Productivity Dysmorphia

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I keep catching myself looking at others and thinking I’m behind, or even failing. Not because nothing’s happening — a lot is — but because I look around and it feels like everyone else is moving faster, building louder, connecting more, stacking wins, and just enjoying life.

Or even more personally; there are better fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, friends, neighbors, and co-workers than me. Every hit of social media is like a knock against my parenting, or telling me how I could be more productive at work, just a non-stop barrage of social media ”experts” that the algorithm has chosen to force feed my psyche and get me to feel that despite all I’m doing it simply is never enough.

Today I finally learned  there’s a phrase for that; it’s called productivity dysmorphia. Seeing your own effort, your own life- through a warped lens. Very similar to how social media filters lead to body and physical dysmorphia. And it’s crazy how it has so subtly crept into every post I see regardless of the platform. The market for selling “self-improvement” only thrives when it makes you feel like you’re less than.

So in 2026, I’m going to make a conscious effort to buck that mental framing.  I’m keeping a few things front and center in my mind:

1. My pace has to match my life.

Not someone else’s. Different responsibilities, different seasons, different energy.

2. Busy doesn’t mean meaningful.

Some of the most important progress I make won’t look impressive. Period. That doesn’t make it small.

3. Rest isn’t falling behind.

It’s how I stay clear-headed enough to make good decisions. Burnout just lies louder.

In 2026 I’m choosing clarity over chaos and intention over pressure. And it starts with removing the filters. It starts with celebrating every small step as a step forward into an unknown frontier that is my life, and no one elses. It starts with accepting that I’ve already been gifted with all the capabilities that I need. It starts with moving forward in confidence.