Do you remember those adverts for cold remedies that used to show a hotshot executive blowing his nose and looking pained, only to take a pill and then be on a plane to do a morning meeting in New York? The message was clear: work matters above all else. Sickness is something to be pushed away with a pill and resting is for losers. I’ve had a lot of these messages in my lifetime. The cult of productivity peaked in the 1980s, when I was a child, and it’s been here ever since. In the ‘80s there were books like ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and ‘Getting Things Done.’ Now there are Insta posts about side hustles and girl bosses.
We live in a world where our worth is measured by our productivity and we are living life to the full by cramming in as much as we can each day. Even leisure time became part of the cult of productivity: jumping on planes for 24 hour mini-breaks, training for marathons...
In the ‘80s there were books like ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and ‘Getting Things Done.’ Now there are Insta posts about side hustles and girl bosses.
Much of that stopped since the pandemic. Planes were grounded, offices closed and many of us were forced to get off the treadmill of non-stop activity.
Last week my friend Anne Marie sent me a link to a podcast called Hurry Slowly. It was about how lockdown has forced many of us to confront the question: ‘Who am I when I am not doing anything? Who am I when I’m not being productive?...’
The host, Jocelyn C Glei, continues: ‘Without the distraction of doing we could suddenly see the cracks, the cracks in the fragile facade of our achievement oriented identities, our overstuffed schedules, our frantic consumerism…’
We were left with what she describes as the: ‘quiet despair of being with ourselves, of confronting ourselves in a way that we have not done in a long time, maybe ever.’
‘Who am I when I am not doing anything? Who am I when I’m not being productive?...’
According to Glei, this time off the treadmill has made us realise how utterly exhausted we are. She says we are tired of living in a world that tells us that happiness comes by consuming something. The world that tells us we must constantly strive and better ourselves until we are totally burnt out.
She says we’ve also started to feel things we’ve pushed down for years. Busy-ness and productivity can be a socially acceptable addiction, a distraction, a way of stopping us from feeling things we don’t want to feel. Feelings such as loneliness, hurt, not being good enough…The feeling that society is unjust and that in some way you are part of that injustice. Keep busy and you don’t have to deal with all that. You don’t even have to see it. When we’re busy, it’s much easier to ignore the state of the world — and our part in it.
Glei says that we are all sold this idea of transformation being a wonderful thing, but while it’s happening, it can be uncomfortable, scary, confusing and exhausting.
There can be a temptation to go back to the old ways— to get busy again. I have found myself craving the old office days, of non-stop deadlines and stress. Why? Because I knew what I was doing then. I was part of a programme that I didn’t question. Work hard. Get successful. Don’t think about anything else.
Now nothing is so clear.
Charles Eisenstein, one of my spiritual crushes, says that we are ‘in between stories’ at the moment. The old world is crumbling but we don’t know what the new one is like yet. In her podcast Glei says that this is a time to connect with our ‘essence’ - the person underneath the busy-ness. It’s a time to ask yourself how you can use this essence to ‘help build something new, something different, something more generous and tender.’
I like those two words: generous and tender.
They are not qualities we have valued over the recent dog-eat-dog decades. Look at the likes of Philip Green and Donald Trump: both seem as far from generous and tender as you can be. But both have now fallen from grace. As for popping a pill and getting on a plane when we are sick — that could now get us arrested.
Maybe we’ll go back to our old ways when this is over and maybe we won’t. I don’t know. We need to earn money and pay our bills but can we do it in a way that doesn’t take over every minute of our day? Can we work at something we like, and which we think matters, without it becoming our whole identity?
Let’s see.
WHAT I’M READING
Ok, this is a very long but very good read about the history of the nuclear family and how we need to find a new communal way of living. Bookmark it for a quiet Sunday morning. And if you are a parent scoffing at the idea of a quiet Sunday morning, feel free to tell me to piss off. I listened to a Radio 4 programme about home schooling this week and I had no idea. Hats off to all parents. Really. But for those who do have time, the article is good.
Mary Beard is a joy. Here she is in the Guardian talking about being called a witch and challenging older women to do what they can to scare the patriarchy.
Also on the topic of witches, this article was intriguing about a woman who described herself as a witch, living in Sydney in the 1950s.
And the tale of a more modern woman - this piece about Britney Spears is sad and illuminating. I would not want that level of fame for all the money in the world.
And finally… George Cloooney sews! Of course he does! And so do lots of men, according to this piece in the Guardian. They have been giving the name ‘sew bros’
Book-wise, this week I read Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon. It’s short. It has pictures. It’s food for creative souls. Really lovely. I recommend it and his weekly newsletter. He brings a childlike joy to his work, like it’s all the best fun. Which of course it is sometimes — when we’re not busy making it hard for ourselves.
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Guys, I have not watched much television this week! Really! I’ve been watching odd episodes of Friends before falling asleep —which I’m not that happy with, ideally I don’t want the laptop to be my bedtime companion — but there have been no binges. I will write more about Shahroo’s brilliant session on how to change habits in a couple of weeks but I’d say it’s helped.
After last week’s newsletter about how the only time I wasn’t attached to a screen was in the shower, I got a message from a friend saying she caught her daughter with her iPod taped to the outside of the shower so she could watch it while washing! This is both scary and ingenious!
If I were to watch anything from the shower, it would be this. I imagine most of you have already seen it; it’s a clip of a US judge participating in a court case on zoom with a cat filter on. I have watched it pretty much on loop and am still laughing.
And this made me smile, I find it impossible to watch videos like this without grinning from ear to ear.. I will write more about the joy of dancing soon.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
FIA, The art of letting go. This song is all about forgiving yourself and going easy. The chorus goes something like this: ‘I forgive myself, over again, cos I’m doing the best I can.’ I find it very comforting.
WHAT I’M BUYING
Nothing. I’m skint! Still no heavy blanket, sorry Lotte. (Lotte, like many of you, have been messaging saying the weighted blankets are great.)
Full list here: Writing for Fun and Sanity is every Wednesday evening and every Saturday lunchtime.
Carrie’s How to Love Your Life session is on Sunday.
Ok that’s all for now.
Love love love and thanks for reading.
Mx
R.I.P Productivity