By Tamara Yeshurun, Opinions Editor
At Stern College for Women there are two common ways of answering the question, “How was your day?” Either, “I was so productive today!” or, “I got nothing done today.” Instead of answering how the day was, many of us launch into a severe self-assessment based on how much we managed to inch along the indomitable to-do list. Fancying ourselves God, we only declare a day “good” if we complete the divine checklist we assigned to it ‘in the beginning…’
Of course, there is no shortage of things that must be done in a day. There are countless short-term demands and long-term goals. Essays to write. Books to read. Appointments to make. Showers to take. And for seniors like me, “the future” is drawing nearer. If you think you have free time, think again. If you are in class and can’t pay attention, better clean up your LinkedIn or search for internship opportunities. When you slump, exhausted, over a pile of notes, you have wasted valuable study time.
Under such pressure, it’s hard to find even relaxation relaxing. When you grant yourself a “well-deserved break”— are you not vaguely troubled by the sense that there is something you really ought to be doing? The moral responsibility is enormous: so while you walk, listen to a podcast. While you sit, start a Duolingo lesson. Every moment is ripe with potential.
But what if the very idea that each moment is precious could actually liberate us from productivity-dependent stress? What if the aspiration to make the most of every moment is actually unrelated to the to-do list? What if we could redefine productivity?
“The day is short and the work is plentiful” (Avot, 2:15). This is certainly true. Life is a gift, and every second is one we will never get back. But the day’s “divine checklist” is not, in fact, accessible to us mortals. Of course we will feel like total failures if we measure our worth by our ability to catch a torrential downpour of responsibilities. It is completely different, however, when we realize that the rain we fail to collect in our bucket doesn’t go to waste; it waters the ground we stand on. The little detours we take on a given day say way more about us than the grand plans by which we obsessively define our worth.
Setbacks, side quests and long lines are important. So is watching a clip of standup comedy. Or having a very long conversation with a friend. Or getting some extra sleep. Or even running into a stupid problem with the printer. Treated with care, these moments need not be distractions, fumbles or failures. They are the chiseling of our character, far more than is our daily scuffle with the to-do list. Of course we should use our time wisely — but if the time gets away from you, that doesn’t mean it was wasted!
Robert Frost says it best in his poem Can’t Believe I Just Spent Fifteen Minutes Staring Into the Snow Instead of Doing That Writing Assignment. Or, alternatively, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,/
But I have promises to keep,/
And miles to go before I sleep,/
And miles to go before I sleep.
Yes, I’m writing this at 3:00 AM — but that’s exactly my point. There are half a dozen bullet points I have yet to reach. Readings, assignments, summer plans. But today I did take the time to explain challenging ideas to two of my peers for their midterms. I shared laughs and some quick compliments with friends in the halls. I fell into a fascinating internet rabbit hole that, frankly, makes me a more interesting person. And no, not all distractions are created equal. But if we broaden our definition of what a “good” day is, and allow the word “productive” to apply to a broader range of circumstances, it won’t just be a participation trophy meant to make us feel better — we will actually be able to make the most of the time we are given.
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