You Don’t Always Need to Be Productive: Personal Growth Outside of Work

We Don’t Always Need to Be Productive: Personal Growth Outside of Work

Much of modern culture is characterized by productivity and advancement in one’s career. Many of us are so caught up in getting that promotion or this raise or being featured in the next issue of Forbes that we focus on our careers almost to the point of exclusion of everything else. If you derive joy from your work and it gives you the fuel and motivation to get out of bed each morning, you should absolutely pursue it wholeheartedly. However, we oftentimes forget that there is life outside of work. That we are more than just whatever makes us money.

There is certainly nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to move up the professional ladder. But what if you forgot about work for a second? In fact, what if you spent at least an hour a week not even thinking about work and instead exploring any of the many other activities that life has to offer?

Let’s say you have an interest in dance, for example. You’ve never taken a dance class, and you don’t have any plans of dancing professionally, but maybe you enjoy busting out a move at the club now and again. Why not spend an hour a week learning some new steps or practicing some of your favorites? Or perhaps attend a dance class. You may not be in the next production of Swan Lake at the New York City Ballet, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with just dancing at the club, at a local talent show, or even by yourself in your own living room.

Or maybe you’ve always wanted to try painting but you’ve just never had the time with all your other responsibilities. Surely you can take just one hour a week out of your busy schedule to just paint something. Anything. You could sign up for a Paint Nite event with your friends or by yourself or just paint at home one evening. Think your work isn’t Met material? Who cares? Just let loose and enjoy yourself.

Not quite sure what you’re interested in? That’s okay too! Give yourself the opportunity to explore by trying out something new each week. Maybe this week, you can try Mediterranean cooking. Next week, take a stab at computer coding. The week after, learn a few phrases of Spanish. If this sounds overwhelming to you, you’re not alone. You can start small and slowly expand your comfort zone. Perhaps you can try a new dish you’ve never heard of, eat at a new restaurant, go for a walk in a new neighborhood, read a book you wouldn’t ordinarily pick up, or say hello to someone you may not have otherwise. You never know where such an encounter might lead.

None of this is to say that you should not prioritize your career if that is important to you. By all means, work hard and continue to grow professionally. At the same time, don’t let your job consume all of you that you forget about everything that could help you grow personally, even if it has nothing to do with your work or your education.

If any of the above resonates with you, check out Konversai—the world’s first one-stop shop for any and all human knowledge. Konversai is an online platform that connects knowledge providers with knowledge seekers on any and all topics of interest through one-on-one live video conversations. If there’s something you’re interested in learning but are not sure where to start or have found other resources to be too expensive or not helpful, Konversai is for you. There is sure to be someone on the platform who can talk to you about exactly what you’re looking to learn, be it guitar, travel in Australia, planting your own garden, vegan baking, neuroscience, or anything else you can possibly think of. Similarly, if there’s something you’re passionate about and want to share your knowledge, skills, and experiences with others, you can make extra money by doing so on Konversai. Whether you consider yourself an expert or a novice, anything that you have to offer has value on Konversai. The best part is that all sessions take place at times that are mutually convenient for both users involved, and you don’t even have to leave your house. All users are encouraged to be both knowledge providers and knowledge seekers on any and as many topics as they wish.

Konversai recently reached a huge milestone of 100,000 users. Let’s celebrate that and keep the momentum going by engaging one another and sharing with and learning from one another. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to be part of our growing talented community. Get started on Konversai today—you won’t be sorry you did.

By Pavita Singh