Productivity is a trap, you know.

It can be very satisfying to knock out task after routine, mundane task. Answer an email, then archive it so it disappears from your inbox. Load the dishwasher and start the cycle. Proofread the document.

It’s a little scarier to do things that don’t have clear beginnings and endings. Some of these things aren’t tasks at all.

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In newspaper articles and conversations, I’ve been seeing and hearing references to Groundhog Day, the classic 1993 film directed by the Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray and Andie McDowell in which a TV weatherman has to live the same day over and over.

For many of us, it feels like we’re stuck in a loop that there’s no way out of. Every day is the same routine, bringing stress, listlessness, and more bad news.

For some, there is a sense of waiting for life to resume, as careers, travel, and educational plans are put on hold. And the very real threat of illness hangs over us all, requiring our strict vigilance.

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My most useless time of day is thirty minutes before a meeting.

Even if I set an alert on my phone, I have trouble focusing. I keep looking at the clock, shifting from window to window on my browser, and feeling restless.

I am telling myself a story about how thirty (and now twenty, and now ten) minutes isn’t enough time to get anything done. But the problem isn’t time at all. It’s focus.

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If you have watched the Hamilton movie on Disney Plus — or were lucky enough to see it in person before the world shut down — you might appreciate seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s performance of an early version of the musical’s opener, “Alexander Hamilton,” at the White House back in 2009.

Already a seasoned performer, the twenty-nine-year-old Miranda channels his nervous energy into his rapping and singing, creating that magical feedback loop between soloist, accompanist, and audience, elevating the moment and getting everyone on board with something entirely new. At the same time, you can see that the concept is not fully formed, and the piece is definitely not polished. It’s a high-wire act, with all the danger that implies, and Miranda, with the support of Alex Lacamoire, just barely managed to make it to the other side.

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I keep thinking back to a perfect day last October.

I woke up in a boutique hotel room just off of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. after having spent a lovely weekend with my family (including my littlest nephew). The city was a bit on edge because the Astros had taken the lead over the Nationals the night before in Game 5 of the World Series, which I had watched in between bites of cake and ice cream the night before in a common area of the hotel (along with getting a little work done).

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