I'm starting to think productivity is a scam

I'm trying to convince myself it's okay to rest...

Today I wrote two entries for a project that I’ve been really looking forward to and now I’m exhausted. Of course I’m very happy that I got it done, but now I’m sure that I haven’t done enough. Does anyone else feel like that? Like, you set a goal and you get it done and then suddenly you totally forget you promised yourself that you’d be content when you finished those things and then you’re all disappointed that you didn’t get anything extra done. 

       I read a passage in Ecclesiastes today and, lemme tell yeah, Solomon was going through it. But he makes some interesting points regarding progress. Of course, you obviously have to look at his words in context of his depression and understand that much of it was a lament, but it’s kind of interesting to see one of the most widely accepted images of success lamenting that success meant nothing. He was rich, powerful, creative, and productive, and at the end of the day he literally marked it meaningless without God. 

       I think that’s part of the reason it’s so important to steep your work and your life in God’s plan. When we base ourselves in God it’s so much easier to give up our own pursuits and sink into joy. It also becomes easier to allow ourselves to rest and allow ourselves to trust that the time we spend enjoying ourselves and enjoying the gifts God gives us is time He celebrates. I find it funny that we use phrases like ‘Idle hands do the devil’s work.’ When really ‘idleness’ has nothing to do with how much or little we work. We have a great commission and a holy burden from God, yes, but we also have human bodies that, believe it or not, need more than caffeine to survive (so risky that I say this I know lol). I just want to invite anyone that needs it to take a nap or spend some time watching their favourite show or doodling on a piece of lined paper or just generally wasting time. As in schedule some time to waste time and rest. Just… rest. It doesn’t matter how productive or unproductive your week has been. You’re allowed to rest.

And this is all coming from someone who will undoubtedly stress about only being in the second draft of my book. Hey, you know what, do what I say, not what I do.

Julie, from the depths of the second draft.