Redefining Productivity (2024 Edition)

I stumbled upon a piece I wrote some years ago ("some," in an attempt to not age myself) about productivity and how I was struggling with feeling happy with myself if my days weren't what I deemed to be productive. Reading this over was illuminating, because I remember writing it, and even sharing it. I remember feeling unhappy about the situation I was in, and the expectations I had for myself, and feeling the need to redefine it.

I'll speak more on that after. I'll go into a whole thing and put this year's addition at the end, but for now, I'll just let you read the piece. It's a little lengthy (you've been warned), but maybe it'll be worth your time.

See you on the other side!

My First Day of Redefined Productivity

The day of my graduation.

Since my high school graduation in [year], I have had some issues with feeling proud of my accomplishments at the end of the day and found that I rarely thought of myself as being productive. I had a part-time job, taking up about 20-25 hours a week, but the rest of my time was usually spent in front of the TV, playing video/mobile games, or scrolling through my socials.

Once I started a Medical Transcription/Healthcare Documentation course in April of [year], I found that this idea of productivity and the pressure of committing to it started to dissolve. I was spending a lot of my time keeping up with schoolwork and maintaining my job, so much of my time was not free. I did not mind my TV bingeing in the hours that I had to myself. Then, when I started my practicum in February [year], I became busier. I left my part time job to focus on school, and was working 25 hours a week in the practicum, plus the many hours (probably nearly just as much) spent on writing notes and studying for upcoming exams.

On February 24, [year], I finished the last hours of my practicum and completed the practicum exam the next day. Monday and Tuesday, March 1st and 2nd, were spent completing the final exam of the course. I was incredibly excited to finish, and worried about my grades. My mind was kept extremely busy during these days, anticipating the end. It took a day for my exam to be graded, and another day to gain my certification.

On March 4th I received the email that I had officially graduated. It was an amazing moment. I was given my transcript and a list of companies to apply to. It was exciting and relieving and I could not wait to start working… but….

The only thing I could think about was… What now? I knew I had to start applying and get a job, but that was a process on its own. It could take weeks to find employment. I had so much time on my hands; there were only so many resumes I could give out. I started feeling anxious and pressured about the time that was not spent finding employment. All of my free time beforehand was spent watching 3rd Rock From The Sun or Parks and Recreation. There was no way I could spend all of my free time in front of the TV now… I would never be able to feel good about myself, because binge-watching season after season of Parks and Recreation would never be an appropriate, valuable use of my time. What in the world was I going to do to stay productive?

Redefining my idea of productivity.

I decided I had to redefine what I believed to be productive. Before my graduation, I believed something was productive if it furthered my academic success or my education, or if I was being paid to do it. Work would always be productive, but it was not something I could include in my schedule until I actually found it. My education had just come to a conclusion (in this chapter of my life), though I could spend some of my time writing notes and studying terminology and other things that would be useful in my career; however, I could not possibly do that all day long.

So what else could I do? How could I redefine productivity, and feel proud about my day’s accomplishments?

I decided that productivity had to include the things that were meaningful and significant to me. I enjoyed journaling, reading, religious studies, language studies, writing on platforms, keeping up with my physical and emotional health. I had to find a way to incorporate these things that brought me happiness and meaning into my everyday life, and feeling good about the end result. My list went from…

• Productive Acts
• Work
• Academic Success

and opened into...

• Productive Acts (Redefined/An Addition)
• Waking up early
• Eating healthy
• Exercising
• Showering, washing my face, moisturizing
• Religious studies
• Meditation
• Laundry and other chores
• Fresh air, spending some time outdoors
• Language studies
• Keeping connections, talking to friends
• Writing for posting on social platforms
• Journaling overwhelming thoughts
• Journaling what has happened during the day, bullet journaling
• Reading
• Having a good night’s sleep

The day after my graduation; My first day of redefined productivity.

I had not set an alarm, so waking up early was out of the question. I decided I would make a task list of the things I had to do that day and stick to it as much as possible. Even if I did not get everything done, I knew I should still think of myself as being productive, as there were still items checked on the list.

My list turned into: (1) breakfast, (2) exercise, (3) shower, wash face, (4) clean up the house -- porch, bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, (5) religious studies, (6) meditation, (7) go for a walk to the store, (8) send out applications, (9) write, (10) journal.

I made and finished my breakfast, and was ready to start the day. I showered and washed my face, then started on cleaning up the house. It took a couple of hours, and it was something I had not done in a while, and gave a sense of accomplishment. Afterward, I spent a small (though significant) amount of time reading in religious study, and decided to open up my computer to write and look into applying to companies looking for MTs.

My parents decided they wanted to celebrate my graduation, and we went out for dinner. Afterwards, I came home, watched the movie Croods: A New Age, and wrote this little piece. And later, I will work in my journal.

I missed numbers (2), (6), and (7), but looking at a list of tasks that I gradually checked off throughout the day, I felt proud and accomplished. I knew that the day had been productive, even though only a small amount of time had been spent on my professional life.

I feel good about today, and I generally know what tomorrow will look like. All in all, the point of writing this was to assure that even if you do not feel productive, I guarantee that something you have done during your 12 or so awake hours was productive, and something to take pride in! I understand I will always be my worst critic, no one will judge your actions as much as you do yourself, and I had to redefine my ideals, because the only opinion/judgment I care about the most is my own. :)

Keep working on yourself and never give up when you are in a position that is stuck. When you have no control but to wait, keep yourself busy and your mind and body healthy! You have got this!

(P.S. I just realized I forgot to take my bedding out of the dryer… but still a productive day!)

Redefined Productivity, May 2024 Edition

Looking back at the piece that I wrote is interesting, to say the least. It's funny because I'm in a similar situation now. I decided to go back to school, which is ironic considering the line "My education had just come to a conclusion (in this chapter of my life)." I finished two years of university, and am now looking for summer employment. It just so happens that at the time I stumbled upon this piece, I am back in that same situation. I'm a student waiting to go back to school, and I'm trying to be employed. My work and education have been put on hold, the two main things that define productivity for me, and I'm left trying to feel good about myself, as my accomplishments and feeling happy are generally linked to whether or not I am productive.

It's also interesting, because I did not get a job, back then. Being a medical transcriptionist was hard. There was work, but no one wanted an entry level MT, and I applied to well over 60 jobs before I decided to look at general transcription. I started working contractually for a website that did not pay even minimum wage, and gruelled over it. It was definitely a tougher time, and I hadn't figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew it wasn't being an MT; that was sort of an on-the-side thing.

It's fun because I get to look back at this knowing things were going to change, incredibly. My entire life direction was about to shift. I was studying religion and hadn't committed to one yet – I have now. I was not sure what direction to take with my career – I'm sure now. I do still struggle with feeling accomplished, but it's about the mindset, and this is all that piece has taught me. Redefining what is productive, redefining what an accomplishment is, is what was necessary for me to feel better about myself when I was no longer a student or an employee. I needed to change my idea of what success was in order to feel good about my days.

This is a rambling. I was definitely better organized in my previous piece, but for right now, I'll add this:

I'm a university student, in between my second and third years. I'm starting a part time position, actually back at the job that I had just left before (with a small transcription gig on the side, but for legal, not medical), and I'm looking for a summer position.

I still use checklists. I actually use the Finch app to check off tasks (I might create an unsponsored thing on Finch because it's actually really cute). And to an extent, I still find myself evaluating my worth based on my academic, professional, and financial achievements. I am more than that. I am pleased to say I was able to redefine productivity for myself, and as life changed I began to feel more comfortable in not learning or working. I did gruel over that painful job, because I felt the need to have a work ethic and to grind (and I still do), but I got past that.

My current list of productive things (or at least those I make a checklist out of) is probably...

• Eating (because I don't always)
• Sleeping (at the right times)
• Writing (particularly on Vocal, something that makes me feel accomplished)
• Reading (anything)
• Religious studies (still)
• Language studies (still)
• Cleaning (or any kind of chores)
• Hygiene (self up-keep)
• Working (making bank!)
• Spending time outside (self-care, fresh air)
• Journaling (another kind of self-care)
• Praying (where before it was meditation, I think)

This probably isn't an exhaustive list, but it's a start. It isn't just work and studies, which means that I did successfully redefine what it means to be productive.

The point of this whole thing, if you've made it this far, is just to say that your lull periods are not less valuable. Anytime that you have, you can make the most out of. Whether it's spending time on yourself, going outside, adventuring, doing something else you love, even if it doesn't propel you forward financially or professionally or academically, it is still worth something. Even just as much.

Things change. Employment doesn't always last. Things don't always work. Life changes. Directions change. Desires and goals change. And it's okay if you're not keeping up with it at the pace you want, or if things are changing but they're changing awfully slowly. The pace doesn't matter. You're going to progress, one way or another, and you're getting there. One step at a time. Sometimes it means changing what progress means to you, and that's fine, too.

Anyway, I'll leave this here. I might regret posting so many details about my life on here, as I've tried to be fairly anonymous in my Vocal presence, but here we are. I'm happy to have it down on paper (or web). I hope you enjoyed this messy unorganized semi-purposeful rambling.

Thank you. ❤️

Belle