Fear and productivity - a pep talk

A lot of us are stuck at home more (if not all the time) at the moment and as a result many of us will have extra time we didn't have before.

There are posts on social media everywhere of people doing crafts, baking bread, starting hobbies and being 'productive' and the image of productivity can cause feelings of guilt or frustration for anyone who isn't that productive.

Maybe we have things that we'd like to do, but always procrastinate over them, or get anxiety over them. Procrastination, like anxiety, are side effects of fear. Fear of inadequacy, fear of failure, fear of humiliation..

If you're feeling some of these things right now I want you to know that it is absolutely fine.

First, it is a not a rule that more time means that you should fill it with the productive. If you want to spend your additional time sleeping or playing video games because they make you happy then go right ahead. You do you.

Secondly, if you are feeling anxiety over what others are doing and you are not, remember that the only person measuring you against them is you.

Thirdly, if you are afraid of doing something because of the fear of failure, for example, I'd like to offer you my personal motto 'all progress is progress.' Don't worry about it being perfect, just worry about being better than your last attempt. If you're writing a story, then 10 words is more progress than no words; those 10 words will add up. A few lines on a picture will eventually add up to a drawing.

Be productive, or don't be, but whatever you do, don't let fear or misplaced guilt hold you down.

Building up confidence is important, and I think the point of small steps isnt to create a collection of small victories (perhaps because they are easier) but rather to more easily practise confidence despite the outcome (because it is easier). The former runs the risk of one larger failure negating all previous progress, while the later does not suffer the same weakness IMO. The later trains in being grounded while the former reinforces self judgement and self identity politics IMO. In this way one can move to a place where action is measured as exercising healthy power (time dilation) and inaction is measured as exercising longevity (time expansion). That is my take on it, because stagnation can be real counterproductive to one's future but sleep really is a weapon, and also dreams can be a great training tool. And sometimes doing nothing is actually letting your brain work stuff out in the background!

I mean it all depends on what you want to make of your life. A lot of people act like their best life is out there, and they have to wait for it to show up. Finding your best self is the same as making it.

I'm an admitted workaholic, so I recognize that people need some respite from being productive. However, I think that everyone needs a creative output: not just a time waster like video games or TV. For me, that's music, painting, and hiking. Although all three are pragmatically useless, they feel so much more valuable than other fluff options. I don't do any of those activities for anything besides my own enjoyment, so I don't even consider measuring myself against other people which in my opinion is healthy. Not to say one can't do something competitively or professionally, but rather that those activities have different functions from what you do for *only* your enjoyment. Those personal activities really are only bound by yourself, so there shouldn't be much fear, anxiety, or ego involved.

Follow your bliss

If its work from home and you have clients, I'm afraid the client wont feel the same way about your procrastination.

It's always a good idea to develop a reliable process for "getting into gear" with what you have on your plate, but also to find your motivational drive (why you wanted to do what you are doing in the first place), and remind yourself of that, even if its as simple as "I need to get paid, I've got bills". Survival is usually the most strait-forward and tried and true motivation you can use if nothing else works.

For many of us it can be extremely difficult not to feel bad or beat ourselves up for procrastinating. So when you begin to notice that you are, point your thoughts to how you know you are going to feel if you let yourself procrastinate, and use that to push you out of it. You want your awareness on how bad you will feel for procrastinating and then how good you will feel when you have your tasks done and out of the way. ("Whew!").

Proteus wrote: If its work from home and you have clients, I'm afraid the client wont feel the same way about your procrastination.

I'd like to clarify that I wasn't talking about work... I was talking about the things that we do for ourselves.

Edan wrote:

Proteus wrote: If its work from home and you have clients, I'm afraid the client wont feel the same way about your procrastination.

I'd like to clarify that I wasn't talking about work... I was talking about the things that we do for ourselves.

Yes I understand. I was just responding with something that I personally have had to struggle with in the past for myself, and hoped to relay what I've learned over time about it.

Thank you Edan.