I am sitting at my computer at 5:30 AM on a Thursday morning, trying to write, trying to be “productive”, trying to find flow.
“Where are you, flow??”
Sometimes, I need a little push and then I can build the momentum. Other times, the words just don’t come. I feel unfocused and scatter-brained. My journals turn into a mash of mushy, emotional, nonsensical word vomit.
Sometimes, I don’t feel like I have achieved anything after spending hours writing. In the past I would write that off as a “bad day” or an unproductive day — but was it?
I would now argue that it was a productive day.
We are living in the age of productivity. We attempt to do everything in the most efficient way possible. Through the wonders of technology, we can connect to each other in a fraction of a second on opposite sides of the Earth.
While technology has improved exponentially, it has accelerated to a pace where it is difficult for us to keep up.
For an artist, this is especially wicked. We are expected to be creative and productive with the flick of a switch.
We often exacerbate this feeling of being unproductive by keeping our phones by our sides or leaving our email open. With each notification, we are pulled out of our flow state and our attention is scattered. When we realize what has happened, we have to start all over again.
We are in desperate need of focus. Studies have shown that we have an attention span of only 8 seconds, less than a goldfish.
Not only are we distracted, but as a symptom of these distractions, we never feel like we are getting anything of substance done. We develop persistent, low-grade anxiety that follows us around like a dark cloud.
And what is true productivity, anyway?
To be productive in our work, we need to limit distractions. It is not feasible to completely eliminate distractions, but if we want to get to a place where we can work diligently in flow state, we need to eliminate distractions as much as possible. These tips may sound obvious, but they are worth re-stating:
- Turn off your notifications.
- Turn off your phone (unless it is absolutely necessary to use it). Better, turn it off and lock it in a drawer for a few hours to get some work done. I have done this trick before and was amazed at how much more clear-headed I felt.
Studies have shown that it can take up to 23 minutes to re-focus after being distracted. If you are distracted every hour (or more often) every day, then basically all of your time is being eaten up by distractions and lack of focus. No wonder you can’t get anything done and feel stressed out all the time.
Even when you successfully eliminate all distractions, focusing can be BORING. It feels a lot better to have that little dopamine rush of picking up your phone or literally doing anything else. You are suddenly inspired to clean your house or read the novel you have been neglecting.
It can feel uncomfortable and boring to sit still and bring your attention back, over and over, to what you are trying to focus on. But it is worth it.
The thing is — life is not meant to constantly entertain and please you. Life is simultaneously full of pleasure and discomfort. One cannot exist without the other.
There is a snub-nose bratty girl who lives in my brain. When I encounter boredom, she starts to kick and scream and demand I do something to entertain her.
Observing the brat in my brain is a meditative practice. The part of my brain that has my best interests at heart will recognize this brat, laugh at her, and then gently guide my attention back to what I was doing.
The nature of the mind is chaos. You can never eliminate that chaos, but you can learn to understand it, befriend it, and find comfort in living with it.
Is today a productive day for me? Yes. Not because I have achieved everything on my to-do list, but because despite wanting to sleep in but getting up early instead — despite trying to find every excuse to not sit down and write — despite telling myself “you’ve had a busy week, why not take some time off?” I am still here. I have still shown up.
I am flexing the muscle of discipline to work towards my goals. Showing up and putting in the work, regardless of what the outcome will be, is productive to me.
Hard work beats talent every time.
