The Productivity Myth: Why Rest Is the Ultimate Rebellion

Exhaustion keeps us compliant. True power lies in rest, regulation, and reclaiming what capitalism took from us. Here’s how to break free.

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This Month’s Theme

Practicing Nervous System Regulation

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I’m tired of society’s obsession with capitalism’s idea of productivity and efficiency—chasing novelty and endless growth at all costs.

Commoditizing every spare second we have.

We’ve commoditized our time to the point where we feel guilty for spending any on noncommercial activities like sleep or doing a hobby “just for fun.”

Everything has to have a clear “ROI.”

In the few short corporate positions I held, it felt like hell.

Your value was based on how busy you looked.

Easy. Staple a few papers.

Chat with someone in their cubicle.

Pretend to research something even though the work was done hours ago.

Use as much of your precious, unrenewable time as possible to look like you’re giving your employer the biggest bang for their hourly buck.

This slog was painfully dull compared to my sexier, fast-paced time in the music industry and startup world.

Busyness and burnout were badges of honor disguised in photoshoots and red carpets.

If you weren’t constantly networking, looking for angles, and glued to your inbox like it was a life support machine while buying into bro energy—then who are you?

In How To Do Nothing, Jenny Odell says:

“In a situation where every waking moment has become the time in which we make our living, and when we submit even our leisure for numerical evaluation via likes on Facebook and Instagram… time becomes an economic resource that we can no longer justify spending on ‘nothing’. It provides no return on investment; it is simply too expensive.”

When we’re trapped in a cycle of overconsumption and constant output, our capacity to think, create, and regenerate dies. And dare I say…so do we?

Politicians and corporations love it when we’re too distracted and exhausted to think for ourselves—it means they can continue commoditizing the individual and profiting without pushback.

What’s the solution here?

Jenny Odell beautifully describes the other side of productivity—one rooted in regeneration and connection—in How to Do Nothing. When we rest, reflect, and stop doing as the world defines it, we create space for real ideas and healing.

Yes, doing 'nothing' is a form of self-care, but in this context, it’s an act of rebellion against the commercialized cliché version hijacked by companies selling 18k gold dumbbells and psychic vampire repellant.

Audre Lorde said it best:

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Self-preservation and regeneration create space within us. When we have space, we think, heal, and expand. Fresh ideas start to flow, and we feel inspired to take action. This naturally brings us back to self-preservation mode, creating a cycle of renewal and growth.

This is why prioritizing nervous system regulation is an essential part of self-care as an act of rebellion.

It’s how we escape the capitalist spiritual prison we unknowingly walked into. It’s how we hear our authentic voices, break free from manufactured constructs, and reclaim the power we were never supposed to have.

And the best part? It’s free. It’s personal. No one can take it from us.

If you’re looking for a small step to start, try a quick breathing exercise:

1. Close your eyes.

2. Inhale deeply through your nose for four seconds.

3. Hold for four seconds.

4. Exhale slowly through your mouth (like a straw) for 6-8 seconds.

5. Repeat four times.

So—how are you preserving yourself daily? What are you doing to regulate your nervous system?

Good Quote

“The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of room, not try to be or do anything whatever."

- May Sarton

Good Question

Move up the ladder to higher vibrations by writing at the top of a blank page:

Am I creating enough space in my life to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with my inner world?

and see what flows from your pen. No judgment or editing.

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Good Thinking

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In case you missed it . . .

​Do nervous system hacks actually work? I'm putting them to the test

​Are you actually relaxed—or just used to being stressed?

Nervous system in overdrive? Here’s your reset button

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