A friend who happens to be a very talented writer posted this on Facebook:
Dear Universe:
More hours in the day.
More days in the week.
The need for less sleep.
More productivity.
Thank you,
I guess I know what he means, but this sentiment makes me a little sad, because he was essentially asking for more time to work. And I get it – many days feel rushed and jammed with unfinished tasks and the desire to be more productive, but that is such a skewed set of priorities.
How about more hours in the day to kiss loved ones? More days in the week to travel to interesting places? The need for less sleep to…wait…I got nothing on this one. Sleep is a gift from God, and we should all be wanting more of it, not less.
And More productivity? In the garden, maybe. At the piano. Reading books. Cooking special meals. Teaching a child a new skill. Making the world a better place.
But more productivity at work? Only if it affords you the freedom to kiss loved ones, travel to interesting places, garden, play piano, read books, cook special meals, teach children new skills. Make the world a better place. Sleep.
I know a lot of people who love their work. They truly enjoy doing it. But the happiest people are the ones who enjoy not doing it, too.
Dear Universe: a little more balance please, and the ability to make choices that make me happy, even if they don’t conform to the general notions of Productivity.
(and by the way, Universe, thanks for the gift of a blog post topic right when I needed one…)
Thank you for this, Valerie. Great thought.
A blend of multiple activities can be such a re-charge. Hope all is well.
Hi Valerie – great to hear from you! Thanks for the sweet comment. Definitely important to diversify how we invest our time.