Poll of the Day > How do you lot deal with the guilt over not having had a productive day?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I am currently self-employed, but I did not feel like entering social contact with anybody online, today, to tutor anybody. Nor did I feel like reviewing my calculus, or working on refining my programming prowess; I did not even feel like doing any fiction-writing. I feel like the only thing I did today was watch this movie with the janitor and the therapist, and lie in bed, thinking about how nothing I do ultimately serves any purpose or has any meaning at all. I'm planning on relocating in five months, but once or twice, thought of pulling the date back a few months, because I cannot stand all this stagnancy and such. Then I worry about explaining to a potential employer what I've been doing these past few months, and about how I will not be able to give a good answer during an interview, and such. Anyway, how do you deal with having unproductive days during which you have accomplished little, if nothing at all?

I must have these answers.
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How does being self employed work in this case? What do you do for work?

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SusanGreenEyes posted...

work

Tutoring. I guess I could explain to a potential employer that I have been exploring the educational field by doing this, or whatever, and continuing to do it for a source of income.
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Guilt? Wut?

If I don't want to be productive, i just won't be.

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You could get one of those whip things that people whip themselves with

its like a shorter whip, with a bunch of things instead of just one

theres a word for it

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Man I wish I could feel shame for not being productive, I have no problem playing video games for days upon days.

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EvilMegas posted...

If I don't want to be productive, i just won't be.

This...

Though, if youre tutoring, dont they have certain time slots and days picked out already? Or is it a little less strict when it comes to times?

Anyway, everybody needs a day off. Sometimes, you just gotta have a you day...
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I wish I could bop you on the head so you'd stop caring about this stuff so much.

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Mead posted...

You could get one of those whip things that people whip themselves with

its like a shorter whip, with a bunch of things instead of just one

theres a word for it

Cat o' Nine Tails, Flail, or Scourge, depending on what sort of version you're thinking of.

If you're looking for the verb for the act of using it, that's probably either flogging or self-flagellation.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Cat o' Nine Tails, Flail, or Scourge, depending on what sort of version you're thinking of.

If you're looking for the verb for the act of using it, that's probably either flogging or self-flagellation.

yeah you got it

my guess without looking it up was that it was maybe called a flagelle lol

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Rest is its own kind of productivity.

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Mead posted...

my guess without looking it up was that it was maybe called a flagelle

I think that's a type of pasta.
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ParanoidObsessive posted...

Cat o' Nine Tails, Flail, or Scourge, depending on what sort of version you're thinking of.

If you're looking for the verb for the act of using it, that's probably either flogging or self-flagellation.

now Im picturing PO as that pale guy from the Da Vinci Code

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Don't kink shame me.
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This isn't advice, it's just what works for me, with my temperament, and under my circumstances.

I try to never have a "zero percent" day. I do something, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. Even if I just poke my work with a stick. In your case, write one line of fiction. Do a five minute code tutorial. That sort of thing. You can't count on motivation. You can't always wait around until you have an internal wellspring of enthusiasm. You need a system for dealing with that. Some people use routines. Maybe routine works for you, and part of the problem is you don't have one (or worse you do, and it's not being respected by external forces). I'm terrible with routine, I find it just one more thing I have to keep in my head.

Having a to-do list helps with this. Having a to-do list with incremental progress indicators instead of binary done/not-done helps even more. I use "mind mapping" software (specifically Free Mind) to keep track of my shit. If I'm feeling lost, I literally have a map. Some days the one productive thing I do is update the map so I know what I have to tackle tomorrow. As long as I don't fall into a trap of making maps every day this can really keep me focused. It also encourages me to think about the smallest parts of my work, which keeps the day to day tasks of manageable size.

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How do you deal with the guilt of not doing what you want?

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Count that day lost whose low descending sun views from thy hand no worthy action done

FrozenBananas posted...

now Im picturing PO as that pale guy from the Da Vinci Code

Why, when he could be that dude from The Name of the Rose?!

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Productivity is an illusion.

> How do you lot deal with the guilt over not having had a productive day?

This is my biggest source of self-misery.

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What guilt?

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How much do you make annually being self employed?

EclairReturns posted...

Tutoring. I guess I could explain to a potential employer that I have been exploring the educational field by doing this, or whatever, and continuing to do it for a source of income.

Just put "tutor" on your resume and the subjects you taught. If you need more tutoring work then I guess you could advertise on Craigslist.
There's nothing wrong with taking a day off and devoting it to yourself, although honestly it sounds more like you're depressed as opposed to wanting a free day.


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I never feel guilty about having a lazy day. Lazy days are awesome. I spend the rest of my days doing stuff. Having a day off feels good.


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If you're not having a productive day at "work" so something productive at home. Clean, fix something, get a small project you've always wanted to do done.

Since covid caused my school to go into remote learning after spring break, I've started a vegetable garden in my backyard. That way no matter what happens in "school", I am always productive in making sure my garden is alive and thriving.

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Zeus posted...

Why, when he could be that dude from The Name of the Rose?!

If I'm going to be an Umberto Eco character, it'd probably be the dude from Foucault's Pendulum instead.
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I live for lazy days tbh.

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EclairReturns posted...

Anyway, how do you deal with having unproductive days during which you have accomplished little, if nothing at all?

Smoke another bowl and chill the fuck out

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Metalsonic66 posted...

chill the fuck out

He literally cannot do that, when he was in school all did was a complain about he wasting time not studying or practicing his programming and not having a part time job. Hell, he made a post one time about how he played a few hours of Pokemon and felt like he wasted time that he could put towards increasing his job skills.

Eclair gonna have a heart attack one of these days from putting the pressure on himself so much..

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Maybe he needs a shrink

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Metalsonic66 posted...

Maybe he needs a shrink

I believe he had one and dismissed everything she told him to do.

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EclairReturns posted...

Anyway, how do you deal with having unproductive days during which you have accomplished little, if nothing at all?

I must have these answers.

I enjoy the only life I have. Helping my bro move, meeting his now GF, interacting with people, drinking and going for walks/hikes. I've also tracked down my aunts and uncles to see if my mum is dead. We await those results.


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J_Dawg983 posted...

Man I wish I could feel shame for not being productive, I have no problem playing video games for days upon days.

This sadly. Other than getting my workout regimen (somewhat) consistent, I've been doing nothing but wasting time.

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Kungfu Kenobi posted...

it's just what works for me

Thanks.

darcandkharg31 posted...

not having a part time job

Just to be clear, I complained about not having a second part-time job because I felt inferior to my classmates, most of which either had full class schedules, worked either two part-time jobs, or worked one full-time job. I felt, mostly, that I did not work as hard as they did, and chastised myself for having a weaker work ethic than them. In hindsight, it would have been silly if that were the sole reason I had sought out a second part-time job. Not being a full-time student during academia still bothers me, though.
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If i never had a productive day again i would feel no guilt. I am perfectly fine with getting nothing done.

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