Productivity Apps: Improve mental well-being or create stress?

Productivity apps have undoubtedly changed the way people work, how they manage tasks and have implications for productivity itself. These apps have transformed how people organise and manage their tasks, influencing habit formation as well as monitoring habits as they change. Productivity apps like Notion, Todoist, Slack, Duolingo and Forest promise better organisation and efficiency to improve productivity and growth, and they may even be successful in serving their purpose to some extent. 

However, these apps are conceptualised and designed in a manner that puts engagement above overall well-being. Naturally, some psychological issues surface, which veil the dark side of productivity apps. It is critical to explore the hidden downsides of such apps by assessing the unintended psychological effects of productivity apps. This article hopes to inform you of these effects and make you aware of how to use productivity apps more healthily. 

Psychological Impact of Productivity Apps 

Motivation and Self Discipline 

Badges, streaks, deadlines, etc, which are very common in productivity apps, are a form of external rewards and may be successful in increasing engagement. But, according to the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1999), such external rewards gradually decrease intrinsic motivation. The Overjustification Effect further explain how relying on the app-based rewards, instead of an intrinsic drive, can weaken self-discipline. A Missed Reward can reduce motivation. 

What Psychological Mechanisms Make Them So Engaging? 

Rewards such as streaks and badges activate the dopamine pathways of the brain. When we anticipate a reward, we experience dopamine spike. This then triggers a cycle of habitually checking the app. Operant Conditioning, where a behaviour or habit is reinforced through a reward, can be held responsible for this. This also allows productivity apps to increase engagement. 

Productivity Apps: Improve mental well-being or create stress? 

Productivity apps often constantly remind users of unfinished tasks. Being reminded of these tasks can cause stress and increase anxiety, without any motivation (Zeigarnik Effect¹). Moreover, apps also tend to have excessive features, along with reminders, which can lead to overwhelm and add to the stress (Cognitive Load Theory²).

The Pressure of Hyper-Productivity 

Unrealistic Expectations of Efficiency: Often, missing even a single task on an app may elicit feelings of guilt. This is a consequence of the constant reinforcement of hustle culture, perfectionism and toxic productivity, which can make one feel inadequate if they don’t complete every scheduled task. 

Impact of Productivity Guilt on Mental Health: High standards and unrealistic expectations are a recipe for productivity guilt. Despite achievements, one’s cognitions are distorted. They feel they’re never doing “enough” (Imposter Syndrome).

Obsession with Task Completion and Toxic Productivity: People generally underestimate how long a task may take due to the Planning Fallacy (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). Thus, they overcommit, which usually impacts one’s mental health. Task paralysis is also common when people focus too much on being productive, which may lead them to neglect meaningful work. 

The Role of App Design in Mental Strain 

Gamification and Streaks Manipulate User Behaviour 

Gamification of productivity apps can certainly make them more interactive and fun. But this can also result in compulsive behaviours once they become habits. This can be explained by the Loss Aversion bias³, due to which, the user worries about breaking streaks, making them compulsively check apps. 

The Illusion of Progress in Productivity Apps 

Productivity apps do not necessarily result in real productivity. The False Productivity Effect explains how checking tasks off can feel rewarding without actually revealing any meaningful work. The apps are also designed in a way that strengthens the Mere Urgency Effect (Zhu et al., 2018), leading them to prioritise small or simple tasks over intense work. 

Anxiety Caused by Constant Data Tracking 

Users experience pressure knowing their activity on the app and their productivity is being monitored, contributing to Surveillance Stress. The features of the app also enable users to continuously track their progress, which increases mental strain and can result in decision fatigue. 

Dependency and Reduced Self-Regulation 

Are Users Becoming Too Reliant on Apps for Task Management? 

Relying on apps makes one’s life easier. However, Cognitive Offloading (Risko & Gilbert, 2016) can impair natural planning and memory skills. A study showed that people eventually forget information they expect to find externally (Google Effect). There is also a possibility of Automation Bias⁴ when users blindly follow priorities generated by apps, instead of using their discretion. 

What Happens When People Stop Using These Apps? 

If someone relying on these apps stops using them, they may experience withdrawal symptoms and feel lost without digital tracking. These effects could range from experiences of dependence-induced anxiety to task paralysis. Rebuilding old habits may be a difficult process, but it is possible through Cognitive Reappraisal. 

Burnout and Mental Fatigue 

• Cognitive Overload: The Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) helps explain how too much planning and tracking can drain cognitive resources. Ultimately, this cognitive overload decreases efficiency by making it harder for the user to think clearly. 
• Hyperawareness and Digital Fatigue: Always being “on” and thinking about tasks hinders relaxation and rejuvenation, due to being perpetually hyperaware. Excessive screen-based planning reduces focus and energy further. 
• Effect on Sleep and Relaxation: Various studies have shown that the blue light in screens affects melatonin production, which disrupts sleep and its quality. Moreover, frequent notifications increase anticipatory stress. 

Striking a Balance: Healthy App Usage 

Setting Boundaries 

In his book “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World”, Cal Newport endorses using technology and gadgets to the minimum, with the goal of intentionality and not compulsion, to reduce stress. At this stage, it is necessary for us to set boundaries while using productivity apps, by limiting app usage and disabling non-essential notifications. 

Strategies to Help Balance Productivity and Mental Well-being 

1. Time Blocking: As per Parkinson’s Law, assigning fixed periods by setting limits to complete a task, can prevent overusing the app mindlessly. 
2. Notification Filtering: A continuous stream of notifications forces the brain to switch tasks, leading to lower productivity (Interruptive Stress Theory). Disabling redundant notifications can increase concentration and prevent unnecessary stress. 
3. App-Free Zones: Creating app-free zones in work spaces and homes will prevent compulsive app-checking and can promote a healthier relation with technology. 
4. Mindful Tech Use: Research shows that too much screen time can increase stress and reduce focus. Setting limits, turning off autoplay, and enjoying offline activities can help create healthier habits.

Redesigning Productivity Apps to Enhance Mental Wellness 

The productivity apps of today emphasise the efficiency of outcomes, at the expense of the user’s mental health. There is a need for productivity apps to adopt a human-centred design approach by getting rid of cluttered interfaces, reducing notifications, and encouraging breaks. 

Additionally, productivity apps can introduce wellness modes, break and reflection prompts, task prioritisation instead of streaks, and even allow for flexible scheduling. Ultimately, the app design needs to reduce cognitive overload and stress, to promote healthy productivity. 

Conclusion 

Productivity apps can be powerful tools to help manage tasks and improve overall efficiency. However, they can lead to an increase in anxiety and need for external validation such as a dependency on app-based rewards. While these features are motivating to some extent, over-reliance on them may reduce inherently present motivation and adversely impact mental health. 

The solution to this is mindful usage of productivity apps. These apps should be used to support productivity rather than dictating it. Instead of becoming overly reliant on digital engagement, we should focus on real and meaningful progress. When used intentionally, productivity apps can enhance focus and efficiency. 

FAQs 

1. Do Productivity Apps actually work, or do they just make us feel Productive? 

While productivity apps can help stay organised, they cause a false productivity effect. Checking off tasks from a list might make the user feel productive, without ensuring any real meaningful progress. 

2. What’s the difference between Healthy productivity and Toxic productivity? 

Healthy productivity focuses on getting meaningful work done while maintaining balance and flexibility. On the other hand, toxic productivity pushes for constant output and perfectionism at the expense of one’s well-being. 

3. What is the Cognitive Load Theory? 

According to the Cognitive Load Theory, the working memory has a limited capacity and it can get overloaded when it has to deal with information beyond this capacity.  

4. Why do I feel anxious when I don’t complete my tasks in a Productivity app? 

Unfinished tasks on the app can create mental tension, causing you to stay fixated on them. When you receive multiple overdue task notifications, it builds up a feeling of anxiety rather than motivation.

5. Are productivity apps designed to be Addictive? 

Productivity apps tend to use streaks, progress bars and notifications that keep the users hooked onto them. The fear of losing these streaks can develop a compulsion among users to check the apps frequently, thus leading to a feeling of addiction.

1. The Zeigarnik effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people are more likely to remember unfinished tasks than completed ones. ↩︎
2. Cognitive load theory (CLT) is a theory that explains how people learn and store information. ↩︎
3. Loss aversion is a cognitive bias where the emotional impact of a loss is felt more intensely than the joy of an equivalent gain. ↩︎
4. Automation bias is the propensity for humans to favor suggestions from automated decision-making systems and to ignore contradictory information made without automation, even if it is correct. ↩︎