Stop Forcing Yourself To Be Productive

I’ve been seeing posts float around the internet, saying something along the lines of:

“If you don’t start working on your dream / your side-hustle / your idea / your business now (during Covid-19), then it was never about time… it was laziness”

And I must say… this is nonsense.

For context, what I believe the posters of this mean, is that during this epidemic a majority of people are working from home, temporarily out of work, permanently out of work and life has generally slowed down. In turn, we all have more time on our hands, to pursue our goals.

But at what cost?

Hello? This is an epidemic. A time filled with tragic (daily) news updates, rise in unemployment, rise in domestic violence, rise in homelessness and a period of global unrest. A time we should spend trying to gain some kind of security, self-sooth and take care of our mental and physical well being. Surely, it is not a time to put more onto your plate, and let yourself be pressured to achieve ‘great things’. ‘Things’ that you weren’t able to do while you were NOT in an EPIDEMIC.

While I talked about seeing the positives of covid-19 in my last article, that does not take away from the fact these are tough times. Look, I am absolutely all for pursuing your dreams and using any extra time gained to do something you’ve been meaning to do. I have seen a magnitude of incredible, creative, work appear out of this. I know I’ve been trying to write more, too! But this should be to make you feel good, inspire you, excite you, and only if you feel you have the mental resources to do so! It should not be something you hold over your head, or others’. Yet another stressor.

Moral of the story:

Take care of yourself, always, but especially now.