Complex Numbers

Chill

I don't usually draw from this source, and hopefully you'll see why.

What Is Toxic Productivity? Here's How To Spot The Damaging Behavior.  
The pandemic has convinced us we have to be useful at all times. Here's what that mentality looks like, and how to deal with it.

Think about your work ethic during the pandemic. Have you been more productive than usual? Do you rush to volunteer for projects at work, even when your plate is already full? Do you promise to make dinner as soon as you finish “one last thing” on your to-do list? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you might be suffering from toxic productivity.

No, no, and no. There, done.

My work ethic used to be stronger, but nothing good ever came of it, so I abandoned it. For some people, though, this ill-defined concept of "hard work" keeps them sane. Newsflash: everyone is different.

In many ways, “toxic productivity” is just a buzzy new term for workaholism ― but it’s also a little more nuanced than that old-school phrase. Toxic productivity is essentially an unhealthy desire to be productive at all times, at all costs.

I hated that old term too, as well as anything that gets tagged "-holism." Similarly, stop tagging "-gate" on every damn scandal.

Toxic productivity doesn’t even let up once the task is complete. Once you’re technically done with a project at work, you might feel guilty for not having done more. For the afflicted, too much is never enough, said Simone Milasas, a business coach and author of “Joy of Business.”

Is a "business coach" something like a "life coach?" Or is it some weird hybrid airplane ticket?

Many of us have fallen into patterns of toxic productivity during the pandemic, said Kathryn Esquer, a psychologist and founder of the Teletherapist Network. That’s primarily because all of our regular routines were put on pause. All of a sudden, we had unprecedented amounts of free time.

"Many?" Any chance of being more specific here? Also, where did that "free time" come from, removal of commute?

But why did we throw ourselves into work instead of seizing the opportunity to be blissfully, guiltlessly idle for once?

And what's this "we" shit? My routine barely changed -- though I admit I'm an outlier.

We didn’t stop once the workday ended, either. We told ourselves we’d learn a new language, become an expert baker or master some other skill we’d put off learning in the Before Times.

I have been learning a new language. I started two years ago, before the pandemic. And dammit, I'd demand royalties on the phrase "Before Time," except I stole it from a Star Trek (original series) episode.

As one viral productivity-pushing tweet put it: “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with either: 1.) a new skill 2.) starting what you’ve been putting off like a new business 3.) more knowledge [then] you didn’t ever lack the time, you lacked the discipline.”

And once again we see the cesspool that is Twatter. First of all, "either" implies two choices, not more; second, we should be shooting for "more knowledge" all the time.

Work culture in the United States valorizes the grind ― and in moments of crisis, we grind all the harder. Look at World War II and the vast, rapid expansion of U.S. civilian manufacturing capacity to meet wartime demands.

That was top-down, not bottom-up.

The first step is to recognize that you have a problem.

Oh? Are there eleven more steps?

“One sign of toxic productivity is calling for a Zoom meeting when certainly a phone call or email would be OK,” she said. “Another is using of lot of jargon that makes the conversation twice as long because you’re afraid of how it will look if you’re brief, concise and just move along.”

Oh, and here I thought those were both signs of "being a manager."

Once you wrap up one project, do you give yourself a well-deserved break, or do you run to the next project with little thought? Are you constantly asking yourself “What should I be doing now?” even when it’s the weekend?

That question is a sign of textbook toxic productivity, Milasas said. She said a better question to ask yourself is: “What could I do or create with ease now? What would it take to create this with zero stress?”

I can always play video games or watch old episodes of Star Trek.

What’s funny about toxic productivity is that it exists more in our heads than in our actual work environments. In other words, there are very few bosses out there who care if you’ve been working hard around the clock, Ruettimann said.

Is that so? Then how come those same bosses monitor your keyboard and camera time?

And again... what exactly the fuck is "hard work?" Farm hands work hard and twenty years later, they're still hard-working farm hands.

Americans have a notoriously bad grasp on work-life balance: We’re loath to take our vacation days. We’re overworked, especially during the pandemic. We send unnecessary emails over the weekend. We simply can’t log off.

Again, what's this "we" shit?

Okay, to be fair, I'm sure there are a some people who need this advice. For others, it can be safely ignored. My biggest issue is how it's presented.

But unless you have a specific goal in mind, working extra hours is just counterproductive. That goal could be "keeping my job," but do you really need to keep a job that makes you work 80-hour weeks?

It's time the workers fought back, and not just in the service industry. Rise up! You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Once again, I failed to do this review yesterday for a movie I saw on Tuesday.

One-sentence Movie Review: Old

While I can certainly understand anyone's trepidation for seeing another Shyamalan movie, this one is done well, with brilliant acting, seamless effects, and remarkable camera work, although it does stumble a bit in some places; the trademark MNS "twist" isn't the movie's whole gimmick, and while it's not what anyone would call realistic, that's never been a requirement for a horror movie.

Rating: 4/5

Next week, I'll take on The Suicide Squad.