Above all else, self-care comes first.

Like many of those who chase after success, I am one of those people who constantly obsess about productivity hacks and how to spend less time and get more done.

Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels

Neglecting self-care has sabotaged my productivity

However, I’ve gradually found out an ugly truth: it’s my tendency to neglect self-care which is the one constant thing that sabotages my productivity.

Here are a few bad habits that I notice I am a victim to. Some of them are going to sound quite distasteful (disgusting, even). Proceed with caution! You’ve been warned.

1. Put off peeing or even pooping just because I have to finish a task at hand;
2. Refuse to go out for a meal, a walk or even simply to stand up and do a little bit of stretching because I foolishly believe that sitting through the day can somehow miraculously help me finish a task at hand. (But the truth is, you’ll find your creative juice drying up when your body slowly gives way to starvation for the lack of nourishment, no matter how determined you’re to finish a piece of work.)
3. Binge-listen to podcasts when I’m peeing, pooping and brushing my teeth, even when I know on a rational level that some silence could do me good, and even when I know that concentrating on these tasks could rob me of…