The Fallacy of Letting Productivity Dictate Your Value as an Entrepreneur

Once upon a time, I was a busy American entrepreneur. I worked a full schedule and felt like this meant I was successful.

Then one day, I moved to Italy. Thanks to artificial intelligence, my writing work dried up, and the amount of time I spent at my desk dwindled. I felt like a failure, even though I was fine financially (thanks to a much lower cost of living).

For all of my adult working life, I’d associated the amount of time I spent working with my value. And now, as an entrepreneur living abroad, I have had to unlearn the lesson.

It hasn’t been easy, unpairing my ego from my workload.

The Trap of Defining Ourselves Through Work

Naturally, living in a country that shuts down for the entire afternoon every day so people can eat a long lunch and take a nap afterward, I’ve gained a different perspective on what really matters. And I’ve been able to see the sharp contrast between work cultures here and in the U.S.

It’s not uncommon for Americans to work more than 40 hours a week, sometimes double that. But to what end? Certainly, we like having financial security, but that typically doesn’t require breaking our backs for 80 hours a week.

In Italy, work is but one component of a balanced life. People here don’t ask what I do as often as they do in the U.S., where it’s usually the initial icebreaker upon meeting someone new.

Here, we work so we can live. We don’t live to work. At the end of the workday, we stop. We turn off our computers. Leave our offices. Mentally lock the thoughts away until tomorrow.

Why is this so hard for Americans?

Why Are Americans Obsessed With Productivity?

It is an obsession; Forbes is filled with articles on how to be more productive. We want to hack our way into doing more with our time, because there simply isn’t enough of it.

Lawyers often brag about how many billable hours they put in. Doctors overfill their schedules and often put in double shifts at the hospital. Dinners are interrupted whenever a harried entrepreneur receives that ping that signifies there is a critical, must-address emergency happening on their phone.

Americans have been trained to tie their identity to what they do for a living. More productivity equals more success. Lower productivity equals…well, we don’t like to think about it. We’ve become little more than machines that are praised for output.

The Cost of Our Work Obsession

While our egos pat us on the back for the hard work, our bodies are screaming for help. Startup founders are suffering burnout and mental issues in droves; meanwhile, the behavioral health market is rising to meet the demand that we ourselves are causing.

It seems counterintuitive that we should be creating our own demand for therapy, medication, and meditation apps simply because we can’t listen to our bodies and slow down, doesn’t it?

How Much of Our “Productivity” Is for Show?

Certainly, entrepreneurs are busy running their companies and keeping customers happy. But often, we’re just finding busy work to keep ourselves doing something, to demonstrate that, yes, we are overwhelmed and admirable.

I remember when I started my content marketing business after years of working for private companies. I worked maybe five hours a day and got just as much done as I had in a full eight-hour workday. The difference was that I was on my own time, and there was no one looking over my shoulder to make sure I was punching keys on my keyboard for eight hours.

Why You Should Take Inspiration From Italians

You don’t have to move abroad to change your attitude toward productivity. Monitor yourself for a week to determine exactly how much time you truly spend on meaningful work, and how much is “filler.”

Then ask yourself what you’d do with more free time. For me, living in Italy, I’ve stepped away from the productivity trap to go for long walks in the mountains. Study subjects that interest me. Spend time with my husband and in-laws. Do yoga. Read. Breathe.

Once you have those things you always wish you had more time to do, do them! And let go of the guilt. No one but you is judging you for how long you do (or don’t) spend working.

Find other things to base your worth on. Find other things to define you. Ask yourself what there is for you beyond your business.

I have days when I don’t work at all. It feels a bit like leaving the house without underwear. I feel antsy sometimes, and of course, that American guilt creeps in. But sometimes, after spending a few days away from my computer, it’s hard for me to come back, because I’ve discovered so many other aspects of my life that I want to invest in.

Repeat after me: my business does not define me. My productivity does not define my work. Repeat them until you believe the words, and enjoy your free time!