Mooney ’29: Why doing less can help us accomplish more
Picture a person who seems to embody productivity. Maybe you thought of someone cooking dinner while on the phone, answering emails while walking on the treadmill or doing math homework and listening in on a Zoom meeting at the same time. We view this kind of multitasking as the ultimate efficiency because we live in a culture that glorifies busyness where our worth is often measured by how much we can get done in a day. We equate constant motion with success, even when it leaves us drained and unfocused. Being at an Ivy League institution only compounds this stress. Surrounded by multifaceted and successful students who seem to perfectly juggle coursework, extracurricular activities and a social life, it feels like we must do the same to keep up. Even though Brown might not be considered a pressure cooker in the same way similarly ranked universities are, the pressure is there nonetheless. Faced with far more tasks than we can complete in a single day, we may rush to find shortcuts and work on assignments simultaneously, sacrificing quality in the process. In a culture obsessed with productivity and doing it all, students would benefit.