First published 2021
Modern society has trapped us in a cycle of relentless optimization. We download productivity apps, follow punishing diets, and chase self-improvement schemes while growing more miserable, lonely, and anxious. Award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee argues that our external solutions cannot fix this internal problem. She traces how recent historical developments created our toxic relationship with time and efficiency. Drawing from neuroscience, social science, history, and paleontology, Headlee shows that our harmful habits are recent inventions in human development. The research reveals we measure time by efficiency rather than meaning, work more instead of less, and live harder rather than smarter. Headlee proposes a fundamental shift in thinking. Instead of optimizing our bodies and minds for peak performance, we need to learn how to take time without agenda or profit. The book offers a path to break free from habits that sabotage our wellbeing and redefine what makes life worthwhile.
Genres: psychology, self-help, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
288 pages · Paperback · Harmony