How I feel on days without deliverables

Even on days when I feel slightly productive, looking back, I realize that most of my time was spent on 'communication tasks' like chatting, preparing for meetings, and responding to emails.

I don't have the sense that I 'created' anything. I didn't finish a document, nor did I complete a design. In other words, there are no deliverables. Even though I should feel a sense of accomplishment, I find myself asking later, 'Was I really productive?'

I don't go so far as to think that 'if there are no deliverables, it's meaningless.' However, I do have this feeling that 'it's hard to feel productive without deliverables.' If the results aren't in a visible form, the sense of achievement fades. Perhaps that is a habit in how I evaluate myself.

Things moved forward through communication, relationships with others became smoother, and premises were clarified. Those movements did happen, and perhaps it was precisely because of them that I felt positive after finishing work. But whether or not I can truly feel that it was 'productive' is another matter entirely.

Linking productivity to 'visible output' is likely something ingrained in me over many years. If there isn't something that remains as a result, something others can see, or something that can be submitted, I sometimes mistakenly feel like I 'did nothing today.' It's not so much about caring what others think, but rather a feeling that I can only measure my own work using that kind of yardstick.