To say that the last few weeks have been crazy is an absolute understatement. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we’re all worried about our health and the health of our loved ones. Many of us feel financially unstable. Our daily norms, like hanging out with friends or visiting a local restaurant, have been disrupted. Plus, you can’t find toilet paper anywhere…WTF.
I’ve been staring at my screen over the last three weeks thinking about what to even write about this situation. Writing another “How to Stay Productive While Working Remotely,” article didn’t seem right. Between us, I’ve been struggling to stay productive in the midst of this chaos! So, writing an article with tips that I’m not even following seemed lame.
I also thought about writing an article titled, “How to 10x Your Productivity While Self-Quarantining.” While I feel that this is a great opportunity for massive action, it seemed forced. Because here’s another confession—I made a “Self-Quarantine Goals List” a few weeks ago. The list included things like: taping new episodes of ReHustle, working on my book, creating new campaigns for Clean Rebellion, and on-and-on…
Guess what? The list is still sitting on my desk, collecting dust, with nothing crossed off. Yikes.
After copious amounts of coffee and panicked pacing around my apartment, I got pissed. My untouched to-do list was making me go from frustrated to full-on “red angry emoji face.” I was having a full-blown to-do list tantrum. “Why am I not going into #BEASTMODE while I’m in self-quarantine? Why am I not being more productive? What gives?” I angrily asked myself.
As my stern, Type-A voice lectured me, another small, gentle voiced whispered. “Surrender,” it said calmly.
“Surrender?!” I repeated in disbelief. “I don’t have time for that! I’ve got deadlines, goals, projections, and stuff that must get done. TODAY.”
But, the voice persisted, sounding more agitated this time. “S.U.R.R.E.N.D.E.R,” it said matter of factly.
It took me a few long walks and futile efforts at trying to “crush my to-do list” for me to finally get it.
Now is the time to slow down and surrender. Enjoy just being a human—being.
Stop beating yourself up for not doing, working, hustling, and grinding for once. It’s hard to quiet the judgmental voice that is screaming at you to do more when you’ve been programmed to think that productivity is paramount.
Surrender to the situation unfolding. Surrender to doing what you can, every day, even if it’s not your typical 100%. These are not typical times.
This is your time to savor being alive. Take care of yourself and the people that you love. Freely express how much you love and care for people in your life—even if you have to do it social distancing-style, via FaceTime, phone, and/or video conference.
Most importantly, surrender to the fact that your greatest job is to love yourself and others during this crisis. Because at the end of the day, fully giving love will always be more important than anything on your to-do list.
