How burnout makes us less creative
-
0:00 - 0:03A few years ago, my obsession
with productivity -
0:03 - 0:06got so bad that I suffered
an episode of burnout -
0:06 - 0:08that scared the hell out of me.
-
0:08 - 0:12I'm talking insomnia,
weight gain, hair loss -- the works. -
0:12 - 0:14I was so overworked that my brain
-
0:14 - 0:17literally couldn't come up
with another idea. -
0:17 - 0:22That indicated to me that my identity
was linked with this idea of productivity. -
0:22 - 0:24[The Way We Work]
-
0:26 - 0:30Do you feel guilty if you haven't
been productive enough during the day? -
0:30 - 0:32Do you spend hours
reading productivity hacks, -
0:32 - 0:34trying new frameworks
and testing new apps -
0:34 - 0:35to get even more done?
-
0:36 - 0:38I've tried them all --
task apps, calendar apps, -
0:38 - 0:39time-management apps,
-
0:40 - 0:41things that are meant to manage your day.
-
0:42 - 0:44We've been so obsessed with doing more
-
0:44 - 0:46that we've missed
the most important thing. -
0:46 - 0:48Many of these tools aren't helping.
-
0:48 - 0:50They're making things worse.
-
0:50 - 0:53OK, let's talk about
productivity for a second. -
0:53 - 0:56Historically, productivity
as we know it today -
0:56 - 0:58was used during the industrial revolution.
-
0:58 - 1:02It was a system that measured performance
based on consistent output. -
1:02 - 1:03You clocked into your shift
-
1:03 - 1:06and were responsible
for creating X number of widgets -
1:06 - 1:07on the assembly line.
-
1:07 - 1:10At the end of the day,
it was pretty easy to see -
1:10 - 1:12who worked hard and who hadn't.
-
1:12 - 1:14When we shifted to a knowledge economy,
-
1:14 - 1:17people suddenly had tasks
that were much more abstract, -
1:17 - 1:20things like writing,
problem-solving or strategizing, -
1:20 - 1:21tasks that weren't easy to measure.
-
1:21 - 1:23Companies struggled to figure out
-
1:23 - 1:26how to tell who was working
and who wasn't, -
1:26 - 1:30so they just adopted
the old systems as best as they could, -
1:30 - 1:32leading to things
like the dreaded time sheet -
1:32 - 1:34where everyone is under pressure
-
1:34 - 1:37to justify how they spend
every second of their day. -
1:37 - 1:38There's just one problem.
-
1:38 - 1:42These systems don't make a lot of sense
for creative work. -
1:42 - 1:45We still think of productivity
as an endurance sport. -
1:45 - 1:47You try to churn out as many blog posts
-
1:47 - 1:50or we cram our day full of meetings.
-
1:50 - 1:54But this model of constant output
isn't conducive to creative thought. -
1:54 - 1:57Today, knowledge workers
are facing a big challenge. -
1:57 - 2:01We're expected to be constantly
productive and creative -
2:01 - 2:03in equal measure.
-
2:03 - 2:04But it's actually almost impossible
-
2:04 - 2:07for our brains to continuously
generate new ideas -
2:07 - 2:08with no rest.
-
2:08 - 2:12In fact, downtime
is a necessity for our brain -
2:12 - 2:14to recover and to operate properly.
-
2:14 - 2:16Consider that according
to a team of researchers -
2:16 - 2:19from the University
of Southern California, -
2:19 - 2:22letting our minds wander
is an essential mental state -
2:22 - 2:24that helps us develop our identity,
-
2:24 - 2:26process social interactions,
-
2:26 - 2:30and it even influences
our internal moral compass. -
2:30 - 2:34Our need for a break flies in the face
of our cultural narrative about hustling, -
2:34 - 2:37in other words, the stories
that we as a society -
2:37 - 2:40tell each other
about what success looks like -
2:40 - 2:41and what it takes to get there.
-
2:41 - 2:43Stories like the American Dream,
-
2:43 - 2:46which is one of our most
deeply rooted beliefs. -
2:46 - 2:49This tells us that if we work hard,
we'll be successful. -
2:49 - 2:50But there's a flip side.
-
2:50 - 2:52If you aren't successful,
-
2:52 - 2:56it must mean that you're not
working hard enough. -
2:56 - 2:58And if you don't think
you're doing enough, -
2:58 - 3:01of course you're going to stay
late, pull all-nighters -
3:01 - 3:04and push yourself hard
even when you know better. -
3:04 - 3:07Productivity has wrapped
itself up in our self-worth, -
3:07 - 3:10so that it's almost impossible
for us to allow ourselves -
3:10 - 3:11to stop working.
-
3:11 - 3:16The average US employee only takes half
of their allocated paid vacation leave, -
3:16 - 3:18further proving
that even if we have the option -
3:18 - 3:21to take a break, we don't.
-
3:21 - 3:23To be clear, I don't
think that productivity -
3:23 - 3:26or trying to improve
our performance is bad. -
3:26 - 3:30I'm just saying that the current models
we're using to measure our creative work -
3:30 - 3:31don't make sense.
-
3:31 - 3:33We need systems
that work with our creativity -
3:33 - 3:35and not against it.
-
3:35 - 3:36[SO HOW DO WE FIX IT?]
-
3:36 - 3:38There is no quick fix for this problem.
-
3:38 - 3:40And I know, I know, that sucks.
-
3:40 - 3:43No one loves a good framework
or a good acronym -
3:43 - 3:44better than me.
-
3:44 - 3:47But the truth is everyone
has their own narratives -
3:47 - 3:48that they have to uncover.
-
3:48 - 3:52It wasn't until I started digging
around my own beliefs around work -
3:52 - 3:55that I began to unravel
the root of my own work story, -
3:55 - 3:58finally being able to let go
of destructive behaviors -
3:58 - 4:01and make positive, long-lasting changes.
-
4:01 - 4:02And the only way to do that
-
4:02 - 4:05is by asking yourself some hard questions.
-
4:05 - 4:08Does being busy make you feel valuable?
-
4:08 - 4:10Who do you hold up
as an example of success? -
4:10 - 4:13Where did your ideas
of work ethic come from? -
4:13 - 4:16How much of who you are
is linked to what you do? -
4:16 - 4:19Your creativity, it has its own rhythms.
-
4:19 - 4:22Our energy fluctuates daily,
weekly, even seasonally. -
4:22 - 4:25I know that I'm always more energetic
at the beginning of the week -
4:25 - 4:27than at the end,
-
4:27 - 4:29so I front-load my workweek
to account for that fact. -
4:29 - 4:32As a proud night owl, I free up
my afternoons and evenings -
4:32 - 4:34for creative work.
-
4:34 - 4:35And I know I'll get more writing done
-
4:36 - 4:38in the cozy winter months
than during the summer. -
4:38 - 4:39And that's the secret.
-
4:39 - 4:42Dismantling myths,
challenging your old views, -
4:42 - 4:44identifying your narratives --
-
4:44 - 4:47this is the real work
that we need to be doing. -
4:47 - 4:48We aren't machines,
-
4:48 - 4:51and I think it's time
that we stopped working like one.
- Title:
- How burnout makes us less creative
- Speaker:
- Rahaf Harfoush
- Description:
-
Our obsession with productivity -- to-do lists, life hacks, morning routines -- is making us less productive, says digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush. She explains why we need to redesign our workday around creativity -- not just efficiency.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED Series
- Duration:
- 04:51
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Krystian Aparta accepted English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Krystian Aparta edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for How burnout makes us less creative |