Counterproductive

Melissa Gregg is Principal Engineer and Research Director, Client Computing Group, Intel; coeditor of The Affect Theory Reader, also published by Duke University Press; and author of Work's Intimacy.

"Gregg . . . places the genre [of self-help] in a rich social and historical context." - Scott McLemee (Inside Higher Ed) "Counterproductive trains its lens on the productivity self-help genre itself, posing the question 'How does this insatiable industry for productivity continue trading on essentially unchanging insights?' Gregg . . . sees the glut of such books as a symptom of deeper problems with the organization of modern work. . . . Best for: Self-help burnouts." - Caitlin Harrington (Wired) "Reading [Counterproductive] caused me to have the biggest writing-related epiphany I’ve ever had." - Theresa MacPhail (Chronicle of Higher Education) "Gregg has written a book that will change the way people look at the notion of time management. . . . Essential. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals." - M. J. Safferstone (Choice) "Gregg’s analysis provides productive insights in the ways that productivity has framed the work narrative, at times in less than beneficial ways. This book is appropriate for the general public, sociologists, business professionals, freelance workers, and librarians, concerned with the understanding the unhealthy impact that the focus on time management and productivity may have on the workplace and their own lives." - Clem Guthro (Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy) "A smart, fascinating analysis of the theory, practice, and anthropotechnics within the knowledge economy, a business sector whose productivity can be defined by its intellectual capital as opposed to its production." - Julia Scatliff O'Grady (Journal of Cultural Economy) “Counterproductive is a must-read for everyone interested in the sociology of work, especially for those investigating the development of digital tools and their impact on workers’ lives.” - Anna Maria Ozimek (Information, Communication, & Society)

• Preface  ixI. TheoryIntroduction: The Productivity Imperative  31. A Brief History of Time Management  22II. Practice2. Executive Athleticism: Time Management and the Quest for Organization  533. The Aesthetics of Activity: Productivity and the Order of Things  78III. Anthropotechnics4. Mindful Labor  103Conclusion: From Careers to Atmospheres  127Postscript: A Belated Processing  141Acknowledgments  143Notes  147Bibliography  179Index  191