A popular topic on the internet right now is productivity and whether or not we should be using this time of isolation to be productive. Some people are pointing to the fact that many great artists created some of their best works during times of quarantine. While others are claiming that in a time like this, one should not worry about being productive at all.
Well, first of all this discussion doesn’t take into account the fact that a majority of Americans don’t have a choice - they have to be productive. Essential workers are still going to work while others are attempting to work from home. Teachers are working hard to learn a new way to teach, while parents have become teachers themselves. People are still caring for young kids and elderly parents. There is still grocery shopping and cooking to do. The list goes on and on.
I’m sure many Americans see these article about production and roll their eyes. However, there are some people out there who do find themselves with more time on their hands. I admit I am one such person. I usually work during the week as a substitute teacher. Needless to say, I’m not doing any subbing lately. I also do some tutoring and luckily I’ve been able to continue that through Zoom. Other than the few hours a week I spend on tutoring, I really have no other obligations. Okay - I still need to clean the house and cook for my husband and teenage daughter, but I already did that on top of my job anyway. I don’t have young kids to take care of and I don’t have a daily job to go to.
So the question for those of us stuck at home with minimal obligations is: to be productive or not to be productive?
The answer is somewhere in the middle. You don’t have to write the great American novel (unless you want to of course), but you shouldn’t sit and do nothing. You can be productive with the understanding that you may not be as productive as you were before. I think it’s fine to have those days where you sit on the couch and binge watch Netflix while eating a bag of Easter candy. Yes, I’ve had those days. (Mini Robin Eggs are the best.) The problem is if that is all you do everyday for a week or more, you are not going to feel any better about anything. In fact, you will probably feel worse.
Does that mean you need to fill every hour of everyday doing something productive? Absolutely not! But know what will make you feel better not just right now, but in the long run. I have a disease called Ulcerative Colitis. It’s an inflammation in the colon and the flare ups are no fun. Many things can cause flare ups including stress. (Great for dealing with a crisis, right?). I manage my Colitis through daily medication, diet, and exercise. If I sit and binge junk food for too long, I feel horrible, and that helps nothing. In fact, it could land me in the hospital, the last place I want to be in right now. So I have to be productive about my diet and exercise or the end result could be bad.
My advice to anyone who cares to hear it: do small things everyday to help you cope. Do something around the house, even if it’s just wiping down counters. Get moving everyday, even for a few minutes. Create something every day, it doesn’t have to be a work of art. Finally - do something that makes you happy. Make these your daily goals, but if you don’t reach them every day, so what? Tomorrow is a new day.
I will continue to try to be productive in some form everyday. Some days I will succeed and some days I will fail. I will cheer my successes and shrug off my failures. Will I write the great American novel or have an entirely organized house? Nope. Will I have something, no matter how small, to show for my time? I hope so. And that’s all I’m striving for.
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