Productivity Capitalism Has Me In A Chokehold

I’ve been drafting Part 4 in my 6 Part series on planning your 2025, and I’m slowly embarrassed of myself.

When I started writing this series, the aim was to tell you, dear reader, all of my tips and tricks on planning and vision setting in order to get what I want. But over the last few weeks I have been bombarded with so much 2025 Productivity content that I almost wanna scrap the final two essays and vom.

But you guys know that I don’t flake, so your essays are coming, DW. 

But back to this chokehold 

Every year it’s the same. For about three weeks from mid-Dec to mid Jan, I have crazy anxiety about the requirements social media places on us to be successful. I go to bed THINKING about reels and hate myself for it. I become a scatty mess, and I cannot focus, or for that matter rest, because I am in rat brain mode of : what do I need to post to be successful? And what’s most annoying is that I know what works, I just don’t want to be that girl.

We know what the monster wants 

Take for example last Jan. I posted two things that I knew would trend and yes they worked. But they were totally boring and uncreative and dare I say it - basic.

So then I thought, let me focus on storytelling. I wrote a teeny script for this Mulberry video and it was creatively satisfying and performed well but took time and money.

So then I sort of just decided to not really post all that much on my personal and Stack World IG unless I specifically needed to promote something. And I decided that I wouldn’t even attempt Tik Tok.

But will we feed it?

And that method worked well all year. I had a good relationship with social media and I started this newsletter which has been my most authentic creative act of 2024. But then Xmas rolls around and productivity capitalism calls and before you know it I’m 4 hours deep in YouTube watching videos on rebranding your life. There we go again. 

Collective Female Anxiety

I know why it makes me wanna vom. Aside from all the noise, I feel like it taps into the universal female anxiety of not being enough and of needing to change and upgrade yourself if you want to have your best year EVA! I’m suddenly googling “trap botox” and wondering if I should have a hair transplant. Even when I’m doing business research, the role models of financial success are mainly white and thin and blonde, and I wonder, how will I fit in? How will the algorithm favour a faceless brand? And then I fall apart thinking of the invisible pressure being online and present. 

But who is this pressure from?

And as I said in the intro, I feel part of the problem. I too am creating this content (although I hope you know I think you are perfect as you are and I hope my writing doesn’t give you anxiety) and alongside this 6 Part series for New Methods Readers, I’m hosting our annual Vision Setting Workshop for Stack Members on January 10th. The pressure is coming from me.

So how do I breathe again?

Firstly, I take my own advice on the Cost of Visibility and focus on other business strategies to growth such as going back to storytelling. After all, I have no idea who the founders of Malin & Goetz are. I will also focus on what I like doing and what I’m already good at. I like writing so I'm gonna continue with that. 

The end of Vision Setting?

And finally, I think (but don’t hold me to this) this may be the last ever Vision Setting Workshop I ever host. It will be 6 years in a row (alongside mid year and end of year sessions) that I have done this workshop, and I record it every time so it’s all documented. 

I’ve also tidied up and updated all the accompanying documents and templates here.  These are included in Stack & New Methods Premium Memberships.

So I’m going to do the Vision Setting Workshop on January 10th 2025 on Zoom and in person at Cowley Manor. And then I’m done.

I wasn’t put on this earth to sell you productivity capitalism. I was put on this earth to think and to create and make work that helps move the needle on gender equity. So I’m gonna turn off my phone, find the things that inspire me IRL and use the holidays to actually rest.