Time, toxic productivity and urgency cultures in non-profits: part 2
This is the second of a two-part blog; you will find it helpful to read part 1 first. In part 1, I explored how cultures of urgency and time-management approaches affect staff from non-profits and the impact of their work. I took an intersectional lens to understand how dominant approaches to time management interact with systemic oppression. Here, I describe how staff in non-profits are responding to urgency culture and argue for a response that takes into account the structural drivers of time scarcity. I draw on findings from an open survey to people working for non-profits in May 2023, as well as my own 18 years’ experience as a feminist who has worked and volunteered for non-profits around the world.
Over several years of working at a frantic pace for non-profit organisations around the world, there have been many times when I have tried to bend the clock to my will. As time became ever-scarce to me — particularly after having children — I tried to eke out as many seconds as I could from the 24-hour-clock. I can’t remember one train commute when I didn’t work on my laptop; I would explore various productivity and time- management tools. I was convinced I could address time scarcity just by optimising myself. Then, I took this ethos to others. I apologise to my former team for trying to enrol them on this exhausting pursuit — I remember we spent one morning discussing time management techniques like eating the frog. Today I think of all the other things we could have been exploring instead. I approached the systemic issue of why some of us were so time poor in a very individualised way.
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