“Efficiency, which is doing things right, is irrelevant until you work on the right things” – Peter F. Drucker
The above quote pretty much sums up what being productive is about in this fast-paced world. Why try bigger things and come out feeling disappointed when you can work on small things and feel your time being well-used and in right direction.
At start of every new college year, one question plagues the mind, whether you have spent your summer vacation being productive or not? Even though you are not bothered by this, the fact that this competitive world demands for you to do something, be something and try your hand at something puts mental pressure on you to excel, doesn’t matter if you want to or not.
The word productive according to Merriam Webster means ‘yielding profits, benefits or results’. However, for college students the connotation behind this meaning also involves utilising your time in a manner that helps you to figure out your future, work and also keep in loop with this competitive world. If you fail to do so, you are plagued with this feeling of being useless, wasting your time and being absolutely trash.
What exactly does productivity entail? Is it working for some corporate only? Is it trying your hand at things you are not even interested in just because peer pressure says so? Does anxiety and fear of losing out on important work experience serve as basis for being productive in college life?
According to a second-year student from Gargi college, “I have struggled with being productive especially when you see people doing so much. However, in this race I have always tried to keep my interests and hobbies at forefront. Instead of working at some high-end corporate world for no money, I decided to spend my time learning how to swim. Maybe, it won’t serve a greater purpose but it gave me lot of satisfaction. I guess that is enough.”
Just because it doesn’t serve a bigger purpose doesn’t mean your interests and work on your self should be considered inconsequential. It doesn’t matter if you read during the summer, created art, worked on yourself or went on a trip. If it helped you to re-discover yourself, find a clearer perspective, create beautiful art or find inner satisfaction then the work that you put into it is as important as any job.
“When you see your friends being relatively more productive, it becomes imperative that you also try to out-perform them. This leads to constant bout of anxiety and nervous breakdowns. However, we tend to ignore the fact that everyone works at their own pace, working more doesn’t make me less productive” says a psychology student.
The meaning of productivity is not as complicated as you make it out to be. The mental peace and cultivation of self-worth is as important as creating a stellar CV. However, your priorities and purpose should be clear. Don’t be swayed by the crowd. Don’t lose sight of your focus in order to compete, do things that give you pleasure.
“When you see your friends being relatively more productive, it becomes imperative that you also try to out-perform them. This leads to constant bout of anxiety and nervous breakdowns. However, we tend to ignore the fact that everyone works at their own pace, working more doesn’t make me less productive” says a psychology student.
Image credit: Pexel
Antriksha Pathania
[email protected]
Comments are closed.