Productivity Isn’t Always Forward Motion: Why Survival Is Still Success
The other day while I was on a body doubling call with clients, I got lost looking out the window. It was a sunny, calm, 70-degree day. The road was flat, the breeze was light. If I went for a walk, a small amount of energy would carry me really far.
Then I remembered this time last year, Hurricane Helene. Wind whipping, rain blowing, debris falling. That same energy wouldn’t take me down the road at all, it would only keep me standing in the storm.
“Sometimes progress looks like moving forward. Sometimes progress looks like standing tall in the storm.”
Here’s the thing: sometimes the hurricane is around you.
Work is demanding, your kids are in three different activities, your partner’s schedule is pulling them away, you’ve been sick, and life feels like it’s raining sideways. Just making it through the day takes all your energy.
And sometimes, the hurricane is inside you.
Your emotions are crashing like waves. Your nervous system is in overdrive. Unhealed traumas get stirred up and suddenly it feels like you’re fighting just to stand.
Your energy isn’t wasted. On hurricane days, it has to be used differently
Either way, the conditions are different. On sunny days, progress looks like moving forward in big strides. On hurricane days, progress might look like standing tall, sending one email, making one phone call, or remembering to take a breath.
It isn’t a fair comparison to measure yourself the same way across those seasons. You’re not weak. You’re just navigating different weather.
So if you’re in a storm right now, whether it’s swirling around you or inside you, don’t discount your effort.
“Survival is not failure. It’s resilience.”
Here’s a simple way to honor that:
Pause. Notice the weather you’re in today: sunny, breezy, or stormy.
Name it. Say to yourself: “I’m in a hurricane day” (or a sunny one).
Adjust. Set your expectations based on the weather, not on some imagined ideal.
On a sunny day, your one email might turn into a whole project. On a hurricane day, that same email might be your win. Both matter.
This is the practice of meeting yourself with honesty and compassion. It’s how we stop punishing ourselves for not walking miles in a storm, and start trusting that we’ll go farther when the sun comes back out.
Keep on keepin’ on, friends. The journey continues!
