Productivity in a Pandemic

A few days into January 2021 and we're into our third lockdown.

As an introvert, I'll admit that at first the idea of staying indoors all the time and limited social interaction didn't phase me. However, it wasn't long before I was missing the freedom of going out and interacting with others whenever I wanted. Nonetheless, as much as it is realistic to miss the normality of daily life, it is ten times more important to keep yourself and others safe.

Social media, emails and news articles have bombarded people with the idea that they need to use their time in quarantine to stay productive. It can easy to believe that when you have to stay indoors, you need to be using your time to be doing something worthwhile.

However, it can also be easy to rush into things when you feel like you have to be productive every hour of the day. People are rushing to be able to do things that they have not had experience with before and are disappointed when they feel like they have wasted their time. You do not need to learn how to speak fluently in that new language in a week. Rather than rushing the process, learn to adjust to your own process and at least try to enjoy it. It is about finding out what productivity means to YOU, not somebody else. Productivity doesn't have to equal taking on a major project, it could be something as simple as making a playlist.

Another concern regarding the recent focus on people staying productive all the time is the balance of work versus free time. When I studied for my exams at school, I thought that if I wasn't studying the majority of the time that I would fail. However, I realised that stressing about being productive is actually counterproductive. This is not to say that you should procrastinate all the time when you have an important deadline, but it is important to find the right balance between productivity and relaxing. Taking regular breaks is a huge part of being productive in itself because breaks can help our brains retain information better - rather than staring at the same paragraph for two hours hoping that the information will magically sink in (I'm guilty of that one).

Korpela, Kinnunen, Geurts, de Bloom and Sianoja's 2016 study found that taking regular breaks and detaching from work increased the levels of energy at work and decreased exhaustion.

It is integral to remember that we're currently in a global pandemic and the world around us is changing. It is difficult enough to be productive when we're not in a pandemic, nevermind when we're in one. The plethora of social media sites prioritising being productive right now over mental and physical health can often do more harm than good. Not to mention the added pressure to 'do more' feeds into the capitalist mantra that our worth is based on what we can create.

The idea that staying indoors equals being productive all the time is not realistic and can often make people feel guilty. When I haven't been writing, I've felt guilty about it: even when I know that it's not something that I can force. People could push themselves too hard in an attempt to be productive and this could make them feel like they aren't doing enough. It could lead to burnout. The last thing anybody wants right now is to add more stress on top of an already stressful situation. If anything, we owe it to ourselves to take it easy. You are only human, you don't have to be productive every day: especially during a pandemic.

Don't feel guilty for doing what is best for you.