Productivity Pressures

With the first of May just a couple of hours away, the Labour Day messages have been coming in. I haven't bothered to read any of them, but it's safe to say that one major theme, at least from the messages from any government/government-linked body would be that of productivity, or more specifically, the need to boost it.

Whenever i encounter such calls to increased productivity, inevitably my eyes roll (though granted cynical me rolls my eyes at plenty of things). I do not doubt the validity and urgency of such calls at the national level (in any case, i'm far from qualified to be able to pass any judgement), but at least when i think of my own example, increased productivity just doesn't seem like a viable and sustainable option. I'm very aware of my own failings, which include being highly inefficient and lacking focus when it comes to vital matters such as marking and setting of papers. However, i can't help but feel that i draw upon those wasted moments for energy in order to keep myself going, especially given the sheer number of tasks that there are to complete at any one time, which really take a lot out of me. In other words, if i were, by some miracle of nature, to become extremely focused and productive in my work, i doubt i could even last beyond this year before succumbing to burnout.

Something to think about as i prepare for another day of labour this Labour Day.

catching up

It's been busy, or more accurately, unprecedentedly busy times as of late, so much so that for more than a month i couldn't find the opportunity to go for a run (albeit due in part to the sudden but nonetheless welcome wet weather on successive Saturday mornings, but still due more to the usual suspects - lack of time / tiredness). The last time i managed to run before this break i had managed more than 13km in about 74 min. Well I can't say that i was surprised, but i was still pretty bummed when i couldn't last even for half as long (both distance and time wise) when i finally managed to sneak in a run last week. I then only managed to last mere metres and a minute longer the second time round, which was this morning. If i needed a lesson in the importance of consistency and regularity, this sure is it. The lack of exercise must have also played a part in my gain of around 3kg (though i suppose many would just roll their eyes and say that i need it) over the past few weeks. In any case, now more than ever before, i've been asking myself the question - how much longer can i last?