#BreakThings: The Cult of Productivity
11.10.20
America’s national religion is productivity.
Do more. Be more. Accomplish more.
But with the pandemic now well into its eighth month, it’s becoming harder to be productive. I can manage an hour. A day. Maybe two. But the momentum that leads to sustained productivity is gone.
And maybe it’s time to ask ourselves if we need to re-evaluate how we define being productive. How much of what we do in a day really must be done? How can we let go of the guilt that develops when you don’t complete out to-do list? And how do we, especially as women, stop defining ourselves by the magnitude of our production?
Several weeks ago, I posted a quote here from Nora Roberts: The key to juggling your priorities is to know which balls are made of plastic, and which are made of glass.
I think we all need to start by figuring out which balls will bounce, and giving ourselves the grace to drop them without guilt.
Of course, on the day that I talk about giving myself grace to be less productive, the first article I was drawn to was about improving focus at work. Some religions are tough to quit. (Maybe productivity is more like a cult?)
Regardless, I tried these breathing exercises yesterday during a deep lull in my ability to focus. (I well into the Instagram scroll like Alice in Wonderland.) And I have to say, they revived my mind like a morning of yoga and green juice.
Bias in media is a topic of discussion everywhere right now. So Ad Fontes ranked the major outlets (everything from Fox to Buzzfeed to Axios) for bias in an easy to understand chart.
As for my news choices, I read Axios in the mornings, watch Jake Tapper/Wolf Blitzer (CNN) in the afternoons, and hit up Fox sporadically to see what they’ve decided to focus on that day.
This Lou & Grey sweatsuit is the holy grail of comfort. I own two. When I want to wear them (which is a lot) and they’re in the wash, I am genuinely dejected. Also in plus sizes.
So many new beauty products on the market right now, I don’t even know where to begin. Luckily, the editors at Allure pulled their new must haves. Very interested in the Dr. Jart Ceramidin body lotion (give me all the hyaluronic acid).
Want to know my new favorite beauty item?
The skin on my face is starting to lose its firmness. My neck is even worse. Aging isn’t for the weak. But this tool from NuFace uses microcurrent electrical pulses to help revive tired skin and muscles. It’s like a workout for your face.
The USPS once delivered children via the mail. Yep. You read that right.
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