Why great achievements will not make you happier (and what to do about it!)

Earlier, we introduced you to the translations of Chris Bailey articles, which he wrote as his project a Year of Productivity developed - they are available in our blog in the “personal productivity” section .



Today we would like to introduce you to Chris's conclusions on the relationship between productivity and happiness.

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So we give the word to Chris!



Why great achievements will not make you happier



According to research results, when we go through major changes in life (positive or negative), our state of happiness initially fluctuates, but gradually goes to a stable level. [1] In other words, after we made more money, built or climbed the career ladder, adapting to changes, we return to our initial level of happiness. Our "expectations and desires grow in parallel, with the result that a permanent increase in happiness does not occur." [2]



This means that if you expect to become happier, make more money, lose weight, gain a promotion or do more work, you are most likely looking for happiness in the wrong place.



In my opinion, your accomplishments and happiness may even be inversely related, if you are not completely honest with yourself, expect too much from yourself or if you are too strict with yourself when you do not achieve your goals. At least, this is what I have come to in the past five months, from the beginning of the project A Year of Productivity.



What to do with it



I experimented with the relationship between productivity and happiness for five months and, it seems, I understood how to have both at once:

1. Do not expect to be happier when you do more or become more productive. Realize what really makes you happy, and invest more in these areas of your life.
2. Constantly try to become better in what you do.
3. Do not take anything too seriously!

I have experimented a lot over the past few months with these ideas and how to put them into practice. Through many trial and error, I found some fantastic ways!



1. Realize the real sources of your happiness.

• Invest your time and attention in what, in your experience, really makes you happy. Here are a few proven ideas (all of these links lead to TED talks on the topic of happiness): live for today and be aware . Spend money on others rather than on yourself. Slow down. Take time to appreciate and see the good in what you have. Live a life that is meaningful in the short and long term. And change your view of the past, present and future . There are ways to become happier that have been scientifically proven.
• Do not promise yourself that you will become happier only when you achieve more in the future. If you are not happy with what you have already done, you will never become, because in your perception you will always have something wrong, no matter how amazing you are. I myself pierced it many times, always at the distance of only one step from happiness and promising myself more happiness as soon as I reached a little more. The problem was that as soon as I actually achieved more, I set myself an even higher bar.
• Reduce expectations from yourself, but at the same time aim high. This is a wonderful feeling when you exceed your own expectations, so why not understate them while you are working on productivity? To overtake your expectations is one of the simplest recipes of happiness I know.

2. Constantly try to be better at what you do.



It means:

• To see in each achievement an intermediate stage, but not the final point. This will help you see the bigger picture and relate your actions, primarily to why you want to become more productive.
• First of all, determine why you need to become more productive. If you are mindlessly trying to become more productive without a higher goal, how will you know that success has come or that you concentrate on the right things?
• Carefully choose the areas in which you want to become better. If you try to be perfect in everything you undertake, you will not succeed in anything. Becoming more productive is important, but it is even more important to decide exactly what.

3. Treat everything easier!

• Treat everything easier and reward yourself on the road to success! What is the point of productivity, if the process itself is too tedious? This is not fun at all. Reward yourself, celebrate your little victories, but at the same time, take victories as intermediate results.
• Understand that increasing productivity comes at a price. If you do not act deliberately, increasing productivity will cost you more than you are willing to spend in terms of time, willpower and much more. Knowing the price of high productivity, you can ask yourself whether it is worth it.
• Do not miss this paragraph just because it sounds trite: love yourself. Few people really pay attention to loving, understanding, and appreciating themselves. Are you honest with yourself? Are you asking for advice? Do you ever set aside a couple of hours for a pleasant walk, a cup of coffee or an exhibition, alone with yourself? I think one of the biggest mistakes people make on the path to productivity is that they are harsh on themselves without a specific reason. You are an amazing person, and you need to remind yourself about it from time to time.

Many people want to become sexier, richer and more productive, because they think it will make them happier, but it doesn't work that way. If you continue to promise yourself that you will be happy only when you achieve more, then you will not wait for happiness. After all, when you really achieve more, your thinking will remain the same, and you will still want more than you have.



I think productivity matters if you want to live in such a way that it will bring return and satisfaction to you and the people around you. But if you don’t take the time to celebrate your successes and enjoy the process, I insist that you are not as productive as you think.



There is a big gap between how many people determine their productivity (to achieve more in less time) and what really makes a person happy. The trick is to make things easier, while at the same time trying to become better at what you do and invest time and attention in what really brings you happiness.



1. Source: www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=3&ref=business&src=me&_r=0

2. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill



PS from the translation editor: if you are interested in reading other articles of the author, we highly recommend to study "Everything you need in order to develop" dynamic thinking " . "