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3MM: Productivity, Exes & Dragging
3 MINUTE MONDAYHi friend, I'm in Australia!! Live tour starts this Thursday 💜 Come see me. “I struggle to believe I’m worthy of moments of joy and peace without first putting myself through a brutal schedule, monitoring my productivity levels down to the minute.
Perhaps some people apply this “earn your cookie” mindset in ways that lead to healthy achievements.
Not me.
Mine is a mutation whereby joy and self-compassion are regularly outlawed by an internal tyrant who decides when I’ve been flogged enough for one day.
Just when I’m about to collapse, a voice inside says: “OK. Give him half an hour of peace before bed. But make sure he knows we’ll start again, bright and early in the morning.” — Matthew Hussey
This insight makes my soul hurt, largely because I see it in myself. The writer Oliver Burkeman has a name for this bottomless pit of self-imposed expected efficiency - Productivity Debt. “Many people (by which I meant me) seem to feel as if they start off each morning in a kind of "productivity debt", which they must struggle to pay off through the day, in hopes of reaching a zero balance by the time evening comes.
Few things feel more basic to my experience of adulthood than this vague sense that I'm falling behind, and need to claw my way back up to some minimum standard of output.
It's as if I need to justify my existence, by staying "on top of things", in order to stave off some ill-defined catastrophe that might otherwise come crashing down upon my head.
And make no mistake: paying off your imaginary productivity debt completely – in other words, working so hard and so efficiently that you no longer feel like you're falling behind – is literally impossible, not just gruelling and unpleasant.
In the modern world of work, there's no limit to the number of emails you might receive, the demands your boss might make, the ambitions you might have for your career, etcetera – so there’s no reason to believe you’ll ever get to the end of them.”
Here’s to overcoming the vague sense of falling behind. MODERN WISDOMI do a podcast where I pretend to have a British accent. This week’s upcoming episodes: Monday. Thursday. Saturday. THINGS I'VE LEARNED1. On average, it took about 4.18 years for the emotional attachment to an ex-partner to be halfway dissolved. For the typical person, the bond to an ex completely faded away around 8 years but for some it takes longer. (Social Psychological and Personality Science (Chong and Fraley, 2025) **A response I thought was interesting: 2. “I have a hard time celebrating my achievements because in my mind it was my obligation to achieve it.” — Michael Smoak 3. If it doesn’t fit, eventually it’ll hurt wearing it. LIFE HACKGet your bloodwork done. You need to know what’s happening inside of your body. Function Health does a single test that allows you to check everything including your cortisol levels, heart health, hormone levels like testosterone and even screens for 50 types of cancer. It’s the most comprehensive, simple and quick way to get bloodwork done. This is the exact test I get every 6 months. Function is now just $365 ($1/day), plus get an extra $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Big love, Try my productivity drink Neutonic. PS |
3 Minute Monday
Podcaster with 1bn+ plays. I write about the most important lessons from the best thinkers on the planet. 300,000+ people read my free newsletter. Press subscribe to join.
3 MINUTE MONDAY Hi friend, I’m coming back to the UK & Ireland with a brand new live show. Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff, Exeter, London, Dublin (Sold Out), Newcastle & Belfast 🚀 Get your tickets now. I’ve been thinking about how to achieve a Realistic Path To Enlightenment. As much as moving to a cave in the woods and spending a decade in silent retreat might be great for your spirit, it’s not going to be doable by pretty much anyone. If you’ve meditated enough, you...
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3 MINUTE MONDAY Hi friend, I got nominated for a Webby Award! Let's annihilate the voting please. It takes less than 30 seconds, thank you so much 💜 “Fuck-you money” is a meme but it’s also a truth. There is an amount of wealth you can achieve when typical restrictions and conventions no longer apply to you. You don’t need to suck up to the gatekeepers. You don’t need to do things you don’t want to do. In extreme situations you don’t even need to follow the law. Similarly, “fuck-you freedom”...