Value is not measured by only Productivity

I strongly believe it is not all about the number of things you do or how much you produce. Being tied up to these metrics has many thinking it is all about the output or how productive you can be. Hence the need to be busy and super preoccupied at every given time. There is even a mantra of being able to multitask is a proof that you are valuable. But I do not feel the same way about this. I see it as a means of reducing efficiency especially when you are bestowed with multiple tasks and doing all at once will not be as effective compared to when you are focused on a task at a time. You cannot compare the result you would get when you drive all your energy and commitment towards a single task for a given result compared to when you are focused on multiple things all at once.

The idea of believing productivity drives up your value or it is the main deciding factor in how valuable you are can be detrimental to one's being. This kind of notion can be challenging to a person's mental well being in the sense that they begin to see rest as a waste of time or something of no significant relevance. Therefore they should be preoccupied at every given point, doing something. There could even be a form of guilt when one takes out time to rest. Honestly speaking, I know first hand what this is like where I used to fill up my schedule or free time with any single task I could do. At any time, I tell myself I should make appropriate use of this free time I have. So I begin to bring up activities that need not to be done at the even time just to keep myself preoccupied. This was quite challenging for me until I began to get tired with little or no zeal to do anything. Unknown to me that was a form of burnout, crippling in faster than I could track.

It took a couple of breakdowns and a mental reset for me to come to the realization that rest is not a form of reward. It is not something I give to myself when I feel justified for the hard work I have done for the day rather it is a basic necessity to keep the body going. There is a saying in Nigerian pidgin which says body no be firewood, meaning the human body can not always be burning. We are not machines or artificial intelligence which can go on and on with little to no rest, but for humans, we need the rest. We have to refuel the energy we have used and it is something that is essential.

Now I have come to set aside the time I need for rest and the need to stay still once in a while. I do not have to be busy all the time or doing one thing or the other. There is peace in being still and enjoying one's environment. I have come to relax, watch movies, sleep or do something that is not work related. Lately I have been playing chess for fun and consuming a lot of content, it is just a fun way of relaxation for me.

_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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