Maybe we’ve all had the wrong outlook on getting things done
It seems to me that productivity is essentially subjective; only part of it is about getting things done more easily or doing more in less time. The main element lies in gaining a sense of accomplishment: the feeling that you have done what needed to be done, done it well and done it as effectively as you could, given the time and resources available. Unfortunately most personal productivity tools use quantitative approaches based on measuring time or resources or both, taking no account of the qualitative and emotional elements.
Even the strongest sense of accomplishment has a shelf-life. Doing again what you’ve achieved already, however valuable, produces a lesser sense of achievement. It also leads to less attention, since people come to expect good things of you and no longer notice so much when you provide them. In fact, over time, high-achievers start to get most attention only when they fail to do what is expected.
That’s one of the reasons why productivity tends to be defined by doing more, not by continuing to do the same under more adverse conditions. The human mind perceives change more readily than similarity. People nearly always talk about being more productive, not staying as productive as they already are.
Which comes first?
Does feeling productive arise from being productive (or more productive), or is it the other way around? Is your sense of accomplishment dependent on getting more done, or do you achieve more when you feel that longed-for sense of attention for your accomplishment?
Most of us can plan and imagine far more than we can ever achieve. There’s always a gap between what our minds tell us should be possible and what we observe as a result of our efforts. That’s why purely objective and numerical measurements of productivity won’t take you very far. Make a profit and you can at once imagine making more. Produce 10,000 items in a year and your mind will instantly conjure up an image of making a million.
Whatever success you achieve can always be capped, at least in theory. The simplistic response is to see this as motivating: there’s always another, higher mountain to climb. A more realistic one recognizes that, since feelings of success are both subjective and short-lived, it’s as easy to become de-motivated by the endless line of greater tasks stretching out in your imagination as it is to be encouraged by all the opportunities for more success still ahead.
Defining productivity
Why should productivity always be assumed to be doing more? A better definition might be doing the best you can with what you have, even if that falls somewhat short of what you can imagine in ideal circumstances. People often become depressed at the thought that they’re doing less well than they think they could; that they’re wasting their potential or falling short of some ideal. Yet that assumes that whatever target they have in mind is realistic and attainable. Lusting after what you can never reach isn’t going to bring you anything but disappointment and frustration.
Success breeds success because people who feel good about themselves usually also feel more energetic and capable. Small problems don’t get them down or cause them to give up. Difficulties are more likely to be seen as a challenge than a reason for slowing down or giving up.
Finding your own productivity process
If the way to increase productivity is always individual and personal, are there any general principles you can follow? I believe that there are and they are deceptively simple.
- Start by taking time to work out what you want to achieve. What do you like doing? Where have you found success in the past? What attracts you? What do you think you can do well?
- Now match the answers with another question: why do you believe these are the right things to do? The purpose of this stage is to remove any targets that aren’t really your own. If the main reason you want to achieve whatever it is comes from meeting someone else’s expectations, you need to beware: it’s quite possible that you won’t have enough inner motivation to make it happen. Pleasing others feels attractive, but rarely works over the long term to provide the energy and determination you need.
- You also need to weed out any goals that are really day-dreams. Remove any for which you won’t be able to provide enough time or resources, given the place where you’re starting from.
- Once you’ve whittled your goals down to what look to be realistic, personally compelling and likely to be attainable, start working on how you think you’ll achieve them. Keep checking against reality. If success is going to demand more than you’ve done in the past, work out how you’ll manage that.
None of this planning should be about making some set of schedules and actions that look good on paper. It maybe even better if you don’t write anything much down. Your purpose should be to learn as much as possible about yourself, your circumstances and how they relate to what you hope to achieve. Only when this is more or less complete should you start to think about laying down concrete action steps.
At root, I don’t think productivity isn’t about doing more, or even being more effective; it’s about gaining clarity into what it’s going to take to do what you want and how you’re going to bring the desired result about. The most productive people are also the clearest about what they are doing and why. All the rest is mere commentary.
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January 12th, 2009 at 7:24 am
I have a motto about my priorities – “prayer, people, then paperwork.” Keeps me in line – productivity without purpose means I get a lot done but purpose before productivity means I get a lot done and get to know people along the way.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:44 am
I would recomend reading Get Things Done (GTD) book. At least it is a start! If you write it down you are more likely to commit to it (and less likely to forget by putting it off).
January 12th, 2009 at 7:50 am
@Brandon Cox: As an atheist, I can’t align with the first item on your list, but the other two seem to me to exactly in the right order! Thanks for the comment. I sometimes worry that people are becoming a little paranoid about their personal productivity without knowing why—or whether—it matters. Keep reading, my friend.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:54 am
@CK: Well, yes. I have read it. It’s fine, of its type—perhaps the best as yet—but that isn’t my major concern in this article. What worries me is less how to be more personally productive than why (or if) it matters in any way. Many people are concerned with getting things done, I suspect, without spending enough time wondering which things, if any, they should be trying to do more efficiently. I agree about the benefit (for many people) of writing things down . . . but that brings me back to what should go on that list. Keep reading, my friend.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
People aren’t cogs. We are not things which produce things but people who solidify dreams
M
January 12th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
@Mark Walsh: You are so right. Sadly, many organizations treat people rather less well than they treat machinery. Keep reading, my friend.
January 13th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Funny (but sad) that companies talk BIG about their “people” being “assets” when they are treated like “liabilities” and are cut when things go wrong. Is it the employees fault when upper management makes the wrong decision? In sports when the coach makes bad decisions they don’t cut the team members – they cut the coach! Why is it any different in business? Look at the auto industry as an example – Upper management is cutting production workers because of bad leadership THEY provided!
January 13th, 2009 at 7:13 am
@CK: Please see the next installment of Coyote’s Journal. I’ll try to deal with at least part of the reason for this. Keep reading, my friend.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
There is a point in GTD that most people miss. It’s asking yourself if you are doing the most important thing at that moment. Productivity is about doing the right things more, not just doing more.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:48 am
@Mike King: Thanks for this comment. You’re right. A good many people focus on the ‘list’ aspect of GTD, not the way it could (and is meant to) challenge their thinking about priorities. Keep reading, my friend.
January 31st, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Great article and insights. Recently, at my job, I’ve been assigned tasks that are very tedious, time consuming, have unknown future benefits (if even accomplished), and are not a part of my job description. So I’ve been evaluating my initial goals and the reasons I took this job, plus my future goals for myself and how this job fits into those plans. I’ve been evaluating the impact I want to make on my company and the work culture and how I can make changes, however you do that in an environment not receptive to change. This article was a really good kick start to the process. Let me know if you have any advice for me, and I will keep reading.
January 31st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
@Anonymous: What you are doing seems absolutely right and sensible to me. Take your time. Remember the journey of self-discovery and understanding can be worth as much (or more) than arriving at any particular destination. In the end, what matters is that any solution is yours and is based on what works best for you and those you care about. Good luck! Maybe you can return sometime and let us know how it went for you. Keep reading, my friend.
April 6th, 2009 at 9:34 am
@Carmine Coyote,
)
i haven’t read many of your articles, but from the few I have read I thought that your main concept is not “keep reading” but more “keep thinking ” or keep using your brain (ha ha) or something like that
April 6th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
@pavlin: I really want people to do both. Keep reading, and thinking, my friend.