A Response to Productivity During The Pandemic

By Alex McDonald

Link: Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure

During the times of social distancing, social media is hailed as a means to stay connected with loved ones and with the happenings of the world. However, its negative consequences are exacerbated during isolation when we begin to compare ourselves and the ways we spend our time during quarantine. I’ve noticed viral posts being shared across my feeds on multiple different platforms which read along the lines of: “If you don’t come out of quarantine with X project finished, or X fitness goal achieved, you never lacked the time you lacked motivation”.

When I first saw these posts flooding in, some weren’t as blatant as this, however I did have to sit back for a minute and wonder how anyone could be so oblivious. Firstly, when the assumption is made that we are all stuck in the same circumstances with the same resources at our disposal it is an ignorant one, and disregards those who might still be essential workers or have no choice but to leave the house. Secondly, even if the latter isn’t true for someone, there is still a global pandemic happening which sends anxiety levels skyrocketing and can be extremely detrimental to not only one’s mental health but physical health as well. Not everyone has a home gym, and many more are immunocompromised and cannot leave the house for a daily jog to get fresh air.

The most helpful words of advice for me that were like a beam of light during this uncertain time were: “Don’t be discouraged if the best you can do right now is to simply exist”. We are living day-to-day during a quarantine which still doesn’t have a definitive end date and seems to be pushed back further each time it is brought up, which makes it hard to focus on short-term goals and deadlines.

For many of us, this is the first time in our lives that we have experienced something like this, and it makes it hard to know how to act or react. Many of us are still seeking a sense of normalcy and routine during this time, and don’t get me wrong, having structure within our days should be something to strive to achieve. However, the definition of normalcy has changed drastically during this time and I don’t believe things will ever return to the way they were before this pandemic. This new concept of normal is not necessarily a bad thing and not meant to be fear-mongering in the slightest. It means (ideally) that we will be more considerate of others and cherish the moments we spend in the company of others, instead of taking the workings (and workers) of our complex societies for granted.

I know this is an optimistic outlook but I am hopeful that if we all keep to ourselves for a while that we will be able to share time and space with other human beings outside of our households (!!!) soon.

I also wanted to share an article that was beyond helpful to me for putting this entire situation into perspective. It is written by Aisha Ahmad, a writer and professor from Toronto specializing in International Security and Global Affairs who has lived through numerous wars, famines, terrorist attacks and more in places like Afghanistan and Mali. Her matter-of-fact way of presenting facts backed up with the fact that she has actually lived to come out the other side of these events was very reassuring and provided a bit of stability and even a how-to guide in a time of such uncertainty.

The news media has been presenting us with an array of mixed messages, with some giving grim projections of mass death and others downplaying the severity of this entire situation. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take advice from a trained researcher who has lived through and provided field research on these sorts of events rather than a “task force” who told us this was nothing more than a seasonal flu three critical weeks ago. I would recommend you take Dr. Ahmad’s advice with a grain of salt of course, because as I said before I won’t pretend to know the details of everyone’s circumstances, but it helped me and I can only hope that I am able to spread some of that feeling in a time I know we desperately need it.

No matter what way you decide to approach this time of uncertainty, remember what you’re feeling is valid and although we may be distant you’re not alone. For some more than others it will take time to adjust to this new normal, and it is hard not to get down on yourself when you are bombarded with updates with those who seem to be just that much more productive or efficient with their time during quarantine. Yet when the situation is put into perspective and you begin to drown out all of the white noise, your real priorities start to become clear.