Organism vs. Output: Notes on Listening
What Happens When You Stop Just Doing
The Constant Pressure
The drumbeat of productivity is a constant companion. We are endlessly told that our value is linked directly to our output. How much we accomplish, how efficiently we work, how many items we can cross off a list. If we are not actively engaged in something deemed "productive," a quiet, often persistent, sense of guilt can creep in.
This is a feeling I know well.
This pressure pushes us toward a very specific, narrow way of being. Analytical. Logical. Focused on planning. The left brain. It treats us primarily as machines built for output.
We Are More Than Brains
But is that truly all we are?
No.
At our core, we are animals, biological organisms with fundamental needs. Our intelligence, our capacity for knowing, is not confined solely within our skull.
Our bodily organs, our nervous system, our entire physiological system holds a profound, often subtle, intelligence.
We do not just process the world through cognitive thought. We experience it through a felt sense. This is a holistic awareness that arises from the body itself, a pre-cognitive understanding that gives us information about our state and our environment.
This capacity for felt sense and embodied knowing is deeply connected to the intuitive, non-linear functions of the right hemisphere and the innate wisdom of our animal self.
The Deep Disconnect
The challenge we face is not simply finding "work-life balance." It is a deeper, often painful, tension between the relentless demands for constant output, driven by a society that prioritizes a disembodied, left-brain kind of production, and the fundamental needs and intelligence of ourselves as living organisms.
There is a dangerous myth at play: that we are merely brains, perhaps "productivity blobs," being transported by an inert body whose sole purpose is to facilitate the brain's work.
This perspective is deeply flawed.
It completely ignores the body's vital intelligence, its signals, and its inherent need for cyclical rest and recovery.
It forces us to ask: Productivity for whom?
And for what ultimate purpose are we constantly striving to produce, if it means overriding the deep, intelligent signals of our own living system and disconnecting from the very source of our sustainable capacity?
Redefining Productivity
The conventional narrative of productivity, often shaped by economic forces, measures worth in tangible units. Widgets produced, hours billed, metrics achieved.
This is a very left-brained, linear, and frankly, disembodied approach.
It completely misses the value of rest, the insights that emerge from reflection and stillness, and the essential process of simply being.
These are the non-linear processes fueled by our embodied intelligence, the right-brain functions that are crucial for sustainable creativity, robust problem-solving, and genuine resilience.
When we internalize this narrow, disembodied definition and neglect the care of our inner organism, the organism care, or tending to our animal self and its embodied intelligence, in pursuit of this limited idea of productivity, we risk not just burnout, but a fundamental disconnection from our vitality and our capacity for sustained, meaningful effort.
Self-Care as Essential Intelligence
Because of this, true self-care is not a luxury or a reward for being productive. It is the essential process of honoring and listening to the intelligence of our entire organism.
It means tending to our physical health, our emotional landscape, and our need for rest and restoration not as inconvenient interruptions, but as vital signals from a wise, integrated system.
It is about consciously engaging our right hemisphere and our embodied awareness, allowing space for processing, intuition, and accessing a deeper form of knowing that linear thought alone cannot provide.
Ignoring these fundamental needs is like expecting any complex biological system to perform optimally while disregarding its own internal feedback loops and warning signals.
Finding Genuine Equilibrium
Finding genuine equilibrium in this tension requires a conscious and often challenging shift in perspective. We need to challenge the ingrained belief, often a product of disembodied thinking and left-brain dominance, that our worth is solely tied to our measurable output.
This involves consciously integrating periods of rest, movement, presence, and non-productive time into our routines. These are activities that engage the right hemisphere, nourish our animal self, and allow us to connect more deeply with our felt sense.
It means setting clear boundaries, understanding that recovery is not the opposite of productivity, but an integral and necessary part of a healthy biological and cognitive cycle.
Embracing a cyclical view of productivity, acknowledging that periods of high activity must be balanced with periods of lower intensity and recovery, much like the natural rhythms observed in all living systems, is crucial for long-term effectiveness, well-being, and accessing our full, embodied intelligence.
Embracing a More Complete Way of Being
Let us strive to move beyond the relentless demands of the productivity treadmill and embrace a more human, more animal, approach, one that genuinely honors the intelligence of our entire organism.
By questioning who truly benefits from our constant output and consciously prioritizing the care of our organism, our essential animal self and its embodied wisdom, we can cultivate a more sustainable, fulfilling, and ultimately more meaningful way of engaging with both our work and our lives.
It is time to redefine success not just by what a disembodied brain produces, but by how well we listen to, honor, and tend to the complex, intelligent, sensing organism that is doing both the living and the producing.
Note to Self
Reflecting on this, here's what feels most important for me to remember.
The persistent guilt about not being productive enough? That is a sign of how deeply ingrained the "brain as output machine" myth is.
The real insight is that my body is not just a carrier; it is a source of intelligence, a guide through the felt sense.
My worth is not in the quantity of my output, but in the quality of my presence and well-being, which directly fuels sustainable capacity.
Prioritizing rest, movement, and simply being is not laziness. It is listening to the animal self, the embodied wisdom, the ancient rhythms that are the true foundation of creativity and meaningful contribution.
What I draw from this is a reminder to trust that inner knowing, to honor the organism, and to redefine success not by external metrics, but by internal integrity and holistic well-being.
Great panui!
I also strive to be creative in all that I do and do for others.