How to feel unproductive and worthless in one easy step!

Posted on in Self-employment

I remember the first time I saw that now-famous pin, informing me that I had exactly the same number of hours in my day as Beyoncé.

“By god, you’re right, Pinterest! Beyoncé and I are both bound by the same laws of space and time! We are both doing our best with the 24 hours we’re given, but she’s clearly doing a lot more with hers. This is a wakeup call, self! Use your time more wisely! Less Netflix, more sit ups! Nooooo moooore excuses!”

And then I drank a pot of coffee and wrote a bunch of things filled with typos and worked for so long I gave myself a headache and my hands cramped up.

Now, I like a tough-love reality check as much as the next Virgo but here’s the thing: you and I actually don’t have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé.

Let’s look at the numbers.

In a given 24 hour period, mere mortals like you and I run errands, cook meals, tidy our homes, and take care of our pets/children/partners. We drive places, we shop for things, we do our makeup and style our hair and choose our outfits.

We do all these things in addition to the things we actually do to earn a living. We do these things in addition to writing, consulting, coding, designing, or styling. Of the 24 hours we’re given, most of us spend at least 3-8 hours just managing our lives.

I’d wager a guess that Beyoncé (or Oprah or Taylor) spends 0-1 of her 24 hours managing her day-to-day life. In fact, if you added up the hours that Beyoncé’s team puts in every day – promoting her, photographing her, styling her, cooking for her – girl probably has 200+ hours in her day. At a minimum.

So I guess what I’m saying is, when you see that image float across your internet life, instead of doubling down on your workload or feeling like a failure, go ahead and reinterpret it.

This is what that aspirational image should really say:

“Perhaps you could be using your time a bit more wisely. Maybe take the Facebook app off your phone. But it’s not fair to compare yourself to an international pop star who has a staff of dozens. You’re doing a great job! Keep going.”

How do you balance your expectations of yourself with reality? What do you do when you get down on yourself?

P.S. This is a concept I first came across in the book The Effortless Everyday. It’s full of smart, sweet, helpful epiphanies like this. Check it out!

photo credit: wikicommons

13 Comments

StinaP

Haha - great post! And it’s true; Beyoncé and the girls do have about 200+ hours a/day.

Stacey

Thank you for reminding us Virgos that we are human and not fortunate enough to have dozens of hands to help in the multitude of things our days are crammed with.

Ashley Brooks

YES! You should start a shop of products with your modified inspirational phrases on them. (Although that would have to be one heck of a large coffee mug. 😉 )

Lisa

Yes! I wrote about this, too!

It’s great to want to inspire yourself to manage your time better, but my read of things like this are that they’re just another way to tell women they’re not trying hard enough. We’ve got plenty of that already. Sigh.

How to feel unproductive and worthless in one easy step! | Virallery

[…] wrote about this (and what I think that pin should say) over on my small business blog. Pop over and have a read if you appreciate a slightly gentler, more realistic approach to […]

Lauren

Thanks for reminding me of this. I’ve always been aware that I’d have so much more time to do stuff if I didn’t have to stop 3 times a day to prepare a meal. And thanks for recommending that book. I’m going to read a sample later tonight.

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