Productivity hacks and optimisation have long been buzzwords of success. Start-up founders and LinkedIn gurus are encouraging us to have side hustles rather than hobbies, telling a generation of young workers that a 24/7 work ethic is the way to achieve their dreams.

Why are we so down on downtime? Is being busy the same thing as being productive? And what happens to our brains, bodies, and social lives if we keep measuring ourselves by our output? Are we hustling ourselves to death?