We're in perfect agreement on the substance of the issue. But my point was that, from the title to the content, my perception is that the author emphasizes self-improvement as the issue per se, instead of an unhealthy attitude towards blindly plunging into instant-fix "lifehacks", etc. He's behaving as if a modest, incremental, low-judgment approach to self-improvement doesn't exist, instead of simply being harder to do.

I've always had a strong drive for self improvement; in fact I'd go so far as to say it's one of my primary drives. The reason I haven't really faced the issues that the author is describing is because what I do has nothing to do with "productivity porn" or "disgusting consumerism". I buy books to learn things or use the library, I weightlift regularly in the school issued gym shorts from my high school soccer team, and everything I've learned and practiced about mindfulness cost me nothing but my time.

I don't have a problem with the author's castigation of productivity porn, but rather with his lazy conflation of all efforts at self-improvement. Hell, look at the verse he chooses to quote from Fitter, Happier[1]: it's about eating well and exercising regularly.

[1] incidentally, I had an OK Computer poster with this songs lyrics on my wall in college, so it's not like the complaint about productivity porn doesn't resonate with me.