PRODUCTIVITY IS OVERRATED
By Sumi Saiboub
Now that outdoor life is temporarily suspended , all activities have moved to digital platforms: from meetings to pilates lessons , the exclusivity of the event is determined by whether it requires an access link or whether it is broadcast live on Instagram or YouTube . This also means more time available because all trips have been canceled and more freedom to pick up the phone every time the screen lights up or we want to share something. I'm not sure why , but many seem to associate staying at home with a period of extra holidays magically offered by the year 2020 and as such it must become the opportunity of a lifetime to build empires and do more than usual.
I have lost count of how many stories I have seen on social media of routines perfectly calculated down to the smallest detail in order to maximize the time available and the consequent pressure they generated in me to do the same . But I'll tell you a secret , if you also feel like you belong to the category of people who don't feel in great shape or even very motivated, know that it's normal. The most natural reaction to a pandemic, which is radically affecting our lifestyle, is not to start a productivity competition and there is no need to feel at fault if we are not able to produce as much as the others online .
As absurd as it may seem, we are all the result of different experiences and living conditions and for this very reason there is not just one way to react to situations like these and if some days we manage to accomplish more and others less, that's fine: the Our value is not given by how much we produce. We are not machines, we are beings that feel and sometimes we feel tired, sometimes full of energy and sometimes we just want to drink something cold while scrolling through a selection of memes and there is nothing wrong with that .
If there is one thing I have learned in a month of confinement at home it is that life has not stopped, it still happens , but within the walls of our homes, which in addition to being the places where we sought rest are now even the scenarios of our days, even those that are not. Precisely for this reason, creating incessant continuums of things to do , in a moment like this is perhaps the worst choice to make, what we need is to listen to each other and accept everything we feel, without feeling the pressure of having to build empires because the greatest lesson What a historical moment like this teaches us is that how our life may appear to others must be the least of our worries. .