Interesting thought process. I have always admired others who seem more productive to me than I am. That includes you Kavi. :) I get this thought because I feel I am more disorganised and if one is a little more disciplined in charting their work out, it would definitely help productivity.
As usual, you have triggered some new thoughts in me. :)
Aww, Vidya thank you so much. I am humbled you count me in your list. I too have had that feeling of "if I am a little more organized". But here is the thing, everyone's system is going to look a little different. For personal productivity at this day and age, what we want is a way to figure out what we should be focusing/working on next and then actually doing that work without getting distracted too much. Any system that helps you accomplish this is good.
Loved this, Kavitha. All of it. Even the part about the meaning of words, which is something I always enjoy learning about.
This is something that is (too) often on my mind, this being productive thing. There's an obsession with measuring, putting numbers on things: how much did it cost, how much does it sell for, how much does it earn, how long did it take. And when we knit or crochet or embroider, or whatever other hand crafts we make, we "measure" what it brings us in ways that escape numbers. How do we measure joy, ours or the people's we gift something to, or teach something to? How do we measure pleasure? Or learning? Or the stress relief, the calm, the creative boost, the exercise it gives our brains? We don't. But the value is there and it makes us a little more human and gives us a way of "sticking it to the Man". Of fighting the dehumanizing you mention.
PS: That brioche looks delicious! "No, Ana Catarina, you can't learn to knit right away." :D
Thank you so much for your kind appreciation, Ana. Exactly what you say.. not everything that is measured are really worth the effort. On the other hand most worthwhile things somehow can never be measured. :)
I particularly love that you said joy - joy of the giver and the receiver. Precious!
Thank you for writing this and sharing it. I’ve been thinking about the same kind of thing and this last week discovered by accident Dr Vandana Shiva who is really interesting
Hello Kavitha, feeling a little glum, are we? As my mother would say, this too shall pass. 😉 Totally okay to take note of feelings of 'not measuring up'. Probably best to only take note and not act on it. Especially when we are the ones doing the measuring!! 😅 I say this, as one whose mood can be influenced by a whole list of unrelated things. Anything from a movie or book or overindulging in too many sweet treats, to the way a cashier looked at what I was buying!?!! We humans can bop from smooth sailing to being caught in the doldrums of life in the blink of an eye. It is only with time that I have begun to see this in myself. I can be so down on myself, and then find myself laughing at the cat lying on his back with his head swiveling around watching a fly! And such a little thing can break the spell of my gloom and set me back on my feet again, so to speak. Sometimes I see that I need a break from daily life, A serious change. If commitments do not allow for a trip, I shake-things-up some other way. Simple things like no tv for a week, or wearing skirts for a week, or having lunch with a friend at a new restaurant can do something to me that wakes my better spirits. As a mom and wife, you may need to take a break from those duties from time to time. I had a boss who would put a certain hat on his head when he did not want to be disturbed! I think we all should have such a hat! Moms especially need to be able to say, "Listen up! You are all on your own for today. Just for today you can fix your own meals and clothe yourselves and please behave, I need a break." And what does one do on your 'break'? Whatever you want. Could be no knitting or anything related to knitting, or it could be to buy some flowers and have an in-home spa day, or a few good long naps... whatever floats your boat. 🎈🎈🎈😉
I can be down on myself in similar ways too. But fortunately, I do have a very understanding family and kids give me the space and time when I need it. And I am not in this mood right now though. I gave an example that happened a while ago (which hurts even now sometimes but not as much, only the lessons learned from reflecting on difficult experiences cannot be forgotten and needs to be recorded 😅) This post is about redefining the concept of productivity for us makers! I tried to explain the idea of how people are expected to work irrespective of their personal situations and that conditioning affects other parts of our lives too.
Dear Kavitha, I see now that I totally misunderstood the topic. My apologies. let me just say that you seem totally productive to me. To me everything you do adds to your productivity! ✨❤✨
Awww Sandy, absolutely no apologies needed. We don’t have the advantage of body language cues in written communication and every once in a while all of us do misinterpret things. Please don’t worry. I love hearing your thoughts and you have shared so many interesting tidbits with me just through comments! ♥️ Thank you so much for your kind words again. 🤗
Interesting thought process. I have always admired others who seem more productive to me than I am. That includes you Kavi. :) I get this thought because I feel I am more disorganised and if one is a little more disciplined in charting their work out, it would definitely help productivity.
As usual, you have triggered some new thoughts in me. :)
Love the colours of the socks.
Aww, Vidya thank you so much. I am humbled you count me in your list. I too have had that feeling of "if I am a little more organized". But here is the thing, everyone's system is going to look a little different. For personal productivity at this day and age, what we want is a way to figure out what we should be focusing/working on next and then actually doing that work without getting distracted too much. Any system that helps you accomplish this is good.
Loved this, Kavitha. All of it. Even the part about the meaning of words, which is something I always enjoy learning about.
This is something that is (too) often on my mind, this being productive thing. There's an obsession with measuring, putting numbers on things: how much did it cost, how much does it sell for, how much does it earn, how long did it take. And when we knit or crochet or embroider, or whatever other hand crafts we make, we "measure" what it brings us in ways that escape numbers. How do we measure joy, ours or the people's we gift something to, or teach something to? How do we measure pleasure? Or learning? Or the stress relief, the calm, the creative boost, the exercise it gives our brains? We don't. But the value is there and it makes us a little more human and gives us a way of "sticking it to the Man". Of fighting the dehumanizing you mention.
PS: That brioche looks delicious! "No, Ana Catarina, you can't learn to knit right away." :D
Thank you so much for your kind appreciation, Ana. Exactly what you say.. not everything that is measured are really worth the effort. On the other hand most worthwhile things somehow can never be measured. :)
I particularly love that you said joy - joy of the giver and the receiver. Precious!
Thank you for writing this and sharing it. I’ve been thinking about the same kind of thing and this last week discovered by accident Dr Vandana Shiva who is really interesting
I am so glad it resonates with you! ♥️ I’ll look up Dr.Shiva soon. Thanks for sharing. 🤗 I am curious about people’s perspectives on these things.
Hello Kavitha, feeling a little glum, are we? As my mother would say, this too shall pass. 😉 Totally okay to take note of feelings of 'not measuring up'. Probably best to only take note and not act on it. Especially when we are the ones doing the measuring!! 😅 I say this, as one whose mood can be influenced by a whole list of unrelated things. Anything from a movie or book or overindulging in too many sweet treats, to the way a cashier looked at what I was buying!?!! We humans can bop from smooth sailing to being caught in the doldrums of life in the blink of an eye. It is only with time that I have begun to see this in myself. I can be so down on myself, and then find myself laughing at the cat lying on his back with his head swiveling around watching a fly! And such a little thing can break the spell of my gloom and set me back on my feet again, so to speak. Sometimes I see that I need a break from daily life, A serious change. If commitments do not allow for a trip, I shake-things-up some other way. Simple things like no tv for a week, or wearing skirts for a week, or having lunch with a friend at a new restaurant can do something to me that wakes my better spirits. As a mom and wife, you may need to take a break from those duties from time to time. I had a boss who would put a certain hat on his head when he did not want to be disturbed! I think we all should have such a hat! Moms especially need to be able to say, "Listen up! You are all on your own for today. Just for today you can fix your own meals and clothe yourselves and please behave, I need a break." And what does one do on your 'break'? Whatever you want. Could be no knitting or anything related to knitting, or it could be to buy some flowers and have an in-home spa day, or a few good long naps... whatever floats your boat. 🎈🎈🎈😉
I can be down on myself in similar ways too. But fortunately, I do have a very understanding family and kids give me the space and time when I need it. And I am not in this mood right now though. I gave an example that happened a while ago (which hurts even now sometimes but not as much, only the lessons learned from reflecting on difficult experiences cannot be forgotten and needs to be recorded 😅) This post is about redefining the concept of productivity for us makers! I tried to explain the idea of how people are expected to work irrespective of their personal situations and that conditioning affects other parts of our lives too.
Dear Kavitha, I see now that I totally misunderstood the topic. My apologies. let me just say that you seem totally productive to me. To me everything you do adds to your productivity! ✨❤✨
Awww Sandy, absolutely no apologies needed. We don’t have the advantage of body language cues in written communication and every once in a while all of us do misinterpret things. Please don’t worry. I love hearing your thoughts and you have shared so many interesting tidbits with me just through comments! ♥️ Thank you so much for your kind words again. 🤗
Beautiful! I knit so much for everybody else that I don’t knit for myself!