{"id":159090,"date":"2022-01-17T12:12:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T01:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/?p=159090"},"modified":"2022-01-18T15:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T04:29:10","slug":"a-qa-with-madeleine-dore-i-didnt-do-the-thing-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2022\/01\/17\/a-qa-with-madeleine-dore-i-didnt-do-the-thing-today\/","title":{"rendered":"A Q&A with Madeleine Dore | I Didn’t Do the Thing Today"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Madeleine<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Madeleine Dore is a writer and interviewer exploring how we can broaden the definition of a day well spent. As a labour of love, Madeleine spent years asking creative thinkers how they navigate their days on her popular blog Extraordinary Routines and podcast Routines & Ruts. She now dabbles in various freelance projects and tries to hold things lightly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Madeleine Dore is on the blog to answer a few questions about her brand new book, I Didn’t Do the Thing Today<\/a><\/strong>, a book about letting go of productivity guilt. Read on!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\"Madeleine<\/a>

Madeleine Dore<\/p><\/div>\n

Please tell us about your book, I Didn’t Do The Thing Today<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

MD: <\/strong>I Didn’t Do the Thing Today<\/em> is an antidote to our doing-obsession. Designed as a companion for the days that go off track, the book\u2019s chapters explore the various ways we encounter productivity guilt\u2014including comparison to others, striving for perfectionism, and our great expectations.<\/p>\n

For anyone struggling with sticking to a routine or checking off their to do list, I Didn’t Do the Thing Today<\/em> shares how to take \u200bproductivity off its pedestal and find more connection, creativity, and curiosity in its place. <\/p>\n\n\n

What is \u2018productivity guilt\u2019 and why do you think so many of us experience it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD: <\/strong>There are many guises to productivity guilt: It\u2019s that feeling that you\u2019re not doing enough, that you\u2019re doing too much, that you\u2019re wasting time or falling behind. Just as there are many forms, there are also many reasons why we experience it. When our days don\u2019t go to plan\u2014because of bosses, because of kids, because of a sunny afternoon, because of life\u2014we can encounter productivity-guilt spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We try and fail and try again to live up to the pressures and demands placed on our days, and when we inevitably don\u2019t meet society\u2019s expectations\u2014or our own\u2014we can feel a sense of guilt, shame and anxiety. We might then seek out the latest productivity hack to bring us closer to our idealized achievements, and when we slip up once again, the productivity-guilt spiral sets in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of recognising we\u2019re in a system full of false promises that sets us up to fail, we place the blame wholly on ourselves and rinse and repeat the search for the thing to fix. Productivity guilt becomes a negative feedback loop\u2014but we can find ways out of the loop. As my book explores, we can untether from the idea that productivity is the sole measure of our worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you give us an example of a time when you let go of productivity guilt and embraced the messiness? How did you work through it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> One guise of productivity guilt is interestingly this search for \u2018work life\u2019 balance\u2014when we rely on finding balance to \u2018fix\u2019 us, it can become an impossible standard we set for ourselves that can leave us feeling guilty and anxious if we don\u2019t achieve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more realistic, perhaps, is to recognise that work and life is a balancing act. Instead of striving for balance and stability, we can embrace what I call the \u201cwobble\u201d\u2014rather than striving for a life of perfect order, we can wobble between those tasks and commitments that are most meaningful, pressing or simply desirable in each moment. The best we can strive for is not balance, but rather balancing\u2014when we learn to be more open to the ebb and flow, we can let our days unfold in front of us with enjoyment rather than judgement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘I think making creativity the measure of our days in place of productivity can be a more accessible and malleable approach. Irrespective of our life circumstances, each of us are given a day, and within it, there is always something to experiment with.’<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You run the blog Extraordinary Routines<\/a><\/em> and also host a podcast, Routines & Ruts<\/a><\/em>. Did this inspire your thinking for this book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> Absolutely \u2014 this book is the culmination of everything I\u2019ve learned about how to reframe our obsession with output and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many in our society I\u2019ve felt the pressure to be productive \u2014 I\u2019ve tried every hack, every way to optimize my day, only to keep falling short and feeling behind. I turned to interviewing hundreds of creative thinkers and experts to find the secret to productivity, only to find there isn\u2019t one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, compiling lessons from creatives around the globe helped me realize that you don\u2019t need to be \u201ca creative\u201d to live a creative life. For example, illustrator Mari Andrew taught me to set goals based on how you want to feel, rather than what you want to achieve. Artist and author Austin Kleon helped me replace my elaborate fantasy schedules with a simple checkbox for each day. Renowned Australian painter Ken Done once told me he keeps a farting gnome figurine in his studio to remind him not to take himself so seriously\u2014and now I keep a similar reminder as my mobile phone\u2019s wallpaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think making creativity the measure of our days in place of productivity can be a more accessible and malleable approach. Irrespective of our life circumstances, each of us are given a day, and within it, there is always something to experiment with. It\u2019s less about doing more, and more about doing it more creatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who did you write this book for? Who do you wish would read it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> It\u2019s for anyone who has felt the pressure to do more, be more, achieve more. This could be a student, a manager, a stay-at-home parent, a freelance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps they\u2019ve found themselves stuck in the productivity-guilt spiral after testing different inbox hacks and devising impossible morning routines, only to tumble over when real life and responsibilities get in the way. It is for those people who have tried to perfect their routines, tick off their to-dos, and cross off their calendars\u2014and have found themselves left feeling listless. Instead of trying to fix and change our lives, this book is about deepening our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey towards becoming a writer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> After graduating, it was proving difficult to find a job in my field as a journalist so I followed the advice \u2018if you can\u2019t find the job you want, create it for yourself\u2019 and started my interview project Extraordinary Routines<\/em> as a labour of love. It was a way to build my portfolio as a writer but also learn how people approach their days and careers. This eventually led to a job as a staff writer for an online arts publication. I kept up my side projects and eventually went freelance and continued to learn through creating new projects when I had the time and curiosity \u2014 which then led to writing this very book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the last book you read and loved?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running<\/a><\/em> <\/strong>by Haruki Murakami hugely influenced by days \u2014 and approach to writing through the analogy and powerful lessons of running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you hope readers will discover in I Didn’t Do The Thing Today<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> Instead of seeking yet another yo-yo solution, my hope is this book will lead readers to a more sustainable one. In place of tips and tricks to increase productivity, work smarter, and get more done, this book will encourage readers to let go of productivity-guilt and find their own way to approach their days and how they define their worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, what\u2019s up next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MD:<\/strong> I\u2019m learning to be more open to the uncertainty of what\u2019s next \u2014 but my hope is there will be more things to learn, and more words to write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks Madeleine!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014I Didn’t Do the Thing Today<\/a><\/em> by Madeleine Dore (Murdoch Books) is out now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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