On Enhancing Productivity

Life under the new normal is seeking for ways of enhancing productivity. For the majority of businesses that continue to thrive presently, the work from home (WFH) model has become the de-facto protocol preferred. This is primarily geared to safeguard the health of the employees. Thanks to technology, most businesses have managed to provide continuity in their services under the WFH model. Likewise, such has benefited employees as well largely because the long hours of commute for them have practically been eliminated. In effect, WFH has made it more convenient for employees to earn their keep.

Whilst enhanced productivity may seem apparent under WFH conditions, it would nonetheless be good to guard against counter-productive human tendencies. One of the most common practices that may pose such a problem is that of procrastination. By definition, it means the act or habit of procrastinating, or putting off or delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention. In the Filipino culture, this negative trait is commonly referred to as the “mañana” habit.

In order to enhance productivity, St. Josemaria Escriva proposes a simple yet practical remedy – Point no. 15, which reads, as follows:

Point no. 15

“Don’t put off your work until tomorrow.”

St. Josemaria Escrivá, The Way

Whilst it appears quite succinct, the aphorism is a time-tested remedy which is easy to apply, specially for those in WFH model. To foster this trait, it is essential to be aware of some of the obstacles that hinder its development, namely:

Curiosity

Indeed, the uncertainties of this COVID-19 pandemic have engendered a dystopian view of the world. Social media has not stopped from inundating society with torrents of doomsday news. With the ubiquity of smart phones and the internet, people have become voracious consumers of information from social media – bad news mostly. Interestingly, during this pandemic, two new words – “doomsurfing and doomscrolling” – have made it to the lexicon.

“Doomscrolling and doomsurfing are new terms referring to the tendency to continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing. Many people are finding themselves reading continuously bad news about COVID-19 without the ability to stop or step back.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Stress & Anxiety

Again, this COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in the level of stress and anxiety upon society. Subsequently, this hysteria, induced by inordinate doomsurfing and doomscrolling amongst smartphone users, has led to counter-productivity amongst the ranks of people working from home.

Unless there is a deliberate effort to stay away from the smartphone, those under the WFH model will undoubtedly be inundated by the torrents of doomsday scenarios.

Screen-use Addiction

Interestingly, Brian Chen of The New York Times raised the alarm on the negative effects of the use of smartphones. He wrote:

“This experience of sinking into emotional quicksand while bingeing on doom-and-gloom news is so common that there’s now internet lingo for it: “doomscrolling.” Exacerbating this behavior, shelter-in-place orders leave us with little to do other than to look at our screens; by some measures, our screen time has jumped at least 50 percent.

We’re not alone, exactly, with so many of us going through this. Yet doomscrolling, combined with screen addiction, could take a significant toll on our mental and physical well-being, according to health experts. The activity can make us angry, anxious, depressed, unproductive and less connected with our loved ones and ourselves.”

Brian Chen, The New York Times

In conclusion, the best remedy for fighting this current malaise is quite simple: set your phone aside and hunker down to work, as suggested by St. Josemaria’s Point no. 15.

TalinMan