time you have blocked and designated for your priority.

First, determine the time of the day that you often feel focused and when you are most productive and motivated. For me, it’s the first two hours of my day. Once you have blocked those hours in your work calendar, turn off your email notifications, set your phone aside or even in another room, and prioritize. If needed, you can turn on an autoreply or change your status to unavailable; you can give advanced notice to your team members to let them know not to expect immediate answers during your blocked time.

Emails will keep. Admin will take up as much time as you let it. These time gobblers often make you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything all day, whereas dedicating time to your priority will help you to feel satisfied, productive, and fulfilled.

Under Your Control

Technology can help us to be more efficient, but digital technologies also drive the pace up. Expecting workers to continuously work more productively and more efficiently has its limits. We can only do so much, even if we work around the clock.

The speed and urgency of expectations at work are unlikely to decelerate, based on the current trajectory. The pace continues to build exponentially (or so it feels). We may not have control over what is asked of us, but we can exert control over what we are willing to accept and to suggest how we might more realistically deliver what we can.