In Praise of (Un)productivity

Work is what you do well for a few hours of the day—not all of them

Photo: The Good Brigade/Getty Images

Over a Zoom meeting, a co-worker of mine said they worked better at home at the height of New York’s lockdown. I sighed and turned off my camera. I was already muted. People, I shall say well-adjusted knowledge workers, tend to do this thing. They worship at the altar of productivity, their work…