Not being productive enough

[vergil96]

I don't know whether I'm doing it wrong or if it is supposed to be this way. I feel like I'm so unproductive and it takes so much time to feed myself, do hygene, wind down before sleep, go on walks (I won't fall asleep otherwise). Take breaks. It feels like other people are so resilient and they can "just push through" different needs, won't stop being focused if they forget to eat or take a break or don't get enough sleep, don't get any movement. I'm very effective in the short periods of time that I'm productive, I can do hard things that pay off, but I'm not productive 8 hours a day, maybe more like 5 or 6 max. Maybe I'm wrong about how productive other people are? At this point I feel like I have health issues and havr to take care of myself a lot. It takes so much time and effort. I feel like my body is too sensitive, I don't know if objectively, but too sensitive for today's culture or maybe for my age.

So my question is if maybe I'm wrong and nobody is as productive as I think? Or if not, how do you cope with feeling like your health is worse than others and you can't live your life as fully as others do?

 

[Outdated]

I was highly productive as a young man, very active, never needed more than 6 hours sleep a night, worked 12 to 16 hours a day and still had a busy social life.

Then something in my head broke and I can't do that any more. Burnt myself out trying.

 

[vergil96]

I need 9 hours of sleep and at least an hour to wind down in the evening. I usually take up to 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Add all the breaks, at least half an hour walk, having to clean and prepare meals, do groceries, commutes... It takes an awful lot of time. I mean, a lot of these things are what everyone has to do, I just need more sleep, rest and breaks, that's my point of... regret. And I can't funtion at all if I skip a meal or a break. It seems like most people my age can just push through and feel just mild discomfort, not unable to do anything all of a sudden.

I think I've always been like that and don't need to work more, but responsibilities fill out all of my "productive" time and I think I could achieve more if I didn't have such limitations.

 

[Outdated]

I need 9 hours of sleep and at least an hour to wind down in the evening. I usually take up to 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Add all the breaks, at least half an hour walk, having to clean and prepare meals, do groceries, commutes... It takes an awful lot of time.

That is me today, and that 9 hours sleep needs to be unbroken too or I'll be short tempered the next day. I gave up on housework when I was in my early 30s, I think that was one of the very early signs of me burning out, I just didn't have time for it any more. When I was living in Melbourne I was earning good money and I paid someone to do it for me. It didn't stop me from burning out though, my entire lifestyle was just too busy.

I had a phat time while it lasted though.

 

[RedCoat1964]

I need 9 hours of sleep and at least an hour to wind down in the evening. I usually take up to 2 hours to get ready in the morning. Add all the breaks, at least half an hour walk, having to clean and prepare meals, do groceries, commutes... It takes an awful lot of time. I mean, a lot of these things are what everyone has to do, I just need more sleep, rest and breaks, that's my point of... regret. And I can't funtion at all if I skip a meal or a break. It seems like most people my age can just push through and feel just mild discomfort, not unable to do anything all of a sudden.

I think I've always been like that and don't need to work more, but responsibilities fill out all of my "productive" time and I think I could achieve more if I didn't have such limitations.

I experience similar feelings and my "productive" periods can be sporadic.
I've always been this way, but didn't realize it was somewhat 'normal' for me until I received my autism diagnosis.
Being on the spectrum affects Executive Function. Therefore, my 'normal' is different from other people's normal.
However, I still need to work on staying on top of things.
I find if I give myself one goal a day to accomplish, I'm good. Some days I'll then try another goal. But some days I am just happy to achieve that and go on with my 'normal'.
Try not to beat yourself up over what others may, or may not, be doing. Remember, they may be masking and they really aren't as productive as you think.
I have ADHD with my autism, so that means I have tendencies to be a couch potato. It's not easy, but since I'm aware that it's a side-effect of my ADHD, I try and talk myself into doing things I really would rather not do, like laundry.
We're all different. We all have different journeys.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

So my question is if maybe I'm wrong and nobody is as productive as I think? Or if not, how do you cope with feeling like your health is worse than others and you can't live your life as fully as others do?

I feel the same way.

I cope with it using strategy and organization. Planning what to do with my energy.

What people and stuff drains me, so I try to avoid them. What people and stuff charges me so I try to bend my way towards them.

 

[Masked Man]

I don't know whether I'm doing it wrong or if it is supposed to be this way. I feel like I'm so unproductive and it takes so much time to feed myself, do hygene, wind down before sleep, go on walks (I won't fall asleep otherwise). Take breaks. It feels like other people are so resilient and they can "just push through" different needs, won't stop being focused if they forget to eat or take a break or don't get enough sleep, don't get any movement. I'm very effective in the short periods of time that I'm productive, I can do hard things that pay off, but I'm not productive 8 hours a day, maybe more like 5 or 6 max. Maybe I'm wrong about how productive other people are? At this point I feel like I have health issues and havr to take care of myself a lot. It takes so much time and effort. I feel like my body is too sensitive, I don't know if objectively, but too sensitive for today's culture or maybe for my age.

So my question is if maybe I'm wrong and nobody is as productive as I think? Or if not, how do you cope with feeling like your health is worse than others and you can't live your life as fully as others do?

You do you. Does it work for you? Then that's all that matters. Don't waste your time worrying about what other people are doing or what strangers think about you.

I sleep a minimum of 8 hours. I take at least 1 hour to wind down. I get up about 2 hours early to gear up for the day. I take mental hygiene breaks through the day. It works for me.

No I'm not part of grind culture. That's fine. I don't want to be a part of it.

 

[Angular Chap]

It sounds like you are a quality over quantity type of person with good standards. Your productivity is focused on the quality and high standards of what you achieve, rather than how much.

It feels like the world is obsessed with quantity over quality. But you take care of feeding yourself, personal hygiene and sleep quality to a high standard.

In my view, doing less to a high standard is better than doing more to a lower standard. Take pride in your high standards of self care and daily achievements!