Overwork, Underwork, Repeat. : Teens and young adults need to break away from the American ideology of tying self-worth to productivity

Imagine someone sits down to write their New Year’s resolutions, enough to fill a page of notebook paper. Their pen flies in excitement for the goals that’ll transform their life — hit the gym five times a week, adopt a three-step skincare routine, go to bed at 9 p.m.

But by the end of January, they’re waking up at 2:30 a.m. with all the lights on, an unopened English book falling off their bed and too little sleep to attend their morning workout.

As students, we too often define our self-worth by what we accomplish. In order to see our own success, we need to find a balance between blatant laziness and overworking to the point of suffering.

Those who’ve experienced this phenomenon have coined the term “internalized capitalism,” which has spread to news outlets like USA Today. In modern America — a country that idolizes work ethic — we expect ourselves to maintain extreme productivity and personal achievement at all times, from our morning run to nighttime skincare routine. And behind the CVS-receipt-length New Year’s resolutions, young people face the brunt of productivity guilt as America’s next workforce.

Internalized capitalism — a criticism of the “hustle culture” capitalism breeds — compels us to work longer hours after school, head from varsity sport to a nannying job and secure a string of straight A’s on Skyward. As a byproduct of the “American Dream,” we, as a culture, value hard work as the direct cause of growth and success.

We romanticize busyness — or rather the illusion of it.

Teens are expected to fill their schedules to achieve “success” like breaking athletic records or attending an Ivy League — or so we’re told by family friends at awkward dinner parties. Even simple hobbies like painting or playing the trumpet should be benefiting — or rather, benefiting society.

The productivity guilt teens experience manifests itself in cycles of high productivity and overwork followed by bouts of plummeting motivation, according to Life Junctions. And with a constant fear of not doing enough, burnout quickly follows.

New Year’s resolutions often end in a lack of enthusiasm because of the “failed” attempt at improving oneself. Resolutions are often forced by the individual, but expected by peers.

It’s unrealistic to expect maximum effort all the time, especially late into the night. If a basketball player spent twelve hours a day running suicides and scrimaging, an injury is inevitable — dropping them from MVP to benchwarmer. And it’s the same for students. These unhealthy polar extremes are what can fuel cyclical productivity, leading to complete lack of motivation or drive to persist in their goals.

The World Health Organization categorized burnout as a clinical syndrome in 2019, stating that prolonged work stress can lead to burnout and chronic fatigue. As for teens, by setting high expectations for lofty achievements, we’re also setting ourselves up for nights stuck in bed, unable to reach them.

Separating productivity from self-worth is essential to a healthy school-life balance and stable mindset, according to Jess Lomax with Naked Politics. Discipline and overworking are two different things. While discipline is important to success, the overbearing pressure to crank out work at an overwhelming pace can be emotionally damaging.

Solutions vary person-to person — some people need the accountability that pressure provides to stay active and motivated. However, this differs from internalized capitalism as it’s coming from a place of understanding what is beneficial to someone’s individual work ethic. Finding the right balance is key, like setting specific schedules for when you’re allowed to work or relax.

To combat this mindset, celebrate each accomplishment and milestone rather than immediately thinking, “What’s next?” And instead of comparing yourself to others, remember every assignment you finish or practice you attend is helping yourself achieve your goals, regardless of someone else’s journey.

By setting realistic goals for yourself to finish in a day, you can be left feeling fulfilled with your work — not horrible that you didn’t check off an item on your to-do list.