can hustle culture just f*ck off for a minute?

if lockdown, (at least the way it's presented on glossy, rose-tinted social media) was something tangible it would be an instagram influencer who posts throwbacks of herself posing in front of palm trees, bikini bottoms pulled up high, cocktail in one hand, on her eighth luxury holiday of the year. she has her life (seemingly) together and has hundreds of thousands of followers eager to watch her next venture. while at home, she's definitely baking banana bread - and is sure to document the whole thing on Instagram stories. she doesn't sleep in. she's really getting into yoga and meditation and carefully talks us through her brand new manuka honey face mask she splurged on in the name of self-care. oh, and she's learning italian too. she's aspirational, but unattainable. you look at her and think "damn, i want to be like that".  

you get the picture, right? 

hustle culture is absolutely rife right now in the online world. we may be firmly in the clutches of a global pandemic, but social media isn't short of reminders that we should be being productive - seizing the day, taking advantage of all this spare time. after all, William Shakespeare wrote one of his best works while the plague wrecked havoc across England. i'm sure you've heard that one floating about. 

This has been a topic weighing heavy on my mind the last week or so, so i thought i'd jump on here to convey my own grievances with so-called hustle culture right now and my personal experience coming to terms with the fact that it's okay to do nothing. 

don't get me wrong, i'm sure for some people, having time on their hands has been a real positive and perhaps helped the creative juices flow. heck, if it makes you feel better, you do what you need to do to get through this challenging time. but, that doesn't mean everyone has to be filling this time with new languages, business ventures or producing something of great importance. it's okay to do nothing, in fact, it's very understandable. sadly, (and i'm sure this isn't just me) there seems to be an increasing pressure to be productive - and that's not realistic for everyone. personally, I'm someone who relies on socialising and distraction as a main tool for keeping my mental health in check - since this lockdown, more days than not, mundane tasks such as simply getting out of bed, showering and washing my face are big wins. i'm struggling, and i'm not afraid to admit it. 

it feels like everywhere i look, however, i'm being urged to take advantage of a global pandemic - to use it as an opportunity for self improvement. 

there's a bitter irony to the fact that while everything we used to do in order to be productive has been taken away, we're still expected to fill our time. and if we don't, we find ourselves plagued with guilt and a series of why's. why can't you be like her on instagram? why can't just just start that blog post you've been writing for well over a week? why won't you just get up early? c'mon, get up, it's time to create. to exceed and excel. you've got so much time on your hands, let's not waste it. you'll thank yourself when this is all over. 

yes, those of us at home have time at our disposal. but it feels as though if you don't come out of this pandemic having written a future Sunday Times Bestseller, abs defined enough to see you compete in the next crossfit games or fluent in french - you've lost, in a way. though, i never quite understood what competition i signed up for in the first place. 

that being said, if fitness, writing, languages, whatever it may be, is your thing, then of course do it. i'm not trying to make anyone feel bad for using their time to be productive or to do things that make them happy. but if you don't feeling like smiling, you struggle to get out of bed before 3pm and find yourself never ticking anything off your to-do list beyond cleaning your teeth, that's fine too. that's the point i'm trying to make. 

we can't blame ourselves for lack of motivation or concentration. after all, we're constantly being bombarded with news that is changing each and every day - personally, part of my job is to report on it,  so i know this fact all too well. if your mind (like mine) is tossing and turning with spiralling thoughts and a chronically "meh" mood - you're not alone, and don't let anything you see online fool you into thinking otherwise. 

basically, all I'm trying to say is give yourself a break. if you come out of this having acquired an exciting new skill or inspired to start a business, whatever it may be, then, as long as it wasn't at the detriment of your mental health, that's amazing and clearly helped you get through lockdown. but, by the same token, those who are struggling - sinking more than swimming so to speak - if when you come out of it, all you can say is that you simply got through it, then that's equally as commendable.

as the pandemic brings the world to a screeching halt, for myself at least, the feelings that come hand in hand with this have curated a less than ideal headspace to breed substantial amounts of productivity and motivation. i've just enough to get through the tough days having (by the textbook) achieved nothing in those empty hours. 

take it day by day. we will find our way again, once the world isn't in crisis.  

- Chloe