"I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt" by Madeleine Dore
Jan 12, 2024
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Madeleine Dore, an expert on productivity, talks about letting go of productivity guilt and the negative impacts it has on our well-being and self-worth. She encourages embracing creativity, overcoming indecision, and finding delightful discipline. Dore highlights the importance of starting the day with something delightful and embracing learning. She also mentions the Next Big Idea app and production details of the podcast.
Productivity should not be the sole measure of success; embrace creativity for a more fulfilling life.
Find ways to infuse delight and fascination into tasks to sustain motivation and find joy in the ordinary moments.
Deep dives
Expanding beyond productivity
In her book, 'I didn't do the thing today, letting go of productivity guilt', Madeline Doar argues that productivity should not be the sole measure of success in our daily lives. While being productive is important, equating it with self-worth often leads to feelings of overwhelm, burnout, dissatisfaction, and inadequacy. Instead, Doar suggests embracing creativity as a more vibrant and rewarding measure for our days. Creativity allows us to approach our tasks differently and recognize that our days rarely unfold in sequential order. By honoring our constant shifts and changes, we can live a more fulfilling and authentic life.
Embracing delightful discipline
Doar introduces the concept of 'delightful discipline' as an antidote to procrastination and dread. She emphasizes the importance of enjoying the tasks we need to do, even the difficult ones. By finding ways to make them easier, smaller, or more enjoyable, we can sustain motivation and momentum. One example she shares is the 'Eat the Clotted Cream Method,' which suggests starting the day with something delightful and enjoyable, setting a positive mood for the rest of the day. By infusing delight and fascination into our actions, we can approach tasks with a renewed sense of curiosity and find joy in the ordinary moments.
Madeleine Dore went in search of the secret to productivity, only to find that there isn't one. Instead, we're being set up to fail. Today, she's here to encourage us to take productivity off its pedestal.
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