Table 15 Problems with Productivity

Canada

I can’t stand being late, but then I’m never on time. I was a waitress for 17 years, I’d get up too late, I’d get to work at the last minute, and I was functional. If I got there earlier I didn’t feel well, I wasn’t able to do my work. When I got there at the very last minute I was really productive.

France

You forget important appointments, important things you’re supposed to do. You’re not productive in society. You can’t really do something and come up with a result.

Germany

I always find it hard to get started with something. Every change of activity causes a problem to me and sometimes I have to lie down for 10 minutes because I’ve got this frightful dimness and tiredness before I can actually get started or I’m overpowered by times.

Italy

I have problems with memory, I cannot manage house chores. […] In the morning, I always have a lot of things to do, work in arrears, I start to do one thing, then another thing and I feel immediately tired, but I don’t finish anything and I haven’t done anything yet.

The Netherlands

I used to finish hardly anything, but not anymore. At a certain moment you just have to, otherwise the problems will simply pile up. You will sooner or later run into the things you haven’t finished and get the consequences back from it.

United Kingdom

I’ve got so much to do and I just look around and it could, I could sit there all day looking around thinking well where do I start? Then I get nothing done. It’s kind of up and down like that, but if I start, if something interests me and I start it, then boom, boom, boom, it’s done, but I have to almost like prepare myself.

United States

I have projects out the wazoo. I will tell you that I’m very creative and artistic but I never finish it. I never finished anything until I was on medication. Even now I have fifteen projects sitting there waiting to be finished. I notice when my dose is too strong that I focus way too much on one thing and never move on to the next. It’s like I can’t move on to the next.