Is Our Productivity Culture Toxic?

Topics: Culture

Public Release Date: August 15, 2025

What’s next on your checklist?  We live in a world that celebrates productivity — where getting more done, in less time, is often seen as the ultimate goal. For many, this mindset fuels ambition. It drives innovation, opens doors, builds careers, and creates a sense of progress and control. But there’s a flip side: some would argue that there’s a burnout crisis. When constant output becomes the measure of our worth, the pressure to keep going can be overwhelming, and the very tools meant to help us thrive can lead to burnout, anxiety, and disconnection. Others say the problem isn’t productivity itself, but how we’ve come to define success — and the unrealistic expectations that come with it. Others say the system is broken, which pushes us to trade well-being for performance.

Before the timer goes off, we debate: Is Our Productivity Culture Toxic?

ARGUING YES:

• Jennifer Moss: Workplace Culture Expert; Author of “The Burnout Epidemic”

• Rahaf Harfoush: Digital Anthropologist and New York Times Best-Selling Author

ARGUING NO:

• David Allen: Creator of the “Getting Things Done” Time Management Method and Author

• Amy Edmondson: Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School

MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:

• John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist