Skip to main content

The Struggle Between Productivity and Being

There is a certain mindset that comes with being productive. You are focused. You are in the zone. This is a different experience than just being. The two are in constant flux throughout the day.

We somewhat worship productivity. There is good reason for this. At the end of the day, you can look back and see the trail of everything you have accomplished. For some of us, there is a physical manifestation of our work; for some of us it could be a checklist of things.

The down side of productivity is that it requires discipline. You must harden yourself against the extraneous distractions the day throws your way. Stopping to smell the roses is all you need to throw you off your groove.

And, so productivity can preclude any opportunity to simply be, to exist. While you can live very well without smelling roses, along with that are other pleasant experiences, such as spending time with your loved ones and truly being present in mind, not just body.

The productivity mindset can cause you to be physically present, but mentally distant. Spending time with those for whom you strive becomes another item on the list.

But this is not all one-sided. We need to be productive. We need to create, to accomplish. We need to express what we are meant to do with our lives through our work. It is what gives us satisfaction and meaning.

Yet, we must be careful to keep that drive in check. Not everything in our lives must be controlled. Not everything can be controlled. Some things can only be enjoyed as they are. Some things we can only enjoy simply by being, rather than doing.

We must learn to be able to switch between both mindsets and be aware of the choice. Be deliberate in when we drive and when we simply are.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Before Getting Out of the Gate

Tonight, I was working on a new blog project. Google and Blogger have been good platforms for me in the past. I was able to get the domain pointed and was working on the layout and template. Suddenly, the website was blocked. I had searched for ways to publish that were not subject to censorhsip. I wound up on the Hive blockchain. It's great for censorship resistance, but it's not without its problems. In any case, I was thinking that maybe I was being too paranoid. Now, before getting out of the gate, I have a blog censored. I'm trying to think of what I could have posted, reposted, or even been associated with that could have caused the blog to be blocked. I can't think of anything. If this doesn't pan out after review, I may need to look for an alternative hosting option. I was already looking at Publii as an option. It only requieres simple FTP updates. I prefer not to use Wordpress as experience has taught me that you an customize a theme and add plugins ...

Blogger blocks excessive posting

A while ago, I tried uploading a blog post via Android App. The upload kept failing. Not to be deterred, I deleted the app and reinstalled, to find no better success. I thought that perhaps I could email the post to Blogger. That did not work either. The email bounced back with the following: Technical details of permanent failure: You have exceeded the the allowable number of posts without solving a captcha. This happened because I imported quite a few blog posts from another blog I discontinued just yesterday. It has been less than 24 hours since the import. It makes sense. I'm rather certain the captcha speedbump is also why the mobile app refused to publish my posts. The problem can be circumvented if you post directly on the Blogger site and solve the captcha. This problem will likely resolve in the next few hours and all will be right with the universe once more.