Sit Down with the Pandemic Productivity Nonsense

There are a few things I didn’t anticipate for the first quarter of 2020. Like a Global Pandemic. And still not being moved into our new house. And my dog dying. And for those reasons, I’m totally fine with not doing all the things and with adjusting my 2020 goals in the midst of this mess.

That said, if I read one more article, come across one more ad, or see one more Instagram post about how I should be using this time to be my best self, pick up a new hobby, or accomplish all the things, I’m going to scream.

Maybe that can work for some people, but for many of us, it’s tone deaf and depressing. Right now, in addition to the emotional load of all of this craziness, we are also dealing with new, and quite possibly insane, “normals.”

Side note because it has to be said in this day and age: this does not mean I’m not grateful for having a job, a home, etc…but it also is okay to experience stress and grief and anger and all of those gross feelings. Because it’s gross right now. And you can feel gross and grateful at the same time because you can experience more than one emotion simultaneously. And that’s okay!

And admittedly, two things I am happy to be doing more of, though, are art with my son and running. But these things are less about productivity and more about therapy and maintaining some semblance of a sound mind.

We do an art project almost everyday. They’re easy ones - watercolors and crayons, mostly, because I don’t have the energy or time to plan for more complex ones with tons of supplies (although, we’re also loving premade kits). But they’re fun and he’s learning how to draw all kinds of things (he’s currently loving crabs).

And of course, running. More days, more miles. I doubled my February miles in March. I’m guessing April will see another increase. It’s truly a sanity saver.

But still…there is nuttery. Here is what I’m in the midst of:

A very busy and mentally taxing full-time job that I’m also still pretty new to (started in late December, but didn’t really fully on board until January because of the holidays) and that has ramped up to be even busier right now.
Moving. Seriously this is probably the worst time ever for moving, but it’s finally happening months after I anticipated.
The death of a loved one. Our sweet Willow Rose Beagle passed away the beginning of March, and truthfully, I haven’t even fully processed that yet. But I miss her and the gentle comfort she brought me (much like Meadow before her), especially now. There is a hole in my heart and in my life.

Just in case you weren’t keeping track there, I’m doing/have recently done/experienced three of the most stressful things you can do, all while a pandemic is happening. And I’m also “homeschooling” my kindergartner (consider those quotes to be air quotes there because this isn’t what homeschooling should look like, folks). Oh, and speaking of school, I’m taking a class myself right now as part of a certificate program in design ethnography. Like a graded, not-self-paced class where I have to write papers and do things. And if that weren’t enough, I’m also still mentoring up-and-coming UXers, although I have hit the pause button on building out any sort of business related to that for the time being. Because pandemic.

So if you’ll just excuse me for a second while I guzzle a bottle of wine and stop giving any f*cks about accomplishments and productivity. Getting through the day right now is an accomplishment.

And honestly, even if I didn’t have all of those things going on right now, I’d probably be spending a good chunk of my time plopped on the couch watching Grey’s Anatomy reruns. And that would be totally okay.

But other than that…there’s not much getting “accomplished.” And really, to anyone out there who needs to hear this…it’s not normal out there right now. It’s okay to just do what you can to get by. And don’t let anyone chastise you for feeling stressed or grieving or whatever it is you’re feeling.

While you’re at it, I highly recommend reading this article about productivity and why it’s okay to not be productive during a pandemic - Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure

And also, because we all need a lightheartedness right now, please enjoy this public service announcement by Samuel L. Jackson: