Productive but Powerless

“Be productive!” — all the motivational aphorisms that encouraged us to be productive are now in our minds. “Productivity hack” videos on my phone, colorful charts and “to-do” lists on my desk… Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is look at the keyboard, and read about new ideas. But when I go to bed at night, my body is tired and my soul is filled with depression, and I realize that I haven’t done any real work during the day. For Gen Z, this has already become commonplace: we put ourselves forward, but often end up looking like we haven’t even come out of the box, like a sleepwalker.

Over the past decade, the culture of productivity has become widespread not only among businessmen and entrepreneurs, but also among school and university students. Tools like Notion, Asana, Trello, and the Pomodoro Technique on social media, to name a few, encourage us to reorganize ourselves based on the people around us. We all have multi-step plans for work, school, and personal development, but managing so many steps can lead to fatigue and a sense of fragmentation. Data shows that 70 percent of young people admit to feeling mentally exhausted due to the pressure of wanting “quick results.” This can lead to stress, social isolation, and even depression in the long run.

I’ve experienced this pressure myself. During my school years, my championship preparations, and while preparing for IELTS and SAT exams, I saw “working hard” as a boast. I’ve proudly told my friends about my idea of ​​“being able to multitask.” Once, I would wake up at 5:00 AM and plan to meditate, jog, do some physical activity, take an extra class, and write a blog post. Other times, I would watch “motivational” stories on social media and convince myself that I was “doing great.” But by the third week, I was starting to feel like I was struggling under the pressure, and my sleep and eating patterns were starting to break down. All of this was confusing me with the intricacies of productivity culture, and I was actually feeling exhausted and drained.

1. Perfectionism and Peer Pressure

Gen Z is constantly following the achievements of successful people on social media. Posts about someone getting a new degree, someone making a billion with a startup, and someone traveling the world — all this makes young people feel like they’re behind. While perfectionism can fuel enthusiasm, it can also lead to self-criticism and constant stress, which can wreak havoc on your mental health.

2. The illusion of multitasking

We try to do multiple projects at once, but our brains waste time and energy switching from one task to another. Studies show that multitasking can reduce productivity by 40 percent. So, while we may seem to be working harder, we actually accomplish less.

3. The “Always On” Culture

Smartphone notifications, emails, and group chats — the “ping” and “ding” sounds are everywhere. There’s almost no time to relax, because even when we’re “offline,” we feel like we’re not truly rested. This situation increases the brain's stress hormones, leading to mild irritability and memory loss.

4. Information overload

There are thousands of recommendations and strategies, from productivity hacks to life hacks. When we try to try them all, we end up with two “hotels” in our hearts: an excellent planning system and a set of simplified ideas that have not been put into practice at all. In fact, to be effective, it is necessary to deeply study a few methods, test them quickly, and reject the rest. But many do not do this and continue to buy more information.

Gen Z is “lost” in the culture of productivity: we are given the illusion of “quick results” and “multitasking”, but real success does not come from this. The balance is to identify several priority goals every day and focus on them fully. Small but sustainable habits—like meditating for an hour each day to gather your thoughts or taking a “digital detox” once a week—can reset our minds and bring real results.

Instead of searching for motivational videos to wake up to next morning, the first thing you should do is redefine your true purpose. After all, productivity is not about filling time, but about giving it meaning. Don’t let your real life, emotions, and creativity be hidden behind a stretched schedule: your status is measured not by work, but by sustainable growth and well-being.