Productivity During Quarantine

photo courtesy of @samji_illustrator Instagram

Are you ever just scrolling through TikTok (our newest quarantine distraction, obviously) and see a video like, “Isaac Newton discovered gravity during a pandemic. What will you do?” You see, we would find this joke funny if it didn’t echo the same sentiments we keep hearing over and over again. These messages seem to be spread by the “we’re in this together” folks who insist that now is the time to learn a new instrument, become fluent in Japanese, read a few novels a week, or paint the next Starry Night. 

While we are all experiencing this pandemic at the same time, our experiences are not the same and should not be compared. Most people pushing for productivity during a global pandemic seem to come from a position of privilege. 

While it is important to find small ways to make this time more enjoyable, it is crucial to realize that an individual's value is not measured by their productivity. Multiple protests to end social distancing measures, despite the fact that the United States has significantly more Coronavirus cases than any other county without the sufficient resources to treat them, show that we live in a culture that values productivity over lives. 

Perhaps, we should be using this time, not to write the next great American novel, but to think about what is truly important in our lives. For many people, this is not a period of rest but a period of uncertainty. Uncertainty about how to make enough money or pay the rent on time or how to access medical care. Unemployment has reached a historical level of nearly 16 million people, according to the New York Times. 

Not to mention, there are now thousands of students who are expected to finish their full-time coursework basically over FaceTime. Schoolwork is increasingly difficult while not in a traditional setting. Without proper classroom structure, students lose the ability to produce their best work. 

Many are insisting that now is the time to pick up a new hobby, make some art, finish that project and complete every to-do list. Let’s just take a second and recognize that it is difficult to be creative in social isolation. While this can be a good time to take advantage of these opportunities, it is not always necessary to put a positive spin on this crisis. We have to acknowledge that viewing this pandemic as a blessing of free time is extremely insensitive to the many who are struggling. 

The current state of the pandemic is enough to make anyone feel like the world is ending. Thousands of people are dying each day and the president of the United States suggested drinking bleach as a solution. You’re allowed to feel the emotions and uncertainty that come with this unprecedented time. 

The most important thing to do during this twilight zone is to take care of your health, both mentally and physically. You don’t need to get all As, write a concept album, or solve the JonBenet Ramsey case amidst a global crisis. It’s okay just to be. And if the best you can do today is hang out at home and watch Netflix, that is more than fine. As long as you are putting in effort to social distance and protect those at risk, that is enough.