Originally published November 10, 2024
I almost titled today's newsletter "when business as usual feels impossible..." but then I remembered that finding little moments of joy is always worth it and writing subject lines for these notes always makes me smile.
Like many, I've been processing this week as we watch people who will come into power that relish stripping away basic human rights.
I've been sitting with a lot of internal (and external) tension this week. Disappointed and yet also frustrated that I'm not surprised. If we judge based on actions not ideals, then we are seeing the physical representation of the reality of America's actions (hostile, bigoted, and inauthentic) vs. what it aspires to be (inclusive, progressive, altruistic) named president-elect. I want to be clear here, I'm referring to America as a country that has it's own brand and PR agency just like corporations, not the people of America as a monolith.
And it's reminded me about why I'm so passionate about this work, beyond how it has helped me personally. We are here challenging the systems and status quo.
Productivity, like many modern practices, is rooted in capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. Many only know the version of productivity that exists today, one that centers a one-size-fits-all approach, disenfranchises disabled and neurodivergent folks, and can be downright harmful.
So I'd like to challenge you to read today with an open mind. To remember that fighting for the "we" over the "me" has one fundamental truth...
What truly helps disabled folks, people of color, immigrants, and the poorest in our world, will benefit us all regardless of gender, skin color, or class.
Resting and resisting,
Hannah
P.S. If after reading this intro (or any other part of this newsletter) you no longer want to be here, there is an unsubscribe button at the bottom and I encourage you to use if that is what feels best for you.
P.P.S. I believe it is absolutely the right of women, especially women of color, to outright refuse to entertain, allow, or provide energy, access, or labor to those who voted against their humanity. So while I hope that if you voted for he-who-shall-not-be-named that you will take away a new perspective today because I believe many of us want the same things. I will also be explicitly clear that my priority here and in my social spaces is standing up for people of color, LGBTQIA+, and disabled folks. Always has been, always will be. I will not debate the humanity of myself and others because of your opinions dressed as values and morals.
Where we started
If you've been around for a bit, you know that I talk a lot about the pressure to always be "doing" and how it so often feels like we're drowning, always looking to just get our head above water for once.
These feelings make a lot more sense when you look at them in the context of how the modern concept of productivity emerged.
When colonial capitalism emerged in the 1400s, it valued resource extraction and labor exploitation while devaluing the Indigenous ways of being and working.
Time became a commodity to be "spent" or "wasted," prioritizing linear, measurable output over cyclical or relationship-based work that was common in many non-Western cultures.
That was 22 generations ago.
A little over a hundred years after that in the early 1500s, the Protestant work ethic (which was deeply entwined with white supremacist colonial expansion) moralized productivity.
Constant work was positioned as virtuous while labeling rest as moral failing. This ideology justified both the exploitation of enslaved people's labor and the criticism of cultures that prioritized community and balance over constant production.
Which was 17 generations ago up until about 8 generations ago... aka a long a$$ time.
Fast forward to the 1850s and patriarchal structures further solidified this framework of constant and moralized productivity.
For the next 100 years, scientific management and the industrial complex treated workers as machines to be optimized rather than whole humans with needs and limitations.
These systems were particularly harmful to marginalized communities like people of color, disabled, and neurodiverse folks (a term that wasn't coined until the 1990s), through exploitative labor practices while simultaneously denying them access to the wealth their productivity generated.
This was up until 3 generations or 74 years ago.
Both our current president and president-elect where young children and products of that time.
My parents were also, and yours might be too.
Then there's the whole gender piece: where "real" work was what men did for pay, while completely devaluing the essential caregiving work (mostly done by women) that makes all other work possible.
Who takes care of the kids, the home, the emotional needs of the family? This work has been historically invisible and unpaid, even though nothing else functions without it.
In the last 74 years, we can see how these roots have manifested into what we now call "hustle culture," wellness optimization, and toxic workplaces with cultures that praise overwork while making it hard for caregivers to succeed.
Why does all this matter?
Understanding this history, the "how we got here" is what helps us see why creating sustainable ways of working can feel so challenging - we're often pushing against deeply embedded systems that weren't designed for human wellbeing in the first place.
But recognizing this is also the first step toward making different choices that actually support our whole selves.
No one alone can change these systems.
They are called roots for a reason.
We are now products of a time with more tools thanks to technology and opportunities to resist these systems in small ways.
Whether it's holding boundaries, allowing yourself guilt-free rest, or building community that you can call on when you need help, you are fighting against these entrenched beliefs and toxic productivity.
Productivity itself isn't evil, but it was weaponized.
There is no better time to redefine what it looks like for you.
I share all of this because I can't do this work authentically without acknowledging:
- Our current understanding of this work is rooted in a damaging history.
- I am a white woman and hold privileges that makes some of this work easier than it is for others.
- I am a neurodivergent, chronically ill, and queer person at the mercy of the systems that wish I was smaller, quieter, and less than.
All of these experiences deeply impact and affect my perspective on this work, as they should.
- If I truly believe that individual awareness of personal energy can lead to more supportive structures for one person, I must also make sure that those tools benefit and support community care.
- If I truly believe all people deserve basic human rights, I am responsible for using the degree of privilege I hold to have difficult conversations in white spaces, decenter myself in other spaces, and sit with uncomfortable truths about myself, my family's history, and the feelings that come from it.
- If I truly believe in accessibility, disability justice, and neurodiverse experiences, my work must include accessible and adaptable systems, contribute to collective liberation beyond individual success, and more.
The lens of my work has always been rooted in resistance against societal standards.
This work is inherently political, radical, and opposes the systems upheld by both political parties in the United States.
So this week, I want to encourage you to...
Try This:
Little Rebellions
This work has changed my life. While it has not and will not fix everything, that doesn't discount how much it has helped. For this week's exercise I have a simple ask—choose one or two things from the below list to rebel in little ways this week.
- Take a nap without setting an alarm when your body asks for it
- Leave non-urgent emails unread until you have the energy to respond thoughtfully
- Block off "thinking time" in your calendar with no specific agenda
- Say "I need to check my energy levels first" before committing to plans
- Deliberately work slower when you notice yourself rushing
- Schedule meetings around your natural energy rhythms, not others' expectations
- Keep your camera off in virtual meetings when you need to preserve energy
- Take the scenic route home instead of the efficient one
- Let the dishes sit while you read a book
- For people who menstruate, set your work hours around your menstrual cycle (for part of all of your cycle)
- Normalize talking about rest in professional settings
- Use your sick days for mental health breaks
- Set boundaries around response times - not everything needs an immediate reply
- Celebrate maintaining energy levels as much as achieving goals
- Share openly about your energy limits with colleagues
- Define "productive" by how you feel, not what you complete
- Schedule recovery time after social events, even "fun" ones
- Reject the idea that being busy equals being important
- Keep your to-do list intentionally small
- Practice saying "that doesn't work for my energy levels" without apologizing or over-explaining
- Prioritize sleep over early morning productivity
- Share about your rest practices as proudly as people share hustle stories
- Build blank space into your schedule for unexpected energy dips
- Choose activities based on energy capacity, not external expectations
- Acknowledge when systems aren't working for you, even if they work for others
REMINDER:
These acts of resistance might seem small, but we're pushing against systems that have been in place for over 600 years. Your capacity to rebel will look different depending on your circumstances, privileges, and safety needs. If you're in a workplace or situation where these acts could put you at risk, protect yourself first.
Find small pockets where you can honor your human needs within systems that weren't designed for them. Each tiny act of choosing yourself, of prioritizing rest, of questioning "the way things are done"—these all matter.
As always, take what feels accessible and leave what doesn't. Trust your instincts and know that even being aware of these systems and how they impact you is an act of resistance in itself.
I feel like this week's email has been anything and everything I could have written in my journal over the last week. So I'll leave you with a book quote from a historical romance I read last month that feels timely, unfortunately.
“Like Nicholas, you are adventurous, intelligent, and courageous,” my mother began, her eyes momentarily glassing over, her mind going far away as she talked about her husband. “But like him you are also brash, forgetful, and just a little bit selfish. All traits that are fine in a man, but not in a young lady of good standing.”
I wrote in my notes next to it:
Could easily have been written about me in a modern context.
I shouldn't be surprised about how much and how little has changed that I could so clearly see teenage Hannah in words that very accurately reflect a time long before I was even imagined.
WHAT I'M LOVING:
- I've been bingeing the most recent Great British Bake Off season and Nelly will forever be my idol. In one episode she says, "Life is about having joy, not having stress. If it doesn't go right, it doesn't go right. There is [the] exit. It's fine."
- Goode Foods, a Black Women Owned canned food company, is now available at many major grocery stores around country (Target, Walmart, Kroger, etc.). You can check their site to find some near you.
- How am I coping you ask? Playing this song on repeat all day everyday since it came out. You're welcome 🎤
HAVING A GREAT TIME HERE?
Here's a few ways you can let me know:
- Option 1: 💌 Share with a fellow creative or business owner. Community starts with each of us and friends don't let friends chase their dreams at the expense of their mental health! If you know someone seeking more sustainability and harmony in their life and/or business, send this their way.
- Option 2: 👋 Say hi! Hit reply and share a sentence or two about anything you enjoyed or hit home for you. I always hope these words find the right people at the right time, but it's always makes my day to hear from you!
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