s calm. Everyone in my house is either plugged into some sort of electronic device or engaged in reading. As a family we decided to take the radical step this afternoon and do "nothing".Of course "nothing" is a fairly subjective and nebulous construct, and in the common vernacular it usually implies not being "productive". This leads me to wonder of course what is this obsession we have with being productive? How does one establish the barometer for gaging this and what is the measurable criteria that ultimately decides this?
My argument is that being unproductive is actually one of the most productive things you can possibly do; ipso facto the two constructs often cancel each other out. On this basis, if one is experiencing any angst around being unproductive it would be wise to consider the very sensible advice that is written on the cover of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy; "DON'T PANIC"
My unproductive slacking thus far as included;
1. Listening to the new Fleet Foxes album
2. Tweeting briefly about the much maligned BC sales tax (HST)
3. Downloading and listening to a few free Kristin Hersh tracks off of Last FM
4. Setting up some viable slacking options for my kids
5. Writing this.
Of course there will be some intermittent interruptions of my slacking today as I fulfill my role as a parent, but I will remain proud in the knowledge that being blissfully unproductive was the central, and perhaps most productive, focus of the day.
What glorious and unproductive pursuits have you engaged in today?
The above photo was taken on BC's (often ironically titled) Sunshine Coast in May 2010 - a great place to wander about in a unproductive fashion
6 comments:
I went to work, but I did have a glorious "non productive" evening. This included falling asleep in my dinner and watching a few shows. ;)
p.s. Love the title!
You picked the wrong day to ask me this, as it was the most chore-filled Sunday I have had in a long while. Generally I am very good at being unproductive.
Kudos to you for instilling the importance of nothingness in your offspring!
Oddly, the captcha for this comment is "nester", which sounds like a job description for your Sunday.
Allison - glad to hear you were just as unproductive as I was.
Barb - being productive has it's place, hopefully you can be a "nester" next weekend!
As long as your non-productivity turned a profit.
Are you talking about the fantastic new 50 Foot Wave stuff?
Hey Randal
No profit from my slacking, but my underage workforce got a bit of a break and will perhaps be more productive in the long run!
Didn't know there was new 50ft Wave material - have to check this out. I am a big Hersh/Throwing Muses fan - the tracks were from her 2010 solo album (if you go on last fm there are two for free DL)
I love slacking days! I used to call them "non-days" but that sounds too negative. :)
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