As I’m trying to prevent workaholism-creep and a repeat of last winter, I’ve been thinking about productivity culture and the pressure to be “busy.” I have to be honest. I feel a lot of internal pressure to do a lot, for multiple reasons: I’m afraid of missing out on opportunities, I have a really hard time saying no in general, I imagine that when I’m married with babies it’ll be harder to do some of the things I want to do, I want to build out my CV, I want to make more money…So those are all reasons.
But we also live in a culture that expects people, most especially single adults, to be busy. It’s like, you need a valid reason to not always be working and if you’re not married or a parent, you don’t really have a valid reason.
Over Shabbos recently, I spent time talking with my cousin about her weekly schedule. She has such a beautiful work-life balance, I could only sigh with appreciation. I was inspired by how attuned she is to her needs and how she protects that margin so she can take care of herself. And I realized (again) how much I struggle to give myself permission to take time for myself.
It would be nice if someone handed me a permission slip to just be. Like, take this pass and go cloud watching. Or birdwatching. Or puzzle making. For an entire afternoon. Every week. And don’t think about being productive or getting work done or making money. You don’t owe anyone busy. But you owe yourself the proper care.
I love a broad margin to my life.
– Henry David Thoreau, Walden
