Stop Romanticizing Your 'Hustle': Why Your Productivity Habits Are Gaslighting You
By Nina — I'm the friend who tells you what you need to hear about your situationship. ·
Your 'Busy' Isn’t a Badge of Honor
Look, I love a good aesthetic as much as the next Brooklynite. My apartment is curated, my iced coffee order is consistent, and my PR agency calendar is color-coded to perfection. But lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of you talking about your "productivity hacks" like you’re describing a new boyfriend who’s "just really misunderstood."
Let’s be real for a second: you’re not productive. You’re just performative. You’re spending three hours picking a font for your to-do list while the actual work—the stuff that keeps you up at night—sits there collecting digital dust. If you’re spending more time planning to work than actually working, you aren’t a high-achiever. You’re just a procrastinator with a cute planner.
Stop 'Situationshipping' Your To-Do List
We’ve talked about how you treat your salary and your time like a situationship—full of "what-ifs" and zero commitment. Your to-do list is getting the exact same treatment. You keep adding tasks that you know you aren’t going to do, hoping that if you write them down enough times, they’ll just magically resolve themselves.
Spoiler alert: They won’t.
Stop treating your tasks like they have "potential." If a task has been on your list for three weeks, it’s not a priority; it’s an emotional anchor. You’re keeping it there to feel productive, but all it’s doing is draining your mental bandwidth. Give it an ultimatum: either do it today or delete it. If you aren't going to do it, stop lying to yourself. Clear the clutter so you can actually see the work that matters.
The 'Single-Tasking' Glow-Up
I know, I know. You think you’re a multitasker. You think you can answer emails while hopping on a Zoom call and drafting a pitch deck. Let me tell you what I tell my friends when they say they can "change" their toxic exes: You aren’t special, and you’re definitely not doing it well.
Multitasking is just a fancy way of saying you’re doing three things poorly at the same time. It’s the relationship equivalent of texting your ex while you’re on a date with someone new—you’re not fully present anywhere. If you want real productivity, you need to practice "single-tasking." Pick one thing. Set a timer for 45 minutes. Close the other seventeen tabs you have open (yes, I see you, and yes, it’s giving me anxiety). Do the one thing until the timer goes off. The results? Actually finished work. It’s revolutionary, I promise.
Stop Romanticizing the 'Grind'
There is this weird obsession right now with being "tired" as a proof of success. We wear our burnout like a designer bag. But let’s cut the crap: being burnt out isn't a personality trait. It’s a sign that you’re mismanaging your energy, not just your time.
If you’re working until 10 PM every night because you spent the morning "manifesting" or "optimizing your workflow" instead of doing the actual labor, you’re not a hustler. You’re just inefficient. I learned this the hard way during my own burnout phase post-breakup. I thought if I stayed busy, I wouldn’t have to think about my life. Turns out, I was just making myself miserable for no reason. Productivity is about finding the shortest distance between you and the finish line—not about how much suffering you can pack into an eight-hour shift.
Actionable Habits That Don't Suck
If you actually want to change, here’s how we’re doing it starting today. No more "I’ll start on Monday" energy.
1. The Rule of Three: Every morning, write down three non-negotiable tasks. If you finish those, you’ve won the day. Anything else is a bonus. Stop setting yourself up for failure with a list of twenty things. 2. Eat the Frog: Do the thing you’re dreading first. You know, the one you’ve been avoiding because it scares you? Get it done before your first meeting. The rest of the day will feel like a breeze because you won’t have that "situationship" anxiety hanging over your head. 3. Audit Your Environment: If your workspace is a disaster, your brain is a disaster. You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy desk, but you do need clear space. If you’re surrounded by junk, your brain is busy processing that junk. Clear it out. 4. Set 'Office Hours' for Yourself: Even if you aren't at an agency, treat your time with respect. When your "work hours" are over, actually stop. Close the laptop. Your work will still be there tomorrow, but your mental health might not be if you keep treating your evenings like an extension of your shift.
It’s Time to Level Up
Look, I’m saying this because I’ve been there. I’ve wasted hours "preparing" to work, and I’ve stayed in situations—both professional and personal—that were clearly going nowhere just because it felt safer than the unknown. But growth? Growth happens when you stop the performative nonsense and start doing the real, gritty work.
You’re capable of so much more than "busy." You’re capable of being effective, efficient, and actually having a life outside of your inbox. Stop settling for "productive-ish" and start owning your time.
What’s one thing on your list right now that you’re keeping around just for show? Let’s talk about it—drop me a line in the comments or shoot me a DM. I’m here to call you out, but mostly, I’m here to help you get your life together. We’re in this, but let’s make sure we’re actually going somewhere.