The Price We Pay For Being Productive - A Philosophical Critique of Hustle Culture

Robin Waldun
3 Oct 202316:30

Summary

TLDRIn this video essay, Rob Mauldin explores the detrimental effects of our productivity-obsessed culture, drawing on the insights of Korean-German philosopher Byung-Chul Han. Mauldin critiques the hustle culture's demand for constant work beyond traditional hours, leading to burnout. He discusses the shift from valuing quality to consistency in writing, the rise of 'pre-crastination,' and the self-imposed pressure to be productive. Mauldin argues that this productivity addiction results in a constant state of overstimulation and fragmented attention, undermining our ability for deep contemplation. He suggests that embracing 'healthy procrastination' and 'profound idleness' can counteract the rush of productivity, allowing for more creative and fulfilling work. The video is sponsored by brilliant.org, which is highlighted as a resource for interactive learning in STEM fields.

Takeaways

  • 📚 The video discusses the negative impacts of productivity culture, referencing the work of Korean German philosopher Byung-Chul Han and his book 'The Burnout Society'.
  • 🖋️ Writers often have unique and personal processes for creating novels, which can be difficult to articulate and may not follow a conventional structure.
  • ⏳ The modern emphasis on consistent output over quality can lead to a decrease in the depth and thoughtfulness of creative work.
  • 🔄 The concept of 'pre-crastination' is introduced, where individuals complete tasks prematurely to maintain an appearance of productivity, sometimes at the expense of quality.
  • 🚫 Byung-Chul Han critiques the 'achievement society,' where individuals are driven to constantly achieve and produce, leading to an addiction to productivity.
  • 📈 The self-help and motivation industry has grown as a response to the pressure to be constantly productive and achieve more.
  • 🤔 The video suggests that our society's focus on productivity has led to a decrease in our ability to deeply contemplate and create original content.
  • 🐘 Byung-Chul Han uses the analogy of wild animals to describe how humans, in their quest for productivity, have become constantly distracted and unable to focus.
  • 🎨 The video argues for the value of 'healthy procrastination' and 'profound idleness' as a means to foster creativity and avoid burnout.
  • 🧘‍♂️ Meditation and deliberate practices of boredom are recommended as ways to recharge the mind and encourage the generation of new ideas.
  • 🎓 The video is sponsored by brilliant.org, which is presented as a tool for interactive learning in math and science, supporting the idea of taking time to learn and recharge.

Q & A

  • What is the main topic of the video?

    -The main topic of the video is the damaging effect of productivity culture and hustle culture on individuals, as explored through the philosophical lens provided by the works of Korean German philosopher Byung-Chul Han.

  • Who is Byung-Chul Han and what is his contribution to the discussion in the video?

    -Byung-Chul Han is a Korean German philosopher whose book 'The Burnout Society' provides insights into the negative effects of productivity culture. His work is used in the video to critique the overemphasis on productivity and its impact on society.

  • What is the 'hustle culture' mentioned in the video?

    -The 'hustle culture' refers to the societal pressure to work beyond the traditional nine-to-five schedule, constantly striving for more productivity and success, often at the expense of personal well-being.

  • Why do writers often struggle to explain their writing process?

    -Writers often struggle to explain their writing process because it is an idiosyncratic and often subconscious activity. The creative process is not always clear or linear, making it difficult to articulate.

  • What does the video suggest about the current state of online writing and its focus on consistency?

    -The video suggests that in the current online writing economy, the focus has shifted from the quality of writing to the consistency of uploads, which can lead to a decline in the depth and thoughtfulness of content.

  • What is 'pre-crastination' and how does it relate to productivity culture?

    -Pre-crastination is the tendency to complete tasks well before they are due, often at the expense of quality. It is a result of the productivity culture that values speed and output over thoughtfulness and depth.

  • How does the video connect the concept of an 'achievement society' to the current productivity culture?

    -The video connects the concept of an 'achievement society' to productivity culture by suggesting that individuals in such a society feel compelled to constantly achieve and produce, leading to an addiction to productivity and a decline in the quality of work.

  • What is the role of motivation in the productivity culture discussed in the video?

    -In the productivity culture, motivation is seen as a driving force that pushes individuals to constantly strive for more. However, the video argues that this constant drive for motivation can lead to a focus on quantity over quality and a lack of deep contemplation.

  • How does the video link the concept of 'work ethic' to the productivity culture?

    -The video links 'work ethic' to productivity culture by suggesting that the societal expectation to always be productive and efficient has turned into a moral standard. Failure to meet these standards can lead to feelings of guilt and social ostracization.

  • What is the solution proposed in the video for overcoming the negative effects of productivity culture?

    -The video proposes that embracing 'healthy procrastination' and allowing for periods of profound idleness can counteract the negative effects of productivity culture. This approach encourages deep relaxation and the generation of new, creative ideas.

  • How does the video use the concept of 'boredom' as a tool for creativity?

    -The video suggests that boredom, when embraced, can serve as a tool for creativity by allowing the mind to relax and recharge. This state of rest can lead to new insights and ideas, which are often stifled by constant productivity.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Critique of Productivity Culture

The paragraph discusses the negative impact of the productivity culture, often referred to as 'hustle culture,' which pressures individuals to work beyond traditional hours. It introduces the concept through the lens of Byung-Chul Han's philosophical work, 'The Burnout Society,' suggesting that this culture is damaging. The speaker also reflects on the writing process of novelists, using Umberto Eco as an example to illustrate how the current economy values consistency over quality, leading to a 'pre-crastination' problem where tasks are rushed without proper contemplation.

05:01

🔥 The Achievement Society and Its Drawbacks

This section delves into the concept of the 'achievement society' as described by Byung-Chul Han, where individuals are self-motivated to be productive without external coercion. The paragraph highlights the rise of the self-help industry and the pressure to maintain a high work ethic, which can lead to self-judgment and societal exclusion for those who do not meet these standards. It also discusses the overabundance of stimuli in our digital age, which has conditioned us to multitask and reduced our capacity for deep contemplation, drawing an analogy to how animals must remain vigilant while eating.

10:01

🎨 The Value of Deep Work Over Productivity Addiction

The speaker argues against the productivity addiction and for the value of deep, focused work. They use Umberto Eco's dedication to his craft as an example of the benefits of taking time to produce quality work. The paragraph suggests that the constant demand for output leads to mediocre results and a lack of innovation. It introduces the idea of 'healthy procrastination' as a means to foster creativity by allowing the mind to rest and generate new ideas, contrasting it with the unproductive busyness of the digital age.

15:01

🌟 Embracing Boredom for Creative Rejuvenation

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of embracing boredom and 'profound idleness' as a means to recharge and foster creativity. It suggests that our aversion to boredom leads to a culture of repetitive and mediocre work. The speaker shares personal practices like meditation and piano playing as ways to face and overcome boredom, allowing for mental rejuvenation. The paragraph concludes with a promotion for 'brilliant.org,' a learning platform that offers a variety of courses to help individuals learn and grow in their spare time, aligning with the theme of using time productively for personal development.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Productivity culture

Productivity culture refers to the societal emphasis on efficiency, output, and the constant drive to achieve more in less time. In the video, this concept is critiqued as being damaging, as it leads to a 'hustle culture' where individuals feel compelled to work beyond traditional hours to keep up with societal expectations. The video suggests that this culture can lead to burnout and a decrease in the quality of work, as seen in the discussion about the pressure to produce content consistently rather than taking the time to create something of high quality.

💡Hustle culture

Hustle culture is a subset of productivity culture that glorifies hard work and long hours, often to the detriment of personal well-being. The video discusses how this culture encourages individuals to work beyond the traditional 9-to-5 schedule, which can lead to stress and burnout. The term is used to illustrate the societal pressure to constantly be productive, even at the cost of one's health and personal life.

💡Burnout Society

The term 'Burnout Society' is derived from a book by Korean German philosopher Byung-Chul Han, which the video references to explain the negative effects of an overemphasis on productivity. The concept suggests that societies that prioritize productivity and achievement can lead to widespread burnout, where individuals feel exhausted and unable to maintain their high levels of output. The video uses this term to critique the current societal push for constant productivity and the potential mental health consequences.

💡Consistency

In the context of the video, consistency refers to the regularity with which individuals produce work, often at the expense of quality. The video discusses how online writing metrics have shifted from valuing the quality of writing to valuing the consistency of uploads. This shift reflects a broader trend where the frequency of output is seen as more important than the depth or thoughtfulness of the work, leading to a potential decline in the quality of creative output.

💡Pre-crastination

Pre-crastination is a term used in the video to describe the tendency to complete tasks well before they are due, often at the expense of quality. The video contrasts this with traditional procrastination, suggesting that pre-crastination can lead to a lower quality of work due to the pressure to be productive and complete tasks quickly. The concept is used to illustrate how productivity culture can lead individuals to sacrifice the quality of their work in favor of meeting deadlines early.

💡Achievement Society

The Achievement Society is a concept discussed in the video that describes a societal structure where individuals are driven by the desire to achieve and accomplish as much as possible. This concept is linked to the idea that in such a society, there is an internal pressure to be productive, rather than an external force compelling action. The video suggests that this internal drive can lead to an 'addiction to productivity,' where individuals feel compelled to constantly achieve, often at the cost of their well-being.

💡Work ethic

Work ethic in the video is discussed as a set of moral standards related to work behavior. It implies a system of values that dictates how individuals should approach their work, including the expectation to be highly productive and committed. The video critiques the work ethic as it can lead to guilt and social ostracization if one does not meet these standards, contributing to the pressure to be constantly productive and the potential for burnout.

💡Stimuli overload

Stimuli overload refers to the state of being constantly bombarded with information, images, and sounds, which the video suggests is a direct consequence of an achievement-driven society. The video argues that this overload leads to a preference for multitasking and a decreased ability to focus deeply on one task, which can ultimately reduce the quality of work and hinder creative thinking.

💡Deep contemplation

Deep contemplation is the ability to think deeply and reflectively about a subject or idea. The video discusses how the constant need for productivity and the culture of stimuli overload can reduce an individual's capacity for deep contemplation. This is contrasted with the need for focused attention and the time to marinate in ideas, which is essential for high-quality creative work, such as writing a novel or crafting a thoughtful essay.

💡Healthy procrastination

Healthy procrastination, as discussed in the video, is a deliberate practice of taking breaks or engaging in non-productive activities to allow the mind to rest and recharge. This concept is presented as a counter to the negative connotations of procrastination and is suggested as a method to foster creativity and prevent burnout. The video argues that by scheduling in time for boredom and relaxation, individuals can create space for new insights and ideas, which can lead to more meaningful and quality work.

Highlights

Productivity culture is damaging, promoting a 'hustle' mentality beyond traditional work hours.

Byung-Chul Han's book 'The Burnout Society' sheds light on the negative effects of productivity.

Writers' processes are idiosyncratic, and they often don't understand how they create novels.

Umberto Eco's sarcastic comment on the pressure to produce novels regularly.

The shift from valuing quality to consistency in online writing.

Consistency is now prioritized over the time needed to develop well-thought-out ideas.

The concept of 'pre-crastination' where productivity becomes an end in itself, sacrificing quality.

In an achievement society, individuals are self-motivating subjects, driven to do as much as possible.

The self-help industry booms as people seek ways to increase motivation and productivity.

Work ethic is a system of morals dictating how one should behave in the achievement society.

Non-compliance with work ethic standards leads to social judgment and ostracization.

Excessive stimuli in our environment due to the drive to create more content.

The need to multitask in the information economy leads to a fractured attention span.

Byung-Chul Han's analogy of humans resembling wild animals due to the constant need to multitask.

The reduction in our ability to deeply contemplate due to the digital wilderness of stimuli.

The importance of spending time on fewer projects to create quality work, as opposed to spreading attention thin.

Healthy procrastination can set the stage for creative projects to flourish by allowing the mind to rest.

Byung-Chul Han's concept of 'profound idleness' as a necessary state for mental rejuvenation.

Boredom is essential for deep relaxation and creativity, contrary to the modern aversion to it.

Meditation and deliberate practices of boredom can help recharge the mind for better creative output.

Brilliant.org is a platform for learning math and science interactively, supporting well-rounded education.

Brilliant.org offers courses for every skill level, including exercises and quizzes for comprehensive learning.

The video concludes with an offer for a free trial and a discount on Brilliant.org's annual subscription.

Transcripts

play00:00

today's episode is brought to you by

play00:01

brilliant.org and welcome back to

play00:03

another video and today we're going to

play00:05

do a video on the damaging effect of

play00:08

this productivity culture that we're all

play00:10

all a part of the hustle culture how you

play00:12

have to work beyond the nine to five and

play00:14

how you have to really get down in a

play00:16

grind set in order to complete all these

play00:18

tasks but recently I've been reading a

play00:20

lot of stuff and reading a lot of books

play00:22

by this Korean German philosopher by the

play00:24

name of bien Chohan and one of his books

play00:26

called the burnout Society really casts

play00:28

some light on this damaging effect that

play00:30

productivity is having on all of us so

play00:32

in this video as a broad series covering

play00:36

a lot of different philosophical works

play00:38

and to give some problems a

play00:40

philosophical lens this video is going

play00:42

to philosophically provide a

play00:44

philosophical critique for this over

play00:46

productivity that we have so let's start

play00:49

from the very beginning which is with a

play00:51

very curious observation if you ever sit

play00:53

a writer down and you ask him what is

play00:56

your process of writing like how do you

play00:58

write a novel well like what is your

play00:59

writing routine like what you're going

play01:01

to realize is that the writing space on

play01:03

the Internet or at least for Myspace and

play01:06

for various novelists it is a very

play01:08

idiosyncratic space where each writer

play01:10

have their own little thing going on and

play01:11

whenever you try to ask him about their

play01:13

process they always seem to try to find

play01:15

a nearest fire escape to run out of

play01:17

because fundamentally Riders don't

play01:19

really know how they how they write a

play01:22

novel they don't really know the process

play01:23

that goes on behind it and if you try to

play01:25

analyze their art form retrospectively

play01:27

sometimes things become clear but as the

play01:29

writer's writing the thing they don't

play01:31

really know how they do it and the

play01:32

Italian novelist thinkerto Echo is not

play01:34

an exception in an interview in 2015

play01:36

Tommy vorm actually interviewed Umberto

play01:39

echo on his writing process and asked

play01:41

him the Forbidden question for all

play01:42

writers which is how in the hell did you

play01:45

come up with a novel idea and how did

play01:46

you write the name of the Rose which was

play01:48

Umberto echo's first novel and he

play01:50

responded with a very sort of sarcastic

play01:53

comment it happened when you

play01:55

feel that you haven't to peace and you

play01:57

have to to run to the toilet and then he

play02:00

added that I think I cannot understand

play02:02

those novelists that publish a book

play02:05

every year they lose this pleasure of

play02:07

spending six seven eight years to to

play02:10

prepare to prepare a story that's a very

play02:13

curious observation because

play02:15

in this economy I don't think Riders

play02:18

have that much time to prepare a story

play02:19

everything is about consistency and a

play02:22

metric for online writing turned from

play02:23

quality of writing to consistency in

play02:26

this economy at least I want you to

play02:27

observe like this idea of spending six

play02:30

seven eight years as Alberto Echo did to

play02:33

prepare a story or to prepare article it

play02:36

is no longer the fashionable way of

play02:37

doing things for example now I spend a

play02:39

lot of my time writing a sub stack and

play02:41

one of the things that really irritates

play02:43

me on substance is that the key metric

play02:45

or the key measurement of your writing

play02:47

is actually not engagement per se

play02:50

there's an open rate on each email but

play02:52

it actually depends upon your

play02:54

consistency of uploads or consistency of

play02:56

writing so in a sense consistency really

play02:58

took over the quality of writing or

play03:00

really took over the time we need to

play03:02

prepare an article to prepare a

play03:04

marinated idea and to use Umberto echo's

play03:08

funny toilet analogy it is as if the

play03:10

writing economy is forcing us to piss

play03:12

before we even have the urge and this is

play03:14

going to lead us to the second problem

play03:16

which is the problem of pre-crastination

play03:18

back when I was doing my Bachelor of

play03:20

Arts I was a crazy person so I spent the

play03:22

entire semester doing a full course load

play03:24

and what happened was I was always the

play03:27

stickler person I was always this person

play03:29

who turns in assignments like a week

play03:31

before the due date but in retrospect

play03:33

after I graduated I started looking over

play03:35

some of my older essays they were all

play03:37

full of typos in some essays and one of

play03:39

these essays even has some pretty severe

play03:41

citation errors but it is just to me it

play03:43

was a case of productivity seeping into

play03:46

my work as I turned productivity into

play03:48

kind of like a goalie in itself really

play03:50

sacrificed the quality of the work so

play03:52

this addiction this productivity

play03:55

addiction that I had is what the

play03:57

philosopher the Korean German

play03:58

philosopher bianchohan called it's a

play04:01

natural consequence of this concept of

play04:03

the achievement Society back in the days

play04:05

people with theorizing at least um at

play04:08

the end of the 20th century people were

play04:09

theorizing about a repressive power a

play04:12

negative power where people have to tell

play04:14

you to do things where people put a gun

play04:15

Frontier had to force you to do things

play04:17

but in an achievement Society according

play04:20

no one's really forcing you to do

play04:22

anything so in a sense all of us become

play04:24

achievement subjects the key incentive

play04:27

for this achievement subject is to do as

play04:30

much as possible is to motivate

play04:32

themselves as much as possible and to

play04:34

complete some sort of aim and in this

play04:36

case it feeds into this pathology that

play04:39

bianchohan called um in a sense this

play04:41

addiction to productivity that turns us

play04:43

all into self-motivating subjects where

play04:46

we don't suffer from a negative power

play04:48

but we suffer from an excess of

play04:50

positivity the verb can becomes the

play04:53

modal verb that excites everybody you

play04:56

can't do this just do it so bianchohan

play04:58

wrote very beautifully quote

play05:00

prohibitions Commandments and the law

play05:03

are replaced by projects initiatives and

play05:06

motivation end quote this is probably

play05:08

why have you ever noticed that the

play05:10

motivation section in your local Barnes

play05:12

Noble or your local bookstore they're

play05:14

getting fatter and fatter every year I

play05:16

remember when I was in high school the

play05:18

motivation section was kind of like just

play05:19

a little sliver at the bookstore but now

play05:21

it spans across three or four different

play05:23

shelves there's really a boom in a

play05:25

self-help industry because as people get

play05:27

more and more self-motivated to become

play05:30

self-made entrepreneurs or self-made

play05:32

productivity junkies or a self-made

play05:35

achievement subjects there's more of a

play05:37

need for us to find Solutions not for

play05:40

personal happiness but for the quickest

play05:43

way to increase motivation the quickest

play05:46

way to get the most amount of stuff done

play05:48

because we're literally addicted to

play05:49

completing projects as they start to get

play05:52

enamored by this idea of I'm going to do

play05:55

as much as possible as everyone gets

play05:57

addicted to this idea of motivation that

play05:59

then consequently gives rise to the idea

play06:01

of a work ethic the word work ethic here

play06:04

is not as innocent as it seems work

play06:06

ethic actually has a pretty good reason

play06:08

to be there because ethics implies a

play06:10

system of morals and a system of how you

play06:13

should behave if people fail to comply

play06:15

to these standards and if people fail to

play06:17

somehow find a way to to fulfill these

play06:20

morals because you know typical Morality

play06:22

In terms of Ethics when you fail to

play06:24

fulfill sometimes you have to go out of

play06:26

your way to fulfill an ethical standard

play06:27

but if you fail to comply people tend to

play06:30

look at you with judgment with guilt and

play06:32

tend to ostracize you from the community

play06:34

in the same way in the achievement

play06:36

Society sometimes we don't really call

play06:38

these people Mad Men or criminals when

play06:40

we don't comply to this code of work

play06:42

ethic but instead we call them

play06:45

depressives and losers how many times

play06:48

have you guilted yourself for being

play06:49

quote unquote by Society standards as a

play06:53

loser because you couldn't complete a

play06:54

task how many times did you exercise

play06:57

that self-restraint to not be a

play07:01

quote-unquote loser so that is the

play07:03

essence of the self-motivating subject

play07:06

we police ourselves we can say that

play07:08

we've turned our society into a labor

play07:10

camp where one is simultaneously

play07:12

prisoner and guard victim and

play07:14

perpetrator as we exploit ourselves

play07:17

going off from that line of logic of the

play07:19

self-motivating subject what are some of

play07:21

the prices that we're paying for this

play07:23

over productivity one of the direct

play07:25

consequences according to Han of this

play07:27

zealous culture of achievement is that

play07:30

we are constantly surrounded by excess

play07:33

stimuli we're constantly surrounded by

play07:34

images sounds tick tocks YouTube videos

play07:38

and different music videos on YouTube

play07:41

they're all popping up all at once

play07:42

cramming your feed by the very fact that

play07:45

everyone's motivated to create more and

play07:47

more and more and more content guess

play07:49

where all this content is going you're

play07:51

right so we are consuming the very thing

play07:53

that we've created we've created a very

play07:55

environment of excessive stimuli we've

play07:59

created a diet that we're consuming

play08:01

right now so under this condition we've

play08:03

altered kind of like our perception of

play08:05

the environment of favor multitasking

play08:07

because sometimes to surviving this

play08:09

information economy in order for us to

play08:11

keep up to date to follow to keep up

play08:14

with the Joneses we have constantly

play08:17

fracture our attention what this gives

play08:19

rise to is what biento Hond had a really

play08:22

beautiful analogy he basically said that

play08:24

we start to resemble wild animals the

play08:27

more refresh our attention quote an

play08:29

animal busy with eating must also attend

play08:32

to other tasks it must constantly be on

play08:34

the lookout lest it be eaten while

play08:36

eating in the wild the animal is forced

play08:39

to divide its attention between various

play08:40

activities end quote so in that sense

play08:43

we've really Unleashed ourselves into

play08:44

the digital Wilderness where scrolling

play08:46

the news is synonymous with eating

play08:49

dinner and as you scroll the news it's

play08:51

you're not just looking at the news

play08:52

you're also keeping an eye out on that

play08:55

from Twitter you're also trying

play08:57

to defend your opinions through the

play08:59

comment sections and the TVs probably

play09:01

also iron in the background so there's

play09:02

not a stimulus right there and you're

play09:04

constantly switching your attention from

play09:06

one thing to another start to resemble

play09:09

an animal out in a while who has to

play09:11

attend to everything all at once the

play09:13

main difference between an animal and a

play09:15

human being is to human beings

play09:17

supposedly have this deliberate ability

play09:19

to contemplate and this is what the

play09:21

first is from wild animals but because

play09:23

we've trained ourselves to behave like

play09:25

wild animals out in the digital

play09:27

Wilderness we've really really reduced

play09:29

our ability to deeply contemplate about

play09:31

things or to deeply think about things

play09:34

sometimes in our lives the most

play09:36

rewarding experiences don't really come

play09:38

from fracturing our attention imagine

play09:39

going to a party sometimes the most

play09:42

interesting conversations they tend to

play09:43

come out of just locking into a

play09:45

conversation with one person and

play09:47

sometimes watching her favorite film

play09:48

again and again and again and again is

play09:50

way more rewarding than flipping through

play09:52

Netflix and try to watch two episodes

play09:54

out of every season of a show and for

play09:56

writers and artists sometimes it's way

play09:58

more rewarding to put more effort into

play10:00

one project over years like Umberto

play10:03

ecoset spent six seven eight years on

play10:05

one story and then write it and then

play10:07

craft it really well compared to

play10:09

fracturing your attention with constant

play10:12

two-week-long timelines and to turn out

play10:15

a bunch of mediocre work that you are

play10:16

not really happy with for example this

play10:18

video essay that you're listening to

play10:19

right now it took me over a year to

play10:22

properly articulate it to putting to

play10:24

words that are sensible and to really

play10:26

phrase this in the right way

play10:28

productivity addiction implies that you

play10:30

have to constantly turn out stuff

play10:31

whereas doing good work requires you to

play10:34

defer that pleasure of completion and to

play10:37

spend more attention and energy on the

play10:39

task at hand so what's the solution to

play10:41

all of this now you might be wondering

play10:42

holy we are in a pretty bad

play10:44

situation as self-motivating subjects

play10:47

wearing a pretty bad spot how do we ever

play10:49

get out of this mindset of being overly

play10:52

productive how do we stop burning

play10:53

ourselves out over the silly thing of

play10:55

always needing to complete certain tasks

play10:57

so contrary to popular belief I actually

play10:59

believe that procrastination is not the

play11:01

problem procrastinating in a right way

play11:03

can actually set up the very conditions

play11:04

that you use to make your creative

play11:06

projects flourish for example when most

play11:08

people think about procrastination when

play11:10

most people think about putting off work

play11:12

they're in a sense still engaging with

play11:15

the information economy by by scrolling

play11:17

through their phones or picking up a

play11:19

random book or turning on a TV so in a

play11:21

sense their brains are never really

play11:22

fully relaxed and they're not really in

play11:24

that state of full mental Rejuvenation

play11:26

so when they return to actually getting

play11:29

down to business or getting down to what

play11:31

to what they actually need to do they're

play11:33

still very much exhausted and the state

play11:35

of exhaustion and I quote bianchohan

play11:37

again from his really beautiful Book

play11:38

quote we end up riding a hectic Rush

play11:41

that produces nothing new accelerating

play11:44

what is already available end quote have

play11:46

you ever wondered why most tick tocks

play11:48

have the same soundtrack over and over

play11:50

and over again which is because we don't

play11:52

have the mental energy to think about

play11:54

soundtracks and because it is very

play11:56

convenient way for us to slot that

play11:58

soundtrack in this is why we are

play12:00

accelerating a culture of sameness we're

play12:03

accelerating and replicating the same

play12:05

thing over and over and over again just

play12:07

so we don't have to spend more effort

play12:09

into creating new ideas or new content

play12:11

or New pieces of information so if we

play12:14

ever want to combat this hectic Rush we

play12:16

have to subject ourselves sometimes

play12:18

against our instincts to this idea of a

play12:21

profound idleness bianchohan talked

play12:23

about so this state unlike compulsive

play12:25

consumption actually requires you to

play12:28

face boredom maybe for the first time in

play12:30

your life and boredom is such a

play12:31

condition that is so agitating to the

play12:34

modern mind that we almost don't want to

play12:36

look at it when you're on the train

play12:37

people can possibly check their phones

play12:39

to displace the boredom when you're

play12:41

sitting at home by yourself sometimes

play12:43

you don't even feel like you can be

play12:44

bored even during those moments when you

play12:46

feel like you can't be bored maybe you

play12:48

know waiting for your doctor to get back

play12:49

to you at the dentist's office you in a

play12:52

sense find some distracting activities

play12:53

to keep that boredom out of line without

play12:56

realizing that for bianchohan at least

play12:58

boredom to the mine is actually what

play13:00

sleep is to the body and it encourages

play13:03

deep relaxation and if we don't somehow

play13:05

schedule enough time or boredom in our

play13:08

lives it is actually going to burn us

play13:10

out and giving rise to repetitive work

play13:12

giving rise to mediocre work that the

play13:15

artist or the writers they're not very

play13:17

happy with those kinds of mediocre work

play13:18

and this is where healthy

play13:19

procrastination comes in at the very end

play13:21

of this video and healthy

play13:23

procrastination forces you to

play13:26

deliberately schedule in ordinary

play13:28

activities or even even quote-unquote

play13:30

boring activities to relax your mind

play13:32

enough so you can give your mind enough

play13:34

space for new insights and ideas to come

play13:37

in and for me personally I really adore

play13:40

meditation as a very deliberate practice

play13:43

at boredom and I love practicing the

play13:46

piano because working through a long

play13:48

complicated piano piece is anything but

play13:51

exciting finding those spaces for me to

play13:53

properly cultivate this ability to face

play13:56

boredom and to rejuvenate and to

play13:59

mentally recharge is really important

play14:01

for me when I want to put all of my

play14:03

energy into creating these videos into

play14:05

writing more substack posts and to

play14:07

making more quality content for you guys

play14:09

because sometimes compulsive

play14:11

productivity is not the answer and

play14:14

sometimes we have to make space space

play14:16

for the things we love while we create

play14:18

the work that we also love and speaking

play14:21

of bringing more activities into your

play14:22

life to relax your mind and to recharge

play14:25

you outside of work one of the greatest

play14:27

ways to do that is by picking up a new

play14:29

learning project and brilliant.org

play14:32

today's video sponsor just happened to

play14:33

be at a perfect tool for people to start

play14:35

learning math and science interactively

play14:37

and for now it is the best app for this

play14:40

very task there's a bunch of courses

play14:42

here on brilliant.org ranging from

play14:44

computer science to basic calculus all

play14:47

the way to something like artificial

play14:49

intelligence programming so there's a

play14:51

lot of stuff on here and for me as a

play14:53

Humanities person some of this stuff

play14:54

don't even occur to me because I am so

play14:56

blind to the development in the stem

play14:58

field but I think as a if you want to be

play15:01

a well-rounded and well-educated person

play15:03

it is helpful to gain a general

play15:04

understanding into those fields and

play15:06

brilliant.org has courses for every

play15:09

skill level so it doesn't matter if

play15:10

you've failed calculus in high school it

play15:13

has these levels of classes for you to

play15:15

choose from and every single class comes

play15:18

with additional exercises and fun puzzle

play15:20

cases for you to solve and the end of

play15:22

class quiz for you to consolidate your

play15:24

understanding for example for me

play15:26

personally in my spare time when I'm not

play15:28

working on this insane research thesis I

play15:31

am currently still going through the

play15:33

very late stages of this mathematical

play15:36

logic course for me to learn some of the

play15:38

ins and outs of the symbols when it

play15:40

comes down to mathematical logic or

play15:41

formal logic because I am still digging

play15:44

through a lot of Wittgenstein and it is

play15:46

still not making much sense to me so I

play15:47

think having that additional help for

play15:49

brilliant out of work really helped with

play15:51

me when I'm you know getting down to the

play15:54

business of really absorbing formal

play15:56

logic as a subject so if you're ready to

play15:58

try out brilliant.org right now they are

play16:00

doing a special offer for you so if you

play16:02

want to get 30 days for free for this

play16:05

amazing application or for this amazing

play16:07

learning platform be sure to head over

play16:09

to brilliant.org RC Walden for your

play16:11

first 30 days free trial and on top of

play16:14

that if you really want to try out the

play16:15

full version of the sap they are

play16:17

offering you guys a 20 discount when you

play16:20

sign up for your annual subscription

play16:21

thank you brilliant for sponsoring

play16:22

today's video essay and I will see you

play16:25

in the next video Rob Mauldin here take

play16:28

care

play16:29

and goodbye

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

相关标签
Productivity CritiquePhilosophyBurnout SocietyHustle CultureCreative ProcessUmberto EcoAchievement SocietySelf-MotivationInformation OverloadProcrastination
您是否需要英文摘要?