I have been having bouts of insomnia again, which are always fun and insightful.
Last night I went to bed around 10 o’clock and woke up at 3. I woke up at three because someone walked into my room and walked out and the sound of the door was enough to break my unconsciousness to where I woke up.
So, I tried to fall back asleep and found I couldn’t, so I headed downstairs and got on the computer. Around 3:45 my mother came downstairs, I had probably woken her up with all my walking around. She asked me why I was up, asked me to do something for her and then headed back upstairs.
Well I went back to bed at around 6:20. She came in 20 minutes later and asked if I was just going back to bed. When I told her I was she said “Staying up all night is just foolishness.” She was rather angry. Then she asked why I didn’t do what she asked me to do and I apologized saying that I forgot and I got up to go do it.
She then asked what I had been doing for 3 hours, I said honestly that I had been reading a man’s blog. Her reply was “Well that was real productive. I wish I just had 3 hours to piss away.”
I respect my mother and I know she was just angry, but her statement made me realize something. Exactly as the title states, Productivity is in the eyes of the beholder. I will use the example I just stated.
First off, if she had insomnia and woke up in the middle of the night, she would have 3 hours to “piss away”.
I did read a man’s blog for 3 hours last night. Reading a man’s blog for 3 hours doesn’t make the house cleaner. It doesn’t create money for me. I didn’t learn anything that could be college accredited. I didn’t create something that will benefit mankind or the greater good. So I can see how reading a man’s blog might look very unproductive to a lot of people.
But this man’s blog caused me to be inspired. It gave me a sense of hope that I didn’t know I was needing. It even broke me down to tears.
How could I really explain to someone this different version of productivity? If the only type of productivity we acknowledge in life is the things that are ambitious and superficial, we are screwed. If these are the only productive things in our lives, we are cold machines. There has to be time for things that are productive to our souls.
Also, if someone tells you that the things you have done in the middle of the night are unproductive, calmly remind them that you got just the same amount of things done that you would have while you were sleeping.
