Hi friends,
We got productivity all wrong. On one hand, you have online gurus who suggest filling every second of your day until you drop dead. On the other hand, there are those who advocate for hour-long morning meditations, emphasizing that life shouldn’t be so serious. I believe productivity involves adopting habits that bring you closer to your ideals while resisting distractions. Thus, being productive can be as fulfilling as spending time with family and friends or playing video games.
As a parent, I often find myself in a tug of war on this topic. Sometimes, I feel I’m not spending enough time with my daughter, focusing too much on work or personal projects. Other times, I catch myself procrastinating on work, using my daughter as an excuse. In reality, family should come first, followed by work. However, this shouldn’t mean using family as a shield to avoid responsibilities. Whether it's writing, creating videos, volunteering, or any unpaid work driven by a passion to share ideas, it’s a calling—a responsibility to our family, community, and humanity.
Maybe it’s not universally serious, but to me, it is. It saddens me to meet old friends who once pursued passions like photography, only to abandon them with statements like “now I’m married with kids.” While raising a family is demanding, something has to give. With only 16 waking hours a day, our time is limited. Yet, taking a break from writing due to parenthood or work is understandable; abandoning it altogether is a different matter—a waiting game for the right time that may never come.
So how do we return to writing? I won’t delve into it here, but 80% of the process involves choosing a suitable time and managing expectations. But here are three tips:
- Choose a time when your social circle or family is occupied or asleep. It doesn’t have to be a two-hour block. You can achieve so much in 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted time.
- Start with less than you think you can handle. If you believe you can write for 30 minutes straight, start with 15 minutes instead. This reduces the mental friction and leaves you eager to return the next day. After a consistent week, you can gradually increase your writing duration. Remember, we’re very busy people and the goal is consistent effort, not draining yourself in one session.
- Remind yourself that you’re not writing for money or fame (which only a lucky few achieve anyway). Writing isn’t a lucrative career, but that’s not why we write. We write because we can’t help it—it’s how we find solace, even if our work remains unpublished. If money or a little fame comes along, then may we use those things for the betterment of our craft. Otherwise, we’re better off without them.
Keep writing!
🔖 Quote I’m pondering
“All great works and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant’s revolving door.”
— Albert Camus
📸 Through My Lens
