There are two trains of thought regarding productivity in a pandemic.
On one hand, you now have all the time in the world— it’s up to you to push yourself to make the most out of your current circumstances.
Today’s the perfect time to start writing on your blog or start your online business.
You’ve wanted to start one for the longest time, but finding time was always an issue. Now, you have no excuse.
On the other hand, survival comes first during a pandemic.
The constant anxiety of our “new normal” starts creeping up, and you’re afraid if you’ll ever be able to come back to the way things were.
Getting out of bed is already a win in your book.
Tending to your family’s needs is more than enough pressure, and taking on new responsibilities is out of the question.
Screw your dreams of starting a business. Making out of the lockdown in one piece is enough pressure as it is.
It’s essential to keep in mind that under no circumstances is there anyone telling you that you SHOULD be productive during a pandemic.
But it doesn’t mean that you CAN’T be productive today.
What if there was a middle ground to both these ideas?
What Do You Want To Do?
Right now, moving at your own pace is key to making it out of quarantine with your sanity intact.
It’s at this steady moment in time where you can dig deep in yourself and see where you want to be after the quarantine.
Do I really want to start a blog? Or do I want to start a business? Is there something else I’ve wanted to try out?
One good reason why you can’t manage to start work on something is that it doesn’t spark your passion.
If it were something you loved doing, then you’d be doing it in a heartbeat.
Are you just caving in to what everyone else is doing?
No Pressure
Maybe you do know what you want to do.
Maybe you are ready to start working on your book. Or start setting up your YouTube channel.
But taking the leap towards doing it gets drowned out by the pressure of starting.
And you have enough pressure as it is.
In the flurry of needing to get up from bed and powering through your day-to-day work, adding more responsibilities to be anxious about is a recipe for burnout.
And getting burned out in the middle of a pandemic is the last thing you need right now.
There’s no need to be pressured, though.
Your mind is your biggest enemy in these trying times, and starting something from scratch doesn’t have to be a giant leap.
Starting a blog doesn’t have to look like you coming up with a thousand-word article overnight. It might just look like you coming up with your first blog title today. Then your first sentence tomorrow. Then your first paragraph the day after. Then your first 300 words the day after that.
Starting a YouTube channel doesn’t have to look like you coming up with a video overnight. It might just look like you signing up for an account today. Then your first script tomorrow. Then your first shoot the day after. Then your first edit the day after that.
Your goals don’t have to happen overnight. Your goals just need to happen. You might not be able to do everything today, but you can always take one small step.