Socrates, is productivity culture worth it?
What is productivity culture? Who are its drivers? Is devoting yourself to productivity worth it in the long run? Tenpy invites you to a Socratic dialogue on the values and villainy of productivism.
SMART goals. Eat the frog. Pomodoro. Kanban. Time blocking.
There are dozens of atomic models that make up the hustling, grinding, toiling body of productivity culture. Each is a sharp, effective scalpel, whittling away at the things that make life worth living — relaxation, companionship, leisure, freedom.
But these models are small fish in a big pond, one by the name of toxic productivity. Its still waters run deep. Deep into a muddy, mucky, quicksand of overworking, performance pressure, and devastating guilt when you take so much as a day off.
And as you sink into these treacherous depths of productivity culture, the question arises, Socratic in spirit and imminent dialogue: What is productivity?
Or perhaps more accurately: Socrates, is productivity culture worth it?
To answer this question, we invite you to transport yourself to the agora of Athens — or at least its cheap, digital knockoff… Metaverse agora? Whatever it may be, we’ll meet you there!
Productivity fiends, assemble!
Welcome to the agora. This is where you come to get your organic, locally produced, farm-to-table debate. The topic of the day – week, month, year, millennium – is productivity. Broadly, the nature of it and specifically, whether its current state is worth the hype.
The rules of the dialogue club are such:
1. The first rule of dialogue club is that there is no dialogue club all we know is that we know nothing
2. Each philosopher thinker person with an opinion gets one opportunity to present their suppositions
3. There are no marks for class participation, but listening is likely to yield results… someday in the future
Alright, let’s cue up productivism’s greatest hits!
The Boss: Business leader masquerades as thought leader
“At my company, we’re a sports team. We work hard so we can play hard. And by ‘play hard’, I mean we’ve set up a foosball table and vending machine in the lounge. Oh, and somebody in middle management is being trained to frown at employees when they use them.
See, you haven't known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of running a business.
The epic highs are when my employees are so afraid of being reprimanded that they commit all their time to work. The epic lows are the attrition rate. I wonder why that is? Eh, that’s HR’s problem.
My focus is profit first. Everything else later. I haven’t gone home in weeks. If I can spend all my time working on making my own company successful, why can’t my employees?
Anyway, check out our Careers page. We have some great perks — did I mention the foosball table?!”
The Parents: There’s no party like a guilt trip party
“Once you finish college, you’ll have all the time in the world to have fu— oh, we forgot. You’re done with college and you have a job. Still, it took some time to find one, no?
When we were your age, your father already had a job. He is a self-made man, and he worked so hard, we hardly ever saw him during those days.
How come you’re sitting at home all the time? What, your job is online? Is it even a real job? What is the scope of this field? When your father retires, will you be able to support us in our old age?
We have invested so much in your future, you need to be more focussed. Instead of wasting time on your computer, find a good old-fashioned job. It’s the least you can do.
Once you get promoted, you’ll have all the time in the world to have fun.”
The Colleague: Don’t let the corporate ladder hit you on the way out
“I know we have the same designation, but I was just telling our manager the other day that it feels like you’re not as… passionate as I am about getting the work done.
I mean, I have 294658 things on my to-do list, but I’m going to ask for 2 more tasks so that I can round it off to a nice even 294660. It’ll look good during appraisal season. I’ve heard there is a promotion and a raise in the cards.
Okay, so it’s a new role with double the responsibility and a small increase in salary, but it’ll be such a good addition to my resume! Just imagine: Sr. Jr. Mid-manager.
Wait, are you taking a break right now? Look, breaks are for people who have no ambition. I’m not saying you’re like that, but… hey! Have you tried the Pomodoro method? You can get more work done like that, trust me. Not more than me, obviously, haha.”
The Influencer: Oh, you’re successful? Pics or it didn’t happen.
“It’s all about the hustle, bro. If you’re not ready to put your head down and work hard, then you’re never going to be successful. Look at my life Instagram grid — everything is perfect, and it’s because I hustle all day, every day.
What does a day in my life look like? I wake up at 4:30 AM. I do my morning routine. I meditate for an hour, then make a protein shake (use my code GRINDBOSS30 to get a discount!). Then I set up my daily grind playlist and get down to work. Most importantly, before I go to sleep, I practice gratitude. It’s all about gratitude, man!
This is the life of a successful person. How did I get successful? No, it wasn’t luck and evolving internet culture. It was because I am my own boss. And also because I wake up at 4:30 AM every day.
In fact, you should be your own boss, dude. Everyone should quit their jobs and make something of their own. Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe, and hit the bell icon!”
Tenpy: There is no wrong time to redefine productivity
“Have you ever wondered whether you’ve been sold an elaborate lie? That if you just work hard enough, if you put in those hours, if you’re ready to give it your all, then it’ll all be worth it?
You likely feel as though the right productivity tool will help you do more so you can prove that you are able to do more so that you can hoard the increasingly diminishing returns of the job-promotion-raise-bonus hybrid that you’ve been taught is the end goal of this pilgrimage of productivity. Whew.
Real talk: Productivity culture, as it stands, is toxic. It is designed to exhaust you over and over and over again, while convincing you that it’s for your own good. And you deserve better than a hoax constructed to con you into giving up your every waking moment.”
So, how to be productive without being a productivist?
If all we know is that we know nothing, then how do we proceed with the productivity conundrum? By acknowledging what we realise is not good for us on a fundamentally individual level.
Productivity should be rewarding, not draining. It shouldn't be about doing more, but about doing what you already are without depleting your finite reserves of time and energy. It shouldn’t mean adding more to your plate because you can do stuff faster and more effectively.
Productivity is not a battery pack. It is a battery saver. Anyone who tells you otherwise is putting you on the fast track to an epic burnout.
Productivity should give you more time off. More energy for leisure. More space to relax. More stamina for fun. More spells with the people you love. More days where you can take off by yourself – and for yourself – to enjoy yourself.
If it isn’t, then ditch it. You’ll thank us later.
At Tenpy, we don’t have much by way of an agora, but we have the ideal tiny homes that are the antidote the drudgery of productivity culture. Book a stay.
