Stop Wearing Your Pyjamas All Day

Summary

The article discusses the importance of following one's own advice, particularly in the context of public figures who have failed to adhere to the COVID-19 lockdown rules they helped establish, and provides a humorous list of personal directives to improve daily habits.

Abstract

The UK government's adviser, Neil Ferguson, and Scotland's chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, both resigned after breaching the lockdown rules they advocated for, highlighting a stark contrast between their public directives and private actions. The article uses these incidents to emphasize the need for personal accountability and consistency, suggesting that everyone, including the author, should strive to follow their own advice. It offers a tongue-in-cheek list of eight self-improvement rules, such as avoiding all-day pajama wearing, refraining from obsessively checking Medium stats, maintaining a positive attitude, persevering with personal goals, declining unwanted social engagements, ignoring pointless Twitter arguments, and not telling others what to stop doing, while acknowledging the challenge of adhering to these guidelines.

Opinions

The author expresses frustration with public figures who enforce rules but fail to follow them, viewing their behavior as arrogant and hypocritical.
There is a recognition of the difficulty in consistently following one's own advice or rules, as exemplified by the author's own struggles.
The article suggests that personal discipline, such as getting dressed in the morning and engaging in productive activities, contributes to success.
It criticizes the obsession with online validation, like constantly checking Medium stats, and suggests taking breaks from screens to engage in healthier activities.
The author advocates for a positive outlook and perseverance, particularly in the face of self-doubt and distractions.
The piece encourages setting boundaries and being honest about one's desires, such as declining social invitations one does not wish to accept.
It humorously points out the futility of shouting at the TV and engaging in online arguments, suggesting more constructive uses of time, like reading a book.
The author self-reflectively acknowledges the irony of telling others to stop doing certain things while engaging in the same behavior and advises against it.

And seven more things to do as I say, not as I do

The resignation yesterday of the UK government adviser Neil Ferguson is the latest example of hypocrisy in the country’s coronavirus response. The epidemiologist flouted the lockdown he had helped establish by receiving visits from his lover.

This comes less than a month after the Scottish chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, was forced to resign for twice breaking her own rules to visit her second home.

Rule Breakers

The arrogance of these people to think that the rules they are enforcing on the rest of the population don’t apply to them is staggering.

We all struggle to keep to our goals from time to time, but a chief medical officer not being capable of staying in just one of her homes trumps us all.

I feel naughty when I have a third cookie with my coffee; I can’t even imagine how these two rule breakers must be feeling.

Do as I say

In the spirit of hypocrisy, here are my top eight rules YOU MUST FOLLOW (that I might not quite be managing):

Stop wearing your pyjamas all day: You may be at home and not having to see anyone, but it’s not okay to leave your pyjamas* on all day. Get up early, get dressed and start the day by doing something productive. The most successful people do yoga at 4am…. blah, blah, blah.

Stop checking your Medium stats obsessively: Last time you looked you had 4 views and, yep, a minute later you still have 4 views. Rather than refreshing that page again and again in the vain hope the Medium fairies will have paid you a visit, log out and take some well-earned time away from your screen. Go for a run or try some meditation. Then you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you check later and… you’ve had a fifth view!!!

Stop being negative all the time: The world is a depressing enough place without your negativity. I’m already pumping out enough negative vibes to fuel the whole Northern hemisphere.

Stop giving up so easily: You want to write? You consider yourself a writer? Then write! Don’t sit staring at a screen worrying you’re not good enough. Stop getting distracted at the first opportunity and wasting hours scrolling through social media. Write!

Stop doing things you don’t want to do: “Do you fancy a call tonight?” “No, I don’t. Sorry.” See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Stop shouting at the TV: Nobody can hear you. Maybe one day they will invent a TV that makes the lying politician hear your ranting. But for now you are wasting your breath.

Stop reading pointless arguments on Twitter: Nothing productive can come out of an argument between two people hidden behind avatars expressing their views in 280 characters. And that’s assuming they are people and not bots. Save yourself the pain and read a book instead.

Stop telling people to stop doing things: Seriously, just stop.

*Onesies and jumpsuits are borderline.

Thank you for reading. And if you can help me stop doing any of these, please say (and do).