How to be (somewhat) productive in the middle of a dumpster fire
"My story of 2025 is MY story, and I refuse to make it about the people creating this mess. They don’t deserve that power over my life."
Hi there,
These days, do you feel like you’re able to do the things you’d like to do? Do you find it relatively easy to focus on the tasks at hand?
Personally, I’m finding it harder than during “normal times.” If you are in the same boat, this article is for you!
I’m also extending the founding member rate to people who join the Soulful Productivity Club this month. Given all that’s going on, I think affordable and kind accountability is more important than ever. You can find out more about that at the bottom of this email.
Does productivity even matter right now?
Now, to be clear: there are more important things right now than work or productivity: justice, democracy, liberty, etc.
At the same time, I don’t want this year — my 2025 — to just be about the collective dumpster fire. More importantly, when I look back at 2025, I want to be able to tell a story that doesn’t center around the people who are currently dominating the news.
My story of 2025 is my story, and I refuse to make it about the people creating this mess. They don’t deserve that power over my life.
🌼 Being productive isn’t just about obligations. It’s also about our self-expression, creative potential, and possibilities for the future. Plus, maintaining good habits and practices is an act of self-care. Given that the collective situation probably won’t improve much in the next few weeks, let’s talk about how to do all these things in the middle of a dumpster fire.
First, let’s talk about why we can’t just do productivity as usual:
The problem with expecting ourselves to be productive right now
During the pandemic, I frequently read through requests for sources that reporters and bloggers had put out. A staggering number of requests were for “creative” or “unorthodox” advice on how people can be more productive when working from home.
Despite being a productivity coach (even if I’m a rather unusual one), I never responded to them. Something about having to come up with “new” and “unusual” productivity advice just felt terrible, like being asked to create a “fresh” design for an Iron Maiden torture device.
I beat myself up a bit for not taking action on those emails — and then proceeded to read a funny piece of fiction (my chosen form of self-medication in the midst of challenging collective situations).
A bit later, I realized why I hadn’t responded to any of the requests for productivity advice:
💡 Telling people they should be more productive in the midst of what might be one of the scariest things and the biggest societal upheaval they have ever gone through is a terrible thing to do.It is.
It’s toxic.
And I don’t want to be a part of that.
The same thing applies today.
Here’s why you might be less productive right now:
Erm … where do I even start? Here’s a partial list:
Because the world is changing at the fastest pace ever...and it doesn’t exactly look to be changing in a positive direction.
Because all the chaos and uncertainty is hard to deal with.
Because 2025 has been a lot so far and things aren’t looking up.
Because the US president is talking about invading other countries.
Because you're worried about the state of the economy or the world.
Because the injustices and inequalities you're seeing are breaking your heart.
Because you’re concerned about the safety of other people — or yourself.
Because you don’t recognize the world anymore, and you wonder if it will ever return to normal again.
💡 In other words, you might be less productive than usual because this is really, really hard. It’s not because you’re lazy or because you don’t care.It’s also not because you aren’t
setting priorities,
scheduling periods of deep work, or
staying away from the news during work hours (I wasn’t even reading them when I ran into my productivity blocks).
Under normal circumstances, all these things might be sufficient to help you be productive.
But we’re not in normal times. We’re living in dumpster fire times.
That’s not to say that you won’t get to be productive at all.
You just need to find a way of being productive that’s
grounded in self-compassion, and that
acknowledges the stress you are currently under, given collective events.
A compassionate way to be productive in the middle of a dumpster fire
When approached correctly, getting things done can be part of our self-care routine. After all, being productive often feels better than vegging out.
This might be even more true in a situation like the current one, when so much feels out of our control. In that case, taking action can feel like we’re taking back our sovereignty.
That’s certainly been my experience in this situation. For instance, I recently spent a workday only doing the very basics in terms of work. After having done a lot the previous two days and feeling tired due to everything that’s going on in the world, I wanted to take a break.
What I realized is that I didn’t really enjoy my lazy day that much. The next day, I got a lot of things done, and that accomplishment made me feel great, like I was able to move things forward.
💚 If you can, I would encourage you to look at productivity through the lens of self-care: what approach would be the kindest one toward yourself? Sometimes, taking it slowly is the right thing to do to be compassionate towards yourself in the middle of a dumpster fire. Other times, being productive will actually make you feel better and thus be part of your self-care routine.
How to make productivity part of your self-care routine
To make productivity part of our self-care routine, we need to approach it differently.
1. Decide to make this year about something positive — for yourself
As I stated above, I refuse to have my year be all about the people currently dominating the news. When I look back at 2025, I want to have something positive to show for it. Pursuing that goal helps me reclaim my sovereignty.
Is this hard? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes.
So, how can you do this? Start by picking just one small thing that you have been wanting to do for a long time. Maybe that’s as simple as “I have always wanted to re-read Lord of the Rings.” Or: “I have always wanted to learn to meditate.”
➡️ "What's something you could do this year that you have been wanting to do for a long time?"
If you like, share in the comments below. For instance, I just started doing a Yoga challenge. If I keep on this trajectory, by the end of the year, I will be able to say: “2025 was the year I finally became proficient in Yoga.” I also started a productivity coaching group — something I had been wanting to do for years.
Make sure that your chosen goal actually feels good, and not like a chore. We are already dealing with more than enough things we don’t like.
2. Don’t force yourself to be productive
If at all possible, don’t force yourself to take specific actions. Trying to force yourself to do something often leads to a negative feedback loop. The more pressure you put on yourself, the more you resist.
To remove pressure, the following step might help:
3. Reframe your language
This is an exercise that comes from Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication framework. To get started, grab down a piece of paper and write down 3–5 things that you feel you must/should/have to do. Focus on the things that weigh on you.
For instance: “I have to reach out to Sophie about the upcoming meeting.”
Then, restate every sentence according to this format: “I chose to do X, because I value Y.”
For instance: “I choose to reach out to Sophie, because the upcoming meeting is about a topic I care about, and it’s important to me that it goes well.”
If you cannot find a good reason, re-evaluate if you really want to do the thing.
4. Give yourself permission and be playful
With the things you choose to do, give yourself permission to do them and be playful with it.
That’s the approach I took with this article. Initially, the thought of writing an article felt terrible. I then realized that I had tried to force myself to get it done, and that I already had more than enough constriction and negativity going on.
Adding more constriction on top of all that just increased the amount of resistance I had to taking action. But once I decided to give myself permission to write the article and considered how doing so could actually help me feel better, that resistance faded away, and I began typing.
If you want to read more about the power of playfulness, I have an entire article here.
Takeaway
It’s hard to be productive in the middle of a dumpster fire. But productivity can be an expression of kindness:
towards yourself (staying on top of things tends to feel better than not),
towards others (the people around you who might rely on you to show up), and
towards the world (through the positive impact and ripple effects you create when you are productive in a kind, compassionate, and soulful way).
If there’s something you have been meaning to do but keep putting off, how about giving yourself permission to do it as a part of your self-care routine?
If my experience with this article is any indication, you just might feel better afterward.
Next steps
If you would like more support to focus on the things that matter to you, the Soulful Productivity Club might be a great fit for you. We meet as a group 2 times per month (every first and third Tuesday of the month at noon Eastern Time).
Our next meeting is on April 15.
These meetings take 45–60 minutes. (It’s okay if you have to leave early.)
What if you have to leave early? That’s fine! You can share/get coached first. ✅
What if you can’t join on time? That’s fine! You can share/get coached at the end. ✅
What if you are in a noisy place? You can keep your camera off and participate via chat messages, if you like. ✅
What if you miss a meeting? No worries, there will be a recording and helpful meeting notes (written by yours truly, not AI). ✅
During weeks when we don't have a call, you will receive an email check-in to help you stay on track so you are supported during the entire time. ✅
No minimum commitment: You can join us for a month, or stay as long as you want. ✅
Given all that’s been going on economically, I’ve decided to extend the founding member rate to people who are joining this month.
☀️ So, you can get all this for only $25/month (it's normally $30/month, which is still amazing value for the level of support you are getting). 🎁 If this sound interesting, I have a gift for you: your first meeting is complimentary, so you can try it out and see if you like it before becoming a member. Simply sign up here, and you will receive an email with the call-in information.
Warmly,
Louise