Celeste Headlee: Journalist Who Shares Why She Left 'The Cult Of Efficiency' (And We All Should)

Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, speaker, radio-host (on PBS, NPR and others) and author of the new book, Do Nothing: How To Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving. Celeste’s Tedx Talk on human connection has garnered over 23 million views.

In our chat today, Celeste takes us through a hundreds-year-long journey, which has led our society to be inducted (unknowingly, of course) into the ‘cult of efficiency.’ Her research and historical knowledge shows us that we humans are inherently good at being unproductive, but a major societal shift in the 1800’s has led us to become work-obsessed and leisureless.

Celeste shares some brilliant findings on our human trajectory - and why all the hacks in the world won’t help us find more joy and fulfillment. Plus, she shares some tactical and accessible ways to begin incorporating more “free” time into your life - no matter what your schedule looks like right now.

Join us for a chat about the turning point in our modern world that led us to become sick, lonely and suicidal (hint: it’s not technology), what the ancient Romans had right all along, and why giving your mom a phone call is infinitely better than sending a text message.

Some stuff we also cover:

Celeste’s own journey to discovering why achievement, efficiency hacks and financial stability didn’t bring her as much joy as she expected

How this moment in history - The 2020 Quarantine - has one tiny silver lining

What leisure time really means, and why we humans have always known how to channel it

How to start simple hobbies without recreating the wheel - that don’t need to be your side-hustle

Why you probably don’t know how you’re spending your time (according to science) and how to make your schedule less busy

The reason that “hacking” time with sending a text message instead of a phone call has absolutely no impact on our connection

Why you should talk to people that challenge you - often

Resources you might want to check out:

Book: Do Nothing: How To Break Away From Overdoing, Overworking, and Underliving


Social media: @celesteheadlee


Website: celesteheadlee.com

As always, this podcast is sponsored by:

Daydreamers. At Daydreamers, we’re redefining how we all spend our free time and making space for adults to build creative hobbies. Get on the waitlist to meet us IRL at: daydreamerspace.com..