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It’s Time To Stop Moralizing Every Daily Habit

The constant pressure to become a better version of ourselves might actually work against us.

Pocket Editors

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve likely noticed just how much content revolves around telling people how they can improve their daily routines. From TikTokkers espousing the virtues of an elaborate morning schedule called a “5 to 9 before 9 to 5,” to people smugly sharing their step counts on Instagram, it seems like everyone has opinions on how to maximize each waking moment to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be.

But what if this constant striving towards productivity and self-improvement is actually sabotaging us? Read on to learn about the other side of the hustle.

*Image by Juana Mari Moya / Getty Images&

Why Waking Up Earlier Isn’t Necessarily Better

Haley Weiss

Time

Can the population really be categorized so neatly? Or is the research painting an incomplete and overly moralistic picture?

There Is No Such Thing as ‘Junk’ Food

Anne Helen Petersen

Bon Appétit

Food hierarchies are, in truth, sorting mechanisms. It does not make you a worse person to eat “junk” food, and it certainly doesn’t make you a better person to eat whole grains.

Why It’s Finally Time To Stop Obsessing Over Counting Steps For Health

Claire Maldarelli

Inverse

There may be better ways to gauge your well-being — including not tracking anything at all.

What If You Just Didn’t Clean That Up?

Kathryn Jezer-Morton

The Cut

Good news: America has officially entered its messy-house era.

That Sleep Tracker Could Make Your Insomnia Worse

Karen ZraickSarah Mervosh

The New York Times

Are you sabotaging your sleep in your quest to improve it?

How Productivity Apps Can Make Us Less Productive (And Less Happy)

Samantha Boardman

The Wall Street Journal

It’s not just the need to feel productive that can undermine productivity. So can the fixation on focus.

Unexpected Ways Toxic Positivity Sneaks Its Sunshiny Way Into Your Day

Alice Emory

Romper

“Toxic positivity minimizes painful emotions and downplays difficult experiences. It sends a subtle but clear message that there’s no space for sadness or tough stuff. When we insist on only looking at the positive, we shame people for struggling, and as a result, they often feel isolated and alone.”

BONUS READ: You’re Not So Bad: The Case Against Self Improvement

Corrie Evanoff

Pocket Collections

Why optimizing isn’t always the best path to contentment.

Moral Grandstanding: There’s a Lot of It About, All of It Bad

Justin Tosi

Aeon

It’s not enough to think highly of ourselves; we want others to be impressed with our moral credentials as well. And so we grandstand.