Stop Measuring Productivity by Someone Else’s Checklist
Redefining what it means to do meaningful work in tech
There is a quiet pressure many people in tech feel but rarely speak about. It shows up in sprint meetings. In check-ins. In messages that come at odd hours. You feel it when you do real work putting out fires, helping teammates, fixing things that affect users but still get told you are behind. Why? Because your tickets are still open. The ones that were assigned to you at the start of the week.
This is not a complaint. It is a pattern worth pausing for. A pattern where impact is overlooked in favor of output. Where real contribution is hidden behind clean dashboards and tidy boards. And it is one many of us know far too well.
The question we rarely get to ask is: Who gets to decide what being productive looks like?
In an industry full of tools, hacks, and systems meant to make you go faster, the idea of slowing down to think deeply is seen as inefficient. But maybe that is the real work. Maybe productivity is not about doing more things. Maybe it is about doing the right things in the right moment with your full attention and then stepping away when your body or mind needs rest.
Because the truth is, tech is not short on people who can work hard. It is short on people who are allowed to work well.
Productivity Cannot Be One Size Fits All
There is no secret formula that fits every engineer, designer, writer, or product thinker. What works for one person might burn out another. A new plugin or planner will not fix the deeper issue if you are constantly being pulled in five directions and made to feel that you should be able to handle all of it without pause.
The most powerful shift is often not in your calendar but in your mindset.
When you stop trying to prove your worth by ticking boxes, you start making room for real clarity. You begin to ask better questions. What am I actually trying to build here? Who am I helping? Is this task urgent, or just loud?
Over time, these questions lead to better work. Work that comes from a place of intention, not panic. That builds something lasting, not just something that looks impressive for a week.
Designing Your Days, Not Just Surviving Them
Real freedom in tech does not always look like quitting your job or launching a startup. Sometimes, it looks like reclaiming the first 20 minutes of your morning. Or deciding to walk between meetings. Or stepping away from your screen without guilt.
Some people start their days with code. Others start with silence. There is no rulebook, and that is the point.
You are not a machine. You do not run on default. And you should not be expected to.
Every person deserves the space to align their energy with their work in a way that brings out the best in them. That is not selfish. That is sustainability.
Evenings Are Part of the Equation
What happens after work is not separate from your productivity. It is the soil your next day grows from.
The best engineers are not necessarily the ones who work the longest hours. They are the ones who have enough clarity to see problems before they happen. That clarity often comes from quiet. From presence. From giving your brain the space to rest and reconnect with things that remind you of who you are outside of your job.
Whether that is a walk, a conversation, music, or simply doing nothing for a bit, this space is not a luxury. It is essential.
Weekends Are Not Bonus Workdays
You do not need to earn your time off. It is already yours.
Too many of us treat weekends like a backup plan. A place to squeeze in all the tasks that did not get done. But when your off days become second shifts, your mind never truly resets. You return tired, resentful, and unsure of what went wrong.
True restoration does not always mean a vacation or a spa day. Sometimes, it just means letting yourself be. Spending time with people who do not ask what you shipped this week. Touching grass. Reading slowly. Laughing at a show with no educational value whatsoever.
These small moments make a big difference in the long run. They give you back a sense of ownership over your life.
It Is Not About Doing Less. It Is About Living More
The goal is not to abandon structure or systems. It is to stop treating them as a substitute for care. You do not need to be endlessly optimized. You need to be fully present. That presence is what allows your work to mean something not just to your manager, but to you.
Productivity is not about proving that you can keep up with everyone else. It is about discovering how to work in a way that supports your health, your growth, and your joy.
You are not behind. You are human. And you get to define what a good day looks like.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” - Carl Gustav Jung