Israa Nasir on Toxic Productivity and How to Stop Using Productivity as a Barometer of Self-Worth

Today I am thrilled to have on the show Israa Nasir to talk about her book Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More, which came out November 19. Israa is a psychotherapist, speaker, and the founder of the mental health brand WellGuide, a digital community for mental health awareness. I love getting her WellGuide Substack, so make sure to subscribe to “The Well Guide” if you love this book and this conversation, which I know you will. Her work is centered on transforming the way we talk about mental health, taking it from a place of shame to a place of empowerment. You may have seen her work on NBC or in Teen Vogue, Huffpost, or Vox, and she’s been invited to speak everywhere from Google to Meta to Yale. We know anecdotally what productivity is, but what is toxic productivity? It’s something Israa has battled herself, as have I. Today on the show we not only define toxic productivity but healthy productivity, as well, and what that might look like; how we can separate a false sense of urgency from a true sense of urgency; that multitasking is not possible for the human mind; and how so many of us are using productivity as a barometer of self-worth and as a way to meet our emotional needs — and how this will never serve us. There is also a connection between shame and toxic productivity I think you’ll be really interested to hear about.  Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More by Israa Nasir