Why productivity in a crisis is a dangerous lie

DearLloyd, Many schools have been struggling to continue their mandate by moving our subjects online, making classroom. But I don’ t feel anyone is ready for this shift—professor sand students alike. Can we really be productive at this point in time?

Zep

Zep,

You’re not alone in your observation. We are all in panic mode, wondering how to continue our normal life — the normal before the global coronavirus pandemic barged in. The virus changed the world overnight. It caused the eventual lockdown of our communities. Left with no other choice but to stay home, businesses, churches and the academe all scrambled to shift their operational model from physical to virtual. Thus, we see the rise in popularity of online teaching and learning streaming — all in the name of productivity.

Scrambling to do something new at home because now we have “more time” than ever isn’t productivity; it’s simply picking an activity. To say that we can be productive when our mind is occupied with fear, anxiety and frustration is a dangerous lie. We can’t be truly productive.

Let me admit: I sleep at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. after watching movies on Netflix. I get up late. I sleep after lunch. I write sometimes. I play the piano when I feel like it. I listen to music. I do Facebook Live lectures and attend virtual meetings. I do things without logic, without schedule and without long-term goals because I know it’s just temporary. In short, I’m not productive. I am simply passing time.

In times when productivity is a lie, safety and mindset are truths we can’t afford to deny. No one in survival mode will think about being productive anyway.

When the World Health Organization declared the spread of Covid-19 — coronavirus disease 2019 — a pandemic on March 11, 2020, our fears were realized. With a very tentative idea on what it means for the world we used to live in, we hustle our way to safety and security. Unclear how to survive without paycheck, pass subjects without having to go to school or continue the business without customers, we force ourselves to do something, anything that will make our time at home worthwhile. But doing something because there’s nothing else we can do isn’t productivity; it’s luxury. That is, the luxury of time, which we may be enjoying for now.

Majority of people still struggle for food, safety, job security and basic necessities. It is but human nature to make these a priority. The long lines in our supermarkets explain it. So, no one really cares whether he or she passes or fails a subject, marches or stays home on their graduation day, or learns or not from an online training if he or she is going to starve anyway. No one is used to staying home 24/7. Boredom makes us crazy. But so is thinking that things will be the same after this is over. For a professional speaker like myself, there is no stage to step on and perform. For a student, there’s no classroom to go to. For a priest, there’s no church to fill on a Sunday. Yet the world expects us to be productive in an instant. Productivity, however, has no switch.

When things are changing, reframing the mind is important. This would take time. But once the mind is set, we can make sense of new opportunities in a changed environment.

For example, when schools reopen, online courses will be at the top of the agenda. When businesses reopen, they will talk about work-from-home strategies. When churches resume, each parish will talk about livestreaming services. The mindset that brought us in this situation can’t be the same mindset that can take us to a better one.

The lockdown has already introduced us to some changes. Meetings can be done via videoconferencing. Say goodbye to getting stuck in a traffic jam. Skeletal forces can work. Employees can be given more time to be with their family if their work can be done at home. Having one viand per meal is enough. Discipline is possible. Obeying authorities can save lives.

By the time the quarantine is lifted and the coronavirus is conquered, the new normal awaits us. When you are ready, you’ll get lucky. Embrace the new normal because by doing so, creativity kicks in, resourcefulness manifests everywhere and resiliency becomes evident.

None of what I’ve discussed talks about productivity because, frankly, what we need now is safety and a new mindset before we bang our heads against the wall, thinking about how we can cope with the crisis-fueled pressure that calls us to be productive. In times of crisis, productivity can be a dangerous lie. Survive now; be productive later.

Lloyd Luna, RS P, is the first registered speakingprofessional in the Philippines. He is a motivational speaker on leadership and bestselling Step back: The Lost Art of Filipino Leadership. Heist he chief executive officer of Step back, a leadership and culture development company that helps leaders and organizations see the bigger picture in life and at work. Visit his w eb sitewww. step back. ph or emailhimatlloyd@stepback.ph.