What does it really mean to be productive? These days there are a multitude of ‘productivity’ apps e.g. reminder apps, to-do list apps, scheduling apps etc.
But are these apps actually helping with our productivity? Productivity is defined as the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services (www.dictionary.com)
So at the core of it for me, productivity is about what I am going to produce; determining what value I am going to add to the world.
The question I focus on asking myself each and every day is:
What is my mission for today?
Because I know the only way I can be sure that I am actually productive is to focus on what it is I want to achieve for that single day.
Surprisingly this is not a to-do list of a thousand items, nor is it spending hours being a slave to my email but rather it is 1 or 2 (possibly a maximum of 3) items which I know if I accomplish will make a difference in the forward momentum of my overall goals.
It also means I don’t stay up for hours at night trying to get everything “done”. As noted by Daniel Levitin in “The Organized Mind“
[You] Increase productivity by increasing your sleeping hours, not your working hours. Studies have demonstrated the way in which sleep improves your brain’s ability to solve complex problems. The expression “sleep on it” has real biological significance, and an awareness of this will allow us to be more effective at work. So next time you’ve got a large task, don’t sacrifice your sleep to work on it – you’ll be much more effective when you allow your brain to refuel and continue work in the morning.
I’ve also stopped “judging” myself on whether or not I’ve been productive enough for the day. And I can thank Brene Brown for that. In her book “The Gifts of Imperfection” she notes,
Our society has the bad habit of tying self-worth to productivity. As a result, we end up sacrificing things like rest, play and our general well-being if those things appear to get in the way of our work” [by] “cranking up the amount of play and rest you give yourself can actually make you more productive by bringing back excitement and novelty to your job, while also fostering empathy and creativity.
So the key to High Performance* Productivity for me is focusing on my mission for the day, getting enough rest (and play time 🙂 ) and being kind to myself.
* High Performance is the result of heightened and sustained levels of: clarity, energy, courage, productivity and influence. www.highperformanceinstitute.com
When was a time in your life you were the most productive? How did you get so much done then? Where do you feel you are not being productive enough in your life and why? What do you really feel is most important in your mission/career/achievements right now, and are you moving toward it at the pace you really want?
Take the High Performance Quiz to find out more.
Recent Comments