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The productivity paradox  : Why we should aim to communicate more and isolate less

26 Dec 2020

By Patrick de Kretser If you look up the term “productivity paradox”, you will probably end up finding an array of different technical definitions that could be used to either explain certain terms in economics, business, or IT (information technology). Roughly put, the general definition across those three fields is that the productivity paradox describes a situation where the input of resources is increasing, yet the growth of productivity is slowing down, or even heading in the opposition direction. But of course, I am not here to talk to you about that definition. At least, not in those terms. After all, it would not be much of an article if half the readers were looking at it in complete loss and disarray as to what point I am trying to reach. The definition that I am going to be associating the productivity paradox with is a more modern and colloquial term, one which has evolved more or less over the last decade due to the changing nature of teen culture worldwide. The simple idea behind the modern definition describes that we live in a modern world filled with endless opportunities, and yet we still live in a society that is largely unhappy and quota-driven rather than passion-driven. This has mostly been due to the emergence of “hustle culture”, a social trend that has given birth to a normalised stereotype that today’s youth generation has to constantly work as hard as ever to keep up with in a rapidly changing world.  If any of you are regular patrons of the Happinez magazine, you may or may not remember that I previously wrote about hustle culture briefly when explaining how to distance oneself from the pressure of social media. The reality is that the situation behind the productivity paradox and hustle culture is greater than just social media itself, as it plagues the lives of most teenagers nowadays, regardless of whether or not they have been subjected to online pressure. In my opinion, I think a large reason for this has actually come as a result of this year itself. The pandemic, which has forced most teenagers into social isolation and confined them to online classes, has suddenly exacted a great toll on their mental and physical wellbeing. I think this problem is especially prevalent amongst students in examination years, where exams have either been cancelled or automatically graded, which has left many people uncertain about their futures and what they plan to do.  The greatest problem we have had going into this pandemic is not knowing when normal life will return. For teenagers, the absence of normal life would mean that they cannot continue their studies properly. Most young individuals have aspirations to travel abroad and join some of the top universities in their ideal destinations, predominately in places like Europe and North America. The current pandemic has more or less rendered that impossible for an indefinite period of time, which has contributed greatly to stress and performance anxiety and has led to what is now more commonly known as the “modern productivity paradox”. Because so many students have had to suddenly start adapting to online learning, there are many more videos on Youtube from students at various ages sharing their own study ideas and routines from inside the house. This in itself hugely contributes to the hustle culture mentality, which has gotten way worse this year in comparison to any year prior.  As a society, it is important for us to come together to acknowledge that this problem has festered a great deal over the past few months. By doing so, we can begin to work with each other properly in overcoming such adversity, which has caused so much pain and stress. To do so requires communication. Whether that would be between your friends, family, or even those random Instagram followers you see on your feed every now and then, the important thing is to normalise communication and express our support for one another. The greatest consequence of social isolation is loneliness and disconnection, which is something we have to change to tackle the productivity paradox. For those of you out there that might be struggling with the drastic change in your environment over the last year, just remember that none of this will last forever. History has taught us that adversities such as global pandemics and periods of extreme economic slowdowns have always been offset, and we have always bounced back from them. Take the example of the 1920 Spanish Flu epidemic, or the Great Depression of 1929 – these are two events which changed the world in their own right, but ultimately were hurdles that we as a species eventually overcame. And in comparison to what happened a hundred years ago, we have far more technological utilities at our disposal which will help us bounce back from this crisis sooner rather than later. We need to adopt a more optimistic mindset about the future, so that we do not get too comfortable with feeling anxious and stressed all the time. Despite the fact that a lot of what we wanted to do with our lives had to be postponed because of a situation that was out of our control, we will still be able to continue those paths in the very near future; and we should not feel that there is this sudden pressure to work harder than we ever did because we would not succeed otherwise. The reality is that the situation is not black and white, you do not have to force yourself to stay isolated and constantly keep yourself working hard to make it out of this pandemic.  At the end of the day, happiness is paramount. It is no good to constantly push yourself to do something if that something does not make you feel content at the end of the day. This was perhaps one of the greatest lessons I had learned this year. I learned to love myself and to continue doing what I was doing at my own pace, rather than the pace that was being dictated to me by hustle culture.  I implore everyone else to do the same, but also most importantly to be there for anyone who you feel might be suffering from a similar problem. Communication goes a long way, as it could only take one small and simple message of encouragement and support to completely change the mood of someone’s day.   PHOTOS Wallpaper Cave, Zedge, Inc. Magazine, Bustle, Little Corner of Happiness, The Conversation

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