When Productivity Stops Being the Point

Field Note: January 28, 2026

There comes a moment in the Long Middle when the old measures stop working.

When productivity, output, and “getting things done” no longer tell you whether a day was worth living — or whether you were.

This piece explores what begins to take their place.

Not accomplishment.
Not proof.
But presence.

It follows the quiet shift from measuring life by what gets crossed off a list to noticing what keeps you steady underneath everything: small rituals, honest limits, moments of connection, and the simple act of staying with yourself when there is nothing left to perform.

This is a story about learning to recognize purpose not as something you achieve —
but as something you inhabit.

This story lives in Compass Point 5 What is Essential Now

Photo by Tuccera LLC on Unsplash