Member-only story
Finding Real Joy Beyond Productivity
Why slowing down might be the answer your soul’s been whispering all along
A few years ago, I was the queen of the checklist. My productivity (and my self-esteem) depended on it.
Every day started with a to-do list that ran my life like a drill sergeant. I’d hit the ground running, checking boxes, putting out fires, meeting deadlines, and chasing the next “thing” that would finally make me feel like I had arrived.
A clean kitchen? Check. Bills paid? Check. Work project wrapped? Check. Feeling happy?
Hmmm… not exactly. (No check.)
Despite all my accomplishments, one stubborn question kept rising up: Is this what happiness feels like?
Wow, I hoped not. Because something wasn’t quite right…
Turns out, I wasn’t alone. When I voiced the question to my closest friends, they had their own stories. And they agreed with me.
“I am so busy, I don’t have time to breathe. Am I making it that way, or is that just how it is?”
“This phase of life — with a full-time job, teenage kids, aging parents, and trying to hold a marriage together — wears me out and makes me feel needed at the same time. Happy? I don’t know what that means…”
