I seem to have to-do lists everywhere. I faithfully capture open loops in my Things 3 app. I jot down work tasks in my bullet journal. I even have a full sheet of paper on a clipboard to help plan out my day. Yet, I’m lucky if I knock off more than a few listed items each day.

Sometimes my day is derailed by a missed morning alarm, an unanticipated work crisis, or I just don’t feel like doing anything. Sometimes I would rather lie on my bed, play a game on my iPad and skip the laundry or dishes.

The problem is, the list just gets longer. Mentally, my lists are likely overly ambitious, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling like a productivity failure.

A friend pointed out a new book by Madeleine Dore called I Didn’t Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt. I am early into the book, but I already see myself in every chapter.

According to the author, I suffer from a classic case of productivity guilt. She also raised an important point that resonated with me: we can’t shoehorn daily routines or productivity systems formulated by others into our lives and expect them to work flawlessly. We each have our own anxieties, obstacles, commitments, and health issues to navigate. There is no one size fits all.

If you mentally flagellate or chastise yourself for not filling up your day or completing all your tasks, then you might want to give this book a read. Sometimes… no … all the time, we need to be gentle with ourselves.