I've tried every productivity hack out there—Pomodoro, time-blocking, digital minimalism—but the only thing that actually moved my output was cutting my task list from ten items to three. Multi-tasking feels productive but a 2021 study found it costs up to 40% of your effective time. Is chasing personal productivity just a middle-class obsession with optimizing away our humanity, or is it a real lever for a better life? I lean toward believing it's overrated, but I'm open to disagreement.