This is NPR's Life Kit. I'm Celeste Headley.

I don't know about you, but I'm a little burnt out. I've been feeling tired and overwhelmed,

and as if my to-do list will never be to done. As a high achiever, I try to be productive all the time.

I was a driven student who became a driven adult. But somewhere in my 40s, it began a dawn on me that

all my hard work wasn't making me any happier or healthier. And so I asked myself,

what am I doing this for? So began a years-long investigation of my own addiction to toxic productivity,

to uncover its roots and the possible antidote.

Today, we'll dig into the psychological underpinnings of our society's addiction to checking

email and setting up one more Zoom call. And I'll start with a question.

When was the last time you watched a movie or show and did not glance at your inbox?

When was the last time you left the house without your phone? Can you eat a meal or sit for an hour

without doing any work at all? If it's really hard for you to take a day off,

then today is for you. Slowing down and letting our brains get distracted and letting our minds

wander, it's actually paradoxically key to being in a way more efficient and also more relaxed.

Amelia Aldeo is a therapist in New York City. She has some tips on how to put down the phone,

the computer, the list of productive New Year's resolutions, and make time for you.

Before we jump back into the episode, we want to say welcome to any new life kit listeners.

We're glad you're here. You can expect each episode to have helpful takeaways to get you started

on whatever life project you're looking to tackle. There are episodes on money, physical and mental

health, parenting, and much more. So take a look around. We're sure there's an episode that

answers a question you've been asking yourself. Okay, back to the episode.

Thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me.

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