| Hi Friend-
One of the cool things about creating new products is that once you turn them loose in the world, they take on a life of their own. And unexpected things happen.
As I get close to re-opening registration for my new course RESET — it opens again on April 23rd — I want to share a story about one of the unexpected impacts the course has had thus far.
And that's helping people release their "productivity shame."
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If you think of your brain as the battery that powers all of your actions, productivity shame is what leaks out when your mindset gets a bit "cracked."
Like battery acid, productivity shame is a toxic substance that slowly corrodes your ability to take any joy in your work.
See if any of these scenarios feel familiar: - Committing to a schedule or workload that you intuitively know is unrealistic and destined to result in overwhelm, and then beating yourself up when you are unable to execute on it.
- Reactivating a long-dormant creative project and expecting lightning bolts of inspiration to show up on Day 1, and feeling dejected and worthless when that doesn't happen.
- Setting huge, incredibly challenging goals for yourself without creating any structure for emotional support and/or accountability, and then blaming your failure to meet those goals on a lack of willpower.
- Not defining what "enough" looks like in advance — whether it's for knocking stuff off your to-do list or making money with your business — and then berating yourself later for not having done enough.
This is what productivity shame looks like.
And the crazy part is: No one is doing this to us. We do it to ourselves.
But there are good reasons why. This urgency for instant results is a natural — if toxic — byproduct of the world we live in today.
When everything around you is emphasizing the importance hustle, instant gratification, and exponential growth, it's hard not to get the sense that you might be falling short or doing something wrong.
When the apps & tools you use everyday teach you to value efficiency and convenience above all else, you begin to expect your mind and your body to perform almost any action "on-demand."
And then when we can't activate our creative minds and "produce" on demand, we berate ourselves.
We have been slowly lulled into a mindset that sets us up for shame, rather than success.
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RESET gives you the tools necessary to let go of that productivity shame.
It will help you recalibrate your strategies for structuring your workday, setting boundaries and saying no, and generating creative work that feeds you. So that you can let go of the shame of "never doing enough" and lean into celebrating your progress and feeling like the work you do has meaning.
But I'm not going to ask you to take my word for it.
I was only able to put a finger on this phenomenon of "productivity shame" by listening to the stories students told me about how RESET changed the way they approached their work.
Here's what they said:
"RESET mends the dissonance between tiny tasks and big dreams. It helped me see a path forward and gave me the tools to refine my process as projects unfold. I feel like I'm accomplishing more and understanding what is possible to ask of myself in a given workday. Daily tasks feel meaningful even if they are small actions."
—Sarah Lochhead, Director
"I feel much more relaxed and in control of my workday. And I no longer feel overwhelmed, inadequate, frantic, or like I'm missing something. I've taken a mountain of other productivity courses, but RESET is the only one that has helped me achieve this feeling."
—Jon Surratt, Product Manager
"Prior to taking this course, I had some guilt around my creative process because I wasn't working in the way, or at the speed, that others might want me to. RESET has given me confidence in my creative process and helped me define and honor the way I want to work."
—Angie Wheeler, Entrepreneur
"Reset is empowering me to go slower, not pile too much on my plate, and know that my to-do list will still be here tomorrow. I feel supported in taking my work seriously and pursuing my goals. It's given me the comforting feeling that everything is going to be okay."
—Doris Fullgrabe, Artist
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RESET re-opens for registration on April 23rd, and the 4-week course begins on May 19th.
I would love to have you join me in learning how to lay down this burden of shame, so that we can all approach our work with more enthusiasm, intention, and joy.
Much love,
Jocelyn
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Hi, I'm Jocelyn, the human behind this newsletter. I created the RESET course from scratch based on my research and personal experience. I also host Hurry Slowly — a podcast about how you can be more productive, creative, and resilient by slowing down. You can contact me at any time by replying to this email. 🤓 | | | | |
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