ARGUING YES
Workplace Culture Expert; Author of “The Burnout Epidemic”
ARGUING YES
Digital Anthropologist and New York Times Best-Selling Author
ARGUING NO
Creator of the “Getting Things Done” Time Management Method and Author
ARGUING NO
Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School
MODERATOR
Host and Moderator-in-Chief
This week:
- New episode: Does productivity culture help us achieve more, or can it undermine success?
- Register now to attend our next debate in person in NYC on 9/4 or watch the livestream. Details below.
- Your Sunday reading list
It’s the slow, summer vacation season of late August, and hopefully, you are on a beach somewhere. This week’s episode helpfully asks us to reconsider our relationships with work and other priorities and provides a roadmap for achieving the seemingly elusive, well-lived life.
Productivity is a double-edged sword. It can lead to career advancement, increased prosperity, and a sense of purpose. Importantly, it can fuel a life of curiosity and learning, and advances in AI and other technologies can help goal-oriented individuals do more, faster.
However, the downsides of hustle culture are increasingly clear. The constant pressure to optimize every moment of the day can create an environment where rest feels like failure and self-worth is tied to public achievements, as well as overzealous personal goals at home, in the office, and even at the gym. Social media accelerates the pressure to build a seemingly perfect life, and burnout is on the rise.
So today, we bring you an AI-generated quiz to help you evaluate your own habits as you listen to this episode.
QUIZ: Are You Tipping Into Toxic Productivity? Answer “Yes” or “No” to each question.
- Do you feel guilty or anxious when you’re not being productive—even during time off or while relaxing?
- Do you often push through physical or mental exhaustion to meet goals, even when your body signals you need rest?
- Do you frequently say “yes” to more tasks or projects, even when your schedule is already full?
- Do you measure your self-worth primarily by how much you accomplish in a day?
- Do you struggle to enjoy leisure activities unless they feel “useful” or self-improving?
Scoring:
- 0–1 “Yes” answers: You’re likely maintaining a healthy relationship with productivity.
- 2–3 “Yes” answers: Be cautious—some habits may be drifting toward toxic productivity.
- 4–5 “Yes” answers: You may be overdoing it and could benefit from reevaluating your work-life balance and rest habits.
As always, let us know what you think.
More soon,
Lia Matthow
Chief Content Officer
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
Is Our Productivity Culture Toxic?
YES: Jennifer Moss
“AI is supposed to save us time. It’s supposed to make us more efficient. But what I’m seeing in conversations and in the research and data, it’s actually increasing our workload. People have shared with me that they don’t wanna put their hand up because they finish early, because it just means that they’re gonna have more work added to their day. So that promise of AI is not being delivered.”
NO: David Allen
“Productivity has got a lot of baggage as a word. People think that means work harder, work longer, work more, or whatever productivity simply means. Produce what you’re after. Go on a vacation to relax. You don’t relax. Unproductive vacation. So people have misunderstood what even the word productivity means.”
YES: Rahaf Harfoush
“Creativity requires downtime. Creativity requires distraction. Creativity requires boredom. So, my issue is that we have shifted productivity already from a flawed state. It was never designed for knowledge work. It was never designed for complex work. It was never designed for creative work.”
NO: Amy Edmondson
“A scientist in a lab who is running many, many experiments and encountering dozens of failures in that process, it may look like she is not getting anything done. Yet, all of those failures were stepping stones on the way to ultimately delayed successes that are deeply meaningful. When we can overcome our narrow, reductionist notions of what productivity is, then I think we are better able to appreciate that meaningful work is a source of joy and accomplishment and connection among people.”
A CEO Dictator Instead of a President? Watch Our LIVE Debate
What if the U.S. abandoned democratic governance for a CEO-style dictator — someone running the country like a high-performing company? This idea is gaining momentum in some policy circles and is also embraced by high-profile Silicon Valley figures, but should the U.S. embrace the dictator’s cutthroat efficiency, or safeguard its imperfect but resilient democratic system? Join us for a live debate in New York City or watch online via livestream on this question: Should the U.S. Be Ruled by a CEO Dictator?
Anti-democracy theorist Curtis Yarvin will debate E. Glen Weyl, founder of Microsoft Research’s Plural Technology Collaboratory, with Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderating.
Details
When: Thursday, September 4th
Where: Racket NYC (431 West 16th Street)
Time: Doors open at 6:00 PM, debate starts at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $60 | Your price of admission helps to make the live event recording possible, including venue costs. Ticket purchases are tax-deductible donations within the full extent of the law.
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