I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt

by Madeleine Dore

We don’t need to abandon all expectations or the hope that comes with them, but instead learn how we can let go of our attachment to particular outcomes. By definition, an expectation is a strong belief that something will happen or will be the case. There’s an element of certainty to an expectation. For better or worse, it’s a feeling that there is a guarantee—it’s a bid for control, when of course we can’t control the future. Just like feelings, expectations shift and move. Yet we are disappointed when something moves beyond our grasp. So we hold on tightly, make plans, or add more shoulds—only for them to shatter. As Brandon Sanderson wrote in The Way of Kings, “Expectations were like fine pottery. The harder you held them, the more likely they were to crack.”