No, I’m Not Waking Up at 5 in the Morning
Chasing productivity is an impossible dream
In January, companies run ads using our society’s collective habit of making resolutions for the new year. HelloFresh and other meal-kit services promise to help you stay on a “healthy diet” this year. Home gym equipment companies, Bowflex and Peloton, ramp up their marketing. Restaurants like TGI Fridays go the edgy, subversive route of literally saying “F*** Resolutions”, mimicking what most of us start saying around the second week of February.
New year, new me. We all pretend that the clock striking midnight has the magical effect of making us healthier versions of ourselves. For a few weeks or months, it does. Exercising is done daily. Schedules are organized. We throw our addictions and vices out with the trash, and we laugh at the power they once had over us. We make our smoothies like we are blending magic potions in the morning, and we drink our coffee without sugar. We lug water bottles instead of soda cans.
We also pretend that we’re better versions of ourselves. We make vision boards and post goals all over our walls. We meditate for ten minutes and tell everyone who will listen about our zen. We call our parents with heartfelt promises to be more in touch. We skype our friends and visit our grandparents. We forgive slights and forget…
