Productivity and Content Burnout in 2024, but a new day rises for 2025?

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Note: I have since edited this post a few times for clarity. Nothing major.

A little over a year ago, I started listening to the Cortex podcast. I’m always up for optimizing my life and Mike and Grey seemed like they were right up my alley. Tweak this, optimize that, schedule this, time block that. It seemed perfect.

To make a very long story short (one that I may elaborate on more on my blog in the coming weeks), I completely burned myself out on productivity culture this year. I had the Streaks app for tracking exercise, weighing myself, reading, meditation. I had sheets and sheets of goals and books I want to read in Obsidian. I fought with what app to use where, switching often. To remedy the situation (or so I thought) I’d watch a YouTube video or listen to a podcast – even though I knew they weren’t helping. I kept going. When that didn’t “pay off” I’d search Reddit for advice or come to this forum even if I wanted to hear someone talk sense to me. :wink:

About 6 weeks ago I hit a wall. I was constantly not living up to my stated expectations and feeling worse with each passing week that I wasn’t doing this or that, or wasn’t doing it well enough.

I have access to various people within the mental health world and I actually approached someone about this. I showed them my Streaks app and how I wanted to log my food in LoseIt, track goals in Obsidian etc etc. She was taken aback by how hard I am on myself and how I’ve basically set myself up to have these outlandish expectations of myself. At one point she said “who are you even doing all this for? You have this little guy in your pocket telling you about all the things you should be doing but aren’t, nagging you”.

Since that day I’ve pared down a lot. I’ve unsubscribed from most productivity/health shows, I check the news almost never (that wasn’t helping), and I’ve really tried to do a reset.

Getting back to Cortex – I now see a lot of the optimizations on that show as being WAY over the top for most people. Grey and Myke didn’t put me here or cause any of this, but they were kind of the straw that broke the camels back. They took it all just that little bit further which helped me see things in myself that I hadn’t been aware of (eg. taking things too far).

This is a personal journey for everyone, but it’s helped me immensely to step away from a lot of content and focus on the things I want to do and I want to accomplish, without trying to live life in a way someone else thinks I should.

Now, this may be counter to all of what I’ve said above as I’m still working through it. BUT – I did listen to the year end Cortex episode as I enjoy those. I also came at it from a different point of view – my own. I had more than a few eye rolls for Grey during the episode, but I really like this idea of a yearly theme. I also appreciated their advice about doing it manually and reviewing things with a pen and a book (not the one they’re selling – as it happens).

After years of being anti pen and paper and all in on tech-for-everything, I’ve decided to order this Leuchtturm notebook in bright red and I will have it on my desk to track “The Year of Health”. Physical, mental, and fiscal.

As a lefty my writing is abhorrent, and I don’t like the way it looks. But I’m going to put this red book on my desk and review as I am able on the Year of Health.

I’m excited. And coming from the place that I’m coming from, I can tell you it’s okay to give yourself a break. Slow down, take time for yourself, and really think about what you want to do for yourself. Be kind, go easy. :blush:

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There’s a massive juxtaposition in what you’ve said because while an element of Cortex is about being more productive, when they talk about their yearly themes, they specifically don’t set themselves targets to reach, rather they focus on desired behaviours which will point them in the direction they want to go.

It’s the difference between setting yourself a target to lose 28 lbs and instead a challenge to eat better and do more exercise.

In the former if you lose 27 lbs you can claim it’s a failure, but anyone sensibly losing 27lbs because they were overweight should see it as a massive success, if that’s achieved by adopting more sustainable behaviours then it’s a real win.

If what you’re doing now makes you feel better that’s amazing

When things like this come up, I imagine myself on my death bed. Will I regret doing or not doing a thing in 30 years? If I didn’t lose that extra lb, no.

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Thanks for writing about your journey! I’ve had lots of similar experiences to you. I’ve stopped listening/watching to most productivity stuff besides the occasional Cal Newport podcast. I just use a notebook for work tasks and notes and Apple Notes/Reminders for my personal life. I feel a little silly because this is basically what normal people do without thinking, and we all it treat like a shattering revelation. I would love to hear what you are doing with the notebook to track health and how you are approaching goal setting. I feel like I’ve tried everything in the last eight years without being able to stick to anything and get results health-wise.

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Yes, this part is tricky. They don’t set specific targets, but they do track certain things. They even designed a notebook for such tracking that is for sale. It’s not a specific list of tasks but more a “North Star” as they put it. For the past few weeks I’ve been “winging it” and I’ve gained 5 lbs and been pretty lazy. I’m all caught up on my TV shows though – but that’s not helping either.

The purpose of the book is just to remind myself that I have my “North Star”/yearly theme of Health. I’d like to set out to exercise regularly, but I also think it would be helpful to note – “did you keep tracking apps off your phone this month?”.

I’m slowly adding things back that I want to do for myself. Getting more fit, yes. Writing a bit more, yes. Downloading a new app because I heard about it on a podcast - no.

It’s a push and pull that I’m still trying to figure out. I dropped everything for a few weeks, tried to clear my head, and now I’m trying to be more intentional, less rushed (hence the notebook) and trying to listen to my inner voice over personalities online.

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You are the only person who has to read it. Handwriting is not something to beat yourself up about.

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It’s funny. When I see someone else’s handwriting I either admire how nice it looks, or wish mine was uniquely terrible like theirs. :laughing:

I forget. Mine is uniquely terrible too!

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My handwriting is so bad even I have trouble reading it at times! :slight_smile:

And most of my ephemeral notes are hand written. I had to learn to slow down when writing, or to immediately review hastily written notes to clarify for my future self.

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I want to revisit this notebook idea. I do want to have a theme of “health” for the year. I think that’s healthy at a high level. I also think it’s a good idea to try and make health a priority each day. Maybe it takes the form of walking my dog, eating a healthier lunch, or taking time to listen to a favourite album.

When the day is done, I do see value in sitting down with a notebook and writing a few lines about how it went, how it was better than yesterday etc.

But there’s a fine line between that gentle notebook and having something like this on each daily page:

  • Walk the dog for 25 mins
  • Exercise for 30 mins
  • Meditate for 10 mins
  • Read x number of pages in my book

I think I mentioned it earlier, but the purpose of ordering the red notebook was so that it would be a daily visible reminder on my desk that health is a priority. I need to be less precise and intense about what that looks like and I need to go slow. I don’t need to run a 10k by the end of January.

But like @geoffaire pointed out, this red notebook can very easily morph into the very kind of “harsh tracking” I’m trying to get away from. I feel like if I go easy on myself, take it slow, and listen to my inner voice above all else, I will have a clearer picture of all this with the passage of time. But yeah, what the notebook looks like and how I structure things or don’t structure things – I’ll let you know when I have an answer.

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My wife and I do “Rose, Bud, Thorn”.

Rose - what did you like today.
Bud - what are you looking forward to tomorrow.
Thorn - what did you didn’t like today (wording courtesy of my then 7 year old neice).

You could use a simple framework like this to keep it from morphing in to a daily completed task log.

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I like that – very cool! Thanks for the tip.

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II can relate to, and I’m empathetic to your journey. I have also stopped listening to podcasts, watching videos, or reading books related to productivity. Additionally, I severely limit my ingestion of “newstainment.” Too much focus on productivity and being immersed in the negativity of most news creates a chronic psychic stress that most of us can do without.

I’ve come to the realization that what I essentially need to do is set important, realistic goals in my life, and then create a schedule and habits to help me achieve them. The incessant tracking of streaks, sleep, weight, etc., has not proven to be significantly beneficial, and in some cases, counterproductive. I log my meals, but I don’t weigh myself. My way of maintaining a healthy weight is monitoring how my clothes fit and feel. My clothes should be comfortable and loose-fitting. The trick is never to buy larger clothes or a belt, and I never move the belt buckle pin to another hole. If I feel my clothes getting a bit uncomfortable or the belt a bit tight, I know I need to eat less or differently, exercise more, or both. :slightly_smiling_face:

Live a disciplined life with moderation in all things, do good, and relax. :slightly_smiling_face:

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

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The way to do this is not by tracking habits. It’s by:

  • Reflecting on what you did accomplish (took photos on my walk) in realistic but positive terms (enjoyed watching a new show)

  • Reflecting on what you want to do the next day

  • Reflecting on what you might do differently or try instead

But also: Remember you can quit what isn’t necessary that causes anxiety.

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I add a little tweak to this formula: don’t be tempted (or coerced) into doing what’s not integral to those goals. It sounds obvious, but there isn’t a day that passes where I don’t find myself flailing away at something I feel I should be doing but that has nothing to do with my life’s goals, or human flourishing for that matter. There are whole industries organized around coercing us into doing things we don’t really need to do to thrive. (Looking at you, Productivity Culture … and Lifestyle Influencers)

This was me and journalling.

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That is absolutely correct. An example I would include (and of course, I recognize that people’s opinions on this matter will differ :slightly_smiling_face:), is much of social media, this forum excepted. :wink:

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This is probably one of the coolest ways I’ve heard someone describe this way of journaling. Very cool!

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I’ve completely stopped consuming any content about productivity. I can’t read a single sentence about Zettelkasten or Obsidian anywhere without losing interest – and I actually use the method and the app. I realized that, like many others, I was consuming this type of content purely for entertainment, as a way to mentally relax from work and relieve stress. Reading and watching videos about productivity, testing apps, obsessing over features that don’t matter, basically became a hobby.

The most surprising part, even to myself, is how I stopped. It wasn’t a decision – one day it just happened. And the reason for this, I suspect, is that this year I started cycling a lot, consistently, several days a week. It completely took over my free time and gave me a better way to relax. I swapped one hobby for another.

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Many years ago I got up early one morning and went for a run . . . ok a brisk walk. Even that was a miserable experience, but I did it again the next day. Eventually I was able to run 10 miles at a time, and bike 40+. The only tech I used was a bike and a Timex.

The hardest part was deciding to start.

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I play ice hockey once a week and run on and off. I’m not even starting from zero so that’s gotta help, too!

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Those red notebooks look sharp. I used to use Full Focus planners which came in four colors for the year, and that color change each quarter made it fun to keep around and keep opening. I definitely like that free form, spatial journaling lets you adjust on the fly when you sense you’re caring too much or little about something.

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Thanks for sharing your story. Lots of good advice throughout the comments.

Productivity advice is so hit or miss. I think high level 30,000 foot view stuff is valuable. What I hate and stopped consuming is the rotation of Apple stock app—-> new flashy app—> nope I’m going back to the stock Apple app bc it’s actually better. I guess that’s just to have something to write about which is fine. Just not for me and too time consuming.

I used to close/watch my rings religiously until I realized it wasn’t really changing much physically. Now I just make sure I go walk or bike at least a few times a week.

Lots of things are similar I think. Like work projects. If I get 4-5 hours of quiet work time I can get a lot done. And don’t have to micromanage myself.

Good luck in 2025 with your notebook!

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