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Why Are We Still Doing That? – Is Hyper-Efficiency Stealing Your Joy?

Blog / Podcast

Our blog and podcast dive into the real stories and everyday strategies behind building a No Vacation Required life. We challenge outdated norms, share fresh perspectives, and explore what it means to find fulfillment right now—in a world that rarely makes it easy.

Why Are We Still Doing That? – Is Hyper-Efficiency Stealing Your Joy?

No Vacation Required

Defining Your Own Success: The Truth About Time, Health, and Money

Why are we still outsourcing the very things that make us feel human? We dive into the "efficiency lie," exploring how our hyper-productive culture tricks us into trading our joy for more work. We challenge the modern habit of optimizing every chore out of our lives, arguing that the time we "save" by ordering delivery or avoiding housework is often filled with more stress rather than the freedom we were promised.

From the surprising link between efficiency and declining health to the realization that we often want freedom more than we want money, this episode is a guide to reclaiming your humanity. Learn why making the "slow" oatmeal or baking your own bread might be the most productive thing you do all day as you build a life you don't need a break from.

Onward and Inward,

CHAPTERS:

  • (00:00) Why are we still doing that?

  • (00:43) Reclaiming your right to define success

  • (01:33) The struggle with the 24-hour day

  • (03:56) The efficiency lie: Why outsourcing doesn't save time

  • (05:59) Finding joy in the "un-optimized" life

  • (06:56) The link between hyper-efficiency and health

  • (08:29) Workism: Being efficient just to work more

  • (10:02) Money vs. Freedom: What we actually want

  • (11:51) Choosing individualized measures of success

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • The Efficiency Lie: Outsourcing chores and "optimizing" life rarely grants us more time; instead, it often removes the tactile, human activities that regulate our nervous systems and bring us joy.

  • Workism Awareness: We are often encouraged to be hyper-efficient so that we can fit in more work, eventually working more just to afford to outsource the things we enjoy doing.

  • Freedom over Currency: Once basic needs are met, the desire for "more money" is usually a masked desire for more freedom. Focus on reclaiming your time and autonomy rather than just a higher balance.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

SUPPORT NO VACATION REQUIRED:

If this episode helped you rethink a tough decision, please leave a review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube! It is the best way to help our message reach more people.