As we enter a 6th week of national lockdown amidst the coronavirus pandemic, we are being inundated with examples of exceptional productivity.

But is it the time for us to be entering into a competition about who has acquired the most skills? And why is the one upmanship of competitive productivity so rife?

silhouette photo of man holding phone

Whether you like it or not, the lockdown looks here to stay. Here are some tips to maintain your sanity in amongst all the productivity.

Restrict social media

Most of us have a love/hate relationship with social media these days. We love to see the lives of our relations in far flung destinations unfold in a series of images and status updates. But it also comes with a heavy dose of competition. It’s easy to feel like you’re underachieving when your contemporaries are posting pictures of their new houses, cars and dream holidays.

This problem is magnified tenfold once your friends/followers start posting their newly acquired lockdown skills.

Whether it’s a set of abs honed in their shed-come-gym or their beautifully landscaped gardens (your flats’ balcony is never going to compare) – don’t let yourself become swamped by these images. It’s only a curated set of pictures designed to portray the best side of each person’s life.

Don’t get sucked in – try and limit how much time you spend scrolling while we’re all housebound. Better still, take a break from social media altogether.

Don’t feel guilty about not getting that new skill

We are living in a time of national crisis. With constant news of the Coronavirus toll and restrictions on so many aspects of our lives, these are tough times to be living in.

It is enough to get through this lockdown with your mental and physical health intact. For many of us, there simply isn’t the opportunity or the desire to learn a new skill.

Once this time has come to pass, we will be focussing on remembering those we lost and adjusting to normality. The artisanal sourdoughs will long since have been eaten, the abs will be a distant memory.

Focus instead on just trying to get through the day-to-day and looking out for those vulnerable people around you.

Plan for the future

In order to escape the guilt about the here and now, and the productivity you may be struggling with while circumstances are so restrictive, instead think about goals for the future. It might be a long list of friends you want to see and things you want to do.

It might be planning the next holiday. It could be a long term career change. It’s more uplifting at a time like this to focus on those things you’d like to make time for once the situation passes, rather than feeling bad for all the skills you aren’t developing while we live so restrictedly.

Not only is this a good distraction from reality, it also gives that little optimistic glimmer that reminds us all that the lockdown isn’t forever.

Don’t forget, the day will come where we can once again go out and live life to the full once more.

Many thanks to Ketki Mahabaleshwarkar for inspiring the theme for this weeks blog. You can read her original piece here.

About the author

Tristan Potter

From recruitment into central government, to financial services and the charitable sector, Leah has worked across many industries in her wide ranging career! Now working as Hireserve's Senior Marketing Executive, Leah covers all things marketing - from maintaining our social media channels to managing logistics for events across the country.