Madeleine Dore - I Didnt Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt to Embrace the Hidden Value in Daily Life

I didnt do the thing today.

I didnt lament how the hours unfolded.

I didnt worry about wasted time.

I didnt allow my expectations to spoil what I have.

I didnt compare myself to others.

I didnt dwell in the undone.

I didnt strive; I didnt try to be perfect.

And it mattered. Because in all that I didnt do

I found my own measure of a day.

To my agent, Georgia Frances King, thank you for your unwavering encouragement and for being an expert guide through the book galaxy. To the wonderful team at Murdoch Books and collaborators: Corinne Roberts, for nudging this book along through its many iterations; Julian Welch, for your thoughtful suggestions and gentle fingerprint on my words; Evi O, for bringing your talent and creativity to the striking cover; and Julie Mazur Tribe, Vivien Valk, Sarah Hatton and the many other talented folk involved in bringing these pages to life, for your enthusiasm, patience and dedication.

To the many people across my life who have offered lessons about the things that matter. To my parents and family, for your love and encouragement, and for teaching me what it means to show up. Particularly to my mother, for your listening ears and for demonstrating the importance of being a life-long learner, and to my brother Nelson, for always knowing the nugget of wisdom thats needed for the different spirals one can encounter in a day.

To my delightful friendsold and new, fleeting and forever. You are daffodils in the fecund garden of my days, and have taught me to try new things, do fun things and appreciate small things. Particularly to those who kept me company during the writing process: Georgia OConnor, for the countless virtual puddles, superb metaphors and smattering of I believe in yousyouve taught me to poke life with a stick and make it dance, even (and perhaps especially) when life isnt being particularly fair. Anton De Ionno, for the best writing-filled days, for countless overstuffed lunchtime wraps and for evenings spent staying up too late talk-talk-talkingthank you for catching epiphanies and reminding me youve gotta enjoy life! Bethany Simons, for many virtual writing sessions, for your uncanny ability to find poetry in the everyday and for teaching me what it means to be true, flourishing and free. Jessica Wainwright, for being the sunniest deadline cheerleader and for reminding me of the quiet power of asking open-hearted questions and taking note of the details. Mari Andrew, for peppering my days with your brilliance and your encyclopaedic knowledge of feelings, and for the joy you share in dissecting the everydayyou teach us all how to sparkle. Anu Hasbold, for believing in my dreams since always, and for teaching me that while expectations may lead to disappointment, its the unexpected joys we encounter that are worth cherishing.

To Frances Haysey, for the perfect writing nook and for being a brilliant sounding board. Jeffrey Phillips, for your unparalleled enthusiasm for creative ideas and for your generosity with your myriad talents. Julia Pelosi-Thorpe, for sharing your love of words with me and teaching me the Latin root of the word delight and many others. Amelia Goss, for your impeccable eye and for many cherished flops on the couch. Eddie Harran, for being a wonderful gentle time thesaurus and comparison companion. Spencer Harrison, for the kind prod I needed to start Extraordinary Routines all those years ago, and for reminding me that done is better than perfect.

To the many inspiring people whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for Extraordinary Routines and Routines & Ruts: for your time, for your pearls of wisdom and for your generous sharing of important things with the worldyouve taught me and my dear readers and listeners that there are many ways to live our days.

To various things that accompanied the writing process: my desk bell, for sounding the perfect ding; Milanote, for being the ideal tool to organise my ideas, notes and the inner workings of my brain; and Ambient Chopin by Peter M. Murray, for being almost 23 minutes long and the single song I listened to while writing.

This book was written on the stolen land of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing culture and deep understanding of connection, creativity and curiosity.

For a list of favourite findings and things that informed this book, please visit madeleinedore.com/favourite-things.

courtesy of Wellesley College Archives, Library & Technology Services and ICM Partners.

reprinted by the permission of Russell & Volkening as agents for Annie Dillard, copyright 1989 The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.

reprinted by the permission of Faber and Faber Ltd as publishers of The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath.

from Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, copyright 2005 by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Used by permission of Crown Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

The page numbers in this index refer to the page numbers of the printed book and are reproduced here for reference only. Please use the search facility of your device to find the relevant entry.

24-hour news cycle 210

60 Minutes 70

100 Blocks a Day exercise 1746

Abdel-Magied, Yassmin 578, 74

absorbing 8893

abstainers 94

Adams, Sarah Jane 1667

Adaptation 215

advice xiiixiv

Ahenkan, Lillian Flex Mami 227

Ajax 243

Alices Adventures in Wonderland 111

Allen, David 54

Allende, Isabel 200

Ambient Chopin 219

ambition, shifting goalposts of 6882

American Marketing Association 167

Andersen, Hans Christian 254

Andrew, Mari 38, 76

Angelou, Maya 45, 114

Animals 2246

Around the Day in Eighty Worlds 221

The Art of Frugal Hedonism 1678

The Art of Thought 19

Attachments 256

attention

attention hour 215

breaking 21718

cultivating 20912, 21722

paying 212

Austen, Jane 129

balance, myth of 83100

Barton, Del Kathryn 182

Bauman, Zygmunt 103

The Bell Jar 1023

Bennett, Arnold 59, 65, 133, 183

Berry, Wendell 136

Better than Before 94

Beyond Good and Evil 188

Biss, Eula 173

Blake, Zo Foster 556

Bluey cartoon 67

Bonham Carter, Helena 22

boredom 1601

bottom-up distraction 2067

Bowditch, Clare 667

Bowie, David 148

Bradley, Kirsten 2201

breaks, sustaining attention through 219

The Bright Side of Boredom 160

Brualt, Robert 263

Bukowski, Charles 228

Bullet Journal method 133

Burke, Rachel 199200

Burkeman, Oliver 172, 210, 212

burnout, road to 1567

busyness, trap of 15170

Cage, John 252

Cain, David 168

Campbell, Joseph 36, 216

Cargle, Rachel 257

Carland, Susan 176

carpe diem 262

Carr, David 77

Carroll, Lewis 111

Carroll, Ryder 1334

Cave, Nick 63

change triangle 11819

Cheng, Jack 21920

Chesterton, G.K. 23

choice-supportive bias 114

choices, making 11112

Cioran, Emil 51

Clarke, Maxine Beneba 89

comparison diary 1234

comparisons, deflating 11626

confidence building 2312

Congdon, Lisa 200

Connected, But Alone? 207

connectivity 2434

consumption experiences 167

Cooke, Lucy 1634

Corrington, John William 228

Cortzar, Julio 221

Cosmos 184

couch time 106

COVID-19 Is Like Running a Marathon with No Finish Line 81