Is your to-do list the equivalent of an endless scroll? Contemplating the systems behind that question is at the heart of a Medium post about the difference between looking busy and being productive. Writer Anangsha Alammyan delves into this provocative debate as we enter the last few weeks of the year. In part, Alammyan reminds us that lists can sometimes be a stalling tactic.
“I kept making goals, achieving them, reviewing progress, and setting new goals. But behind all this hustle, what was I trying to achieve?” she writes. “Completed to-do lists and exhausted journals don’t indicate productivity. They indicate you’ve been busy.”
Podcaster Christopher Robin’s recent approach to similar “must-do-things” anxieties is to meditate.
“Long before I started a meditation practice, someone told me to take a breath and check in with my body,” Robin writes. “I had no idea what that meant, but it was worth a shot.”
That these stories are appearing as high-stakes holidays approach is no coincidence. Stress is at an all-time high — especially for Americans who bring their (legitimate) worries to holiday dinner, writes science journalist Robert Roy Britt. Britt’s experts, similar to Alammyan, recommend taking a step back and reevaluating attendance at an event if illness or questionable table conversation is a concern.
But what would you recommend? Different cultures and societies handle the end of the year in different ways. How do you prep for a season of major celebrations? I’d love to read your advice, insights and learnings. Let’s go deep.
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