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By Rafidah Aziz

Everyone has a yearning to do something meaningful, productive and gain accomplishments in their life. For instance, workplace burnout has been a common occupational phenomenon all around the world including Malaysia. To achieve success in their businesses or careers, some bosses or employees tend to burn the midnight oil and find it extremely difficult to have a balance between their professional and personal lives.   

We are encountering toxic productivity when we are obsessed with constantly doing something or being on the go. When we are always yearning to be doing something to the point of not having sufficient sleep and rest, or even neglecting meals, personal responsibilities and even not communicating with our loved ones, we would jeopardise our health and relationships. 

Being productive is good but there should always be a boundary as humans would require their basic needs for survival such as having meals and a good sleep for survival. When we have sufficient rest, we would be able to continue with our endeavours and we would be able to accomplish more than what we intended to.

A person who is experiencing toxic productivity would worry if he or she goes to bed at night, someone else would be working harder and be more successful. However, a good night’s sleep is always vital if we want to be able to perform well at work or in our exams during the day. A person who lacks sleep would eventually fall sick and miss out on more opportunities that come by. 

In order to break out of the cycle of toxic productivity, it’s best to establish work-life balance whenever we can and understand the importance of self-care. It is also good to take time off from work after you meet all your deadlines and finish off pending work. For students, it is best to take a short break in between revisions to avoid experiencing academic burnout. 

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher