Aparajita Das 
The coronavirus pandemic has surely disrupted our lifestyles but one thing it has not made us is ‘unproductive’.
Many believe that staying back home is making them unproductive even though you have been working from home all this time. The coronavirus pandemic has surely disrupted our lifestyles but one thing it has not made us is ‘unproductive’. The only problem we are facing is with the idea of working from home.
We have come to a conclusion that if we have been working from home, then we are not supposed to get tired and should work a little extra. In achieving that little extra, we have disrupted our minds about productivity. Often people tend to confuse productivity with something that you do outside your work but that is not the case. In reality, we do tons of things that are productive in a day, but we only give credit to ourselves when the task tires us. But why should it be the case?
“Knowledge workers are generally more satisfied with working remotely than they were with office-based work (+9). The biggest increases: Work-life balance (+25), Satisfaction with working arrangement (+20), Managing work-related stress and anxiety (+17), Productivity (+11)” https://t.co/pb2RTXdEDv
— Alison Olechowski (@a_olechowski) October 10, 2020
Sometimes, certain things might be easy for you but difficult for others. You might finish certain tasks before your colleagues or might not even think of these world-related stuff as tasks. Tha is because one, you are good at what you do and two, you have enough experience to follow a straight path in doing anything. It has nothing to do with you not being productive or not draining yourself out. In fact, these things make you more accomplished as an individual.
Another aspect of it is that people have the tendency to consider a work that is physically draining and is fruitful as productive. Yes, sweating it out or physically exhausting yourself at work might give you a good night’s sleep but it shouldn’t be the only criteria. And if you think about it, anything that brings satisfaction to you is a gift to yourself and it is what you did for your productivity.
Productivity is overrated sometimes especially, at times like this when people feel the urge to constantly do something productive. They think that because they have time in their hand, they must learn a new skill or engage in some activity but contrary to that, this might be the time gifted to you to self-analyse and calm a bit. This might be the time to give yourselves enough time to regain your focus on your objective.
Though it is extremely positive of people to think that this pandemic has given them time and space to do a lot more of what they want and make each day of their life a ‘productive one’, it has also given them time to stop for a bit.
You have to understand that even your work can be productive and there will be days when it is not. You are allowed to be happy or sad for it but at the same time, pressuring yourself for productivity outside your work can turn out to be toxic. It is a natural process when you find a hobby and want to invest your time in it but other than, it would be forced upon.
That is why understanding the concept of work-life balance is important. There is work and there is life and while attaining this balance, you are already doing enough. People need to stop thinking that if they are not doing anything extraordinary every day, it is a waste. Social media is doing a good job lifting up our spirits but it is also influencing us to do things that initially we never wanted to do. This is why we tend to neglect the balance between work and life and exhaust ourselves in doing extra. So we need to calm ourselves and relax and analyse that whatever we are trying to achieve is someone else’s dream or ours and focus on what satisfies you and only you and not your social media handles.
