What you hear:
In this clip you can hear the sounds of a spoon against a ceramic bowl of Cheerios and a bit of chewing. You can also hear fingers on a laptop keyboard and mouse. Finally, there are some mouthy clicking and breathing noises.
What you see:
In the photo you can see an open laptop on a wooden desk surrounded, and in front of it a white bowl of cereal. There are two lamps, books and notebooks, a mug, a glass of water, and some other items on the desk, which sits in front of a plain grey wall.
What is captured:
This is typical morning moment of eating breakfast and checking emails. The exchange between those two sounds demonstrates the multitasking of a busy student. The tongue-clicking and breathing noises represent a comment on the typing and clanging: I am stressed and anxious as I start my day.
What is absent:
No other clearly audible noises accompany the typing, clanging, clicking and breathing. This absence demonstrates that this multitasking moment was also a solitary one, in my one-bedroom apartment off campus. Even during in-person semesters, Duke undergraduate culture pushes me and other students to fill every minute with student organization work, paid jobs, internships, homework, research, and official events. In a socially quiet and partially remote semester, fewer logistical considerations make claims on my time: I never take the bus between campuses, I walk ten feet to my kitchen for my meals rather than a quarter mile to West Union, and on most weekdays I do not see friends in person. At the beginning of the semester, I expected that having control over my time would automatically equate to maximizing my productivity. But being able to predict and schedule my day does not mean I effortlessly keep that schedule. I oversleep my alarm, I call a friend in a moment of boredom, I open the YouTube notification on my phone and head down a rabbit hole.
Compared to the expectation of perfect time-keeping and zero distractions, the reality of occasionally getting behind is disappointing and stressful. In the sound recording, I am cramming what is supposed to be my relaxing morning routine into a single Cheerio-email-stress session. At Duke, the myth that every moment of undergraduate life can and should be packed with particular activities that we call productive is based in another myth: that if and only if we maximize our performance in those particular activities will we get a job, garner the respect of our mentors, peers, and society, and live a fulfilling life.
