Why do we have an obsession about productivity?
Let’s face it, we are crazy about being productive. In recent years there are YouTube videos and articles on maximising productivity popping up in our recommendations as well as new digital tools intending to increase our day to day productivity. Some examples include Todoist, TickTick, Trello, Slack, Notion as well as many others. Everything that is being innovated in recent times are designed to make us more productive and fulfilled. Take Apple for example who’s main ethos is to make everyone’s lives easier to help “change the way we think, work, learn, and communicate.”
The term “productivity” has been defined in numerous ways but essentially being productive is about getting things done in the best possible way, akin to working smart. As long as you set out to do something intentionally and meet it well, it is being truly productive. The world’s economy is shifting and productivity has become increasingly important because we all want to do something, and do something great.
Let’s talk about what productivity is not. It is not the image that first comes to mind when the word is first mentioned. A person dumped with mountains of papers that never seem to end, pushing deadlines and projects and having no time to yourself. That’s simply being busy, overwhelmed and stressed out which is the complete opposite of being productive. With that many things to do, multitasking is the number one route to take and it’s been scientifically proven that your brain cannot multitask. It decreases productivity. In the end nothing gets done to the standard that you intended it to be. Productivity shouldn’t make you stressed out, it should be comfortable like a cozy office chair that reclines.
When you are truly being productive you won’t be struggling with deadlines and constantly falling behind. You will be on schedule or even ahead of time because you are making efficient use of your time. Another way we could put it, is that productivity is a measure of what you do with your time and if the results are up to your internal standards.
So, have you ever wondered why we are so obsessed over productivity?; leaving the pursuit of money and leisure time aside.
It is because Productivity makes us feel good. Let’s talk a little bit about why.
- Being productive lifts our mood
Productivity does makes us happier. There is no denying the sense of accomplishment that follows the involvement in doing deep work. This is the sort of work that we want to be doing. Concentrating intently and carefully on something meaningful to us gives us a sense of fulfilment. After all, it feels good to say, “yes, we did it!” “That was good work!” “I’m finished and I’m proud of it!” This makes us happier, more motivated and gives us a drive to want to be more productive in the future. In team projects, words of encouragement is good to boost moral.
2. Being productive gives us purpose
Productivity naturally gives us purpose. We need a purpose to be productive, and a purpose to be productive vice versa. We all have experienced a point in our lives where we feel lost, stagnant and not sure of what to do next. When accomplishing something that adds value and meaning to your life and your work, it contributes in boosting your self-esteem because you are working towards a better life, better work, better you. Striving towards something gives you energy, focus and purpose to want to continue doing that particular thing.
3. Being productive helps you grow
Productive people are ever-learning individuals. They are always challenging and pushing themselves, discovering and learning new things, making themselves better. They develop their skills and picked up a well-rounded approach to tasks. When you are learning, you feel better about yourself because improvement is the best kind of achievement you can obtain. If you’re productive and on a path that is allowing you to move forward, you’re constantly growing.
Okay, now how do we become a more productive individual? We’re here to help. Some methods that seem to work for us is “time blocking”, “outcome focused”, as well as “letting go”.
Time Blocking
Time blocking is a time-management technique where you set up blocks of time during your work day to accomplish one specific thing and only that one specific thing. The magical thing about time blocking is that it leaves everything else out and allows for deep work as well as keeping your time organised. It is encouraged to plan out your time blocks beforehand so that you will know what to do in that particular block the next day. Then, a the end of the day, evaluate what you haven’t been able to complete and shift it over to the next.
For example, as I am writing this article for, I set aside roughly two and a half hours doing nothing but research and write, aside from listening to my music playing in the background. This allows me to completely dedicate myself and focus on the current task I have. Set a timer if you have to!
Outcome focused
Another way to be more productive is to focus on the outcome. Like a brand, if you don’t start from the result, honestly you might not even know where you’re going or how to start. Have a clear vision of how you expect it to turn out in specifics, how you envision the end result, how you expect to feel at the end of the day. Do you want to feel like you have done nothing? Or you want to feel like you have accomplished something that makes you proud? As you make measurable and attainable outcomes, it will then be easier to take steps to achieve that vision and result.
For example, in a recent project we did for ActivLayr, a New Zealand based skincare brand, we had to visualise the outcome for a product display before actually being able to execute it. Without the final picture of it in our minds, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we did.
Letting Go
We can’t expect to achieve our goals all the time, (honestly that would be amazing), but there will be days when we fail to do that. And that is perfectly okay, as long as we look back on our past performance and make improvements from there, seeing what we could have done differently. How to stay on track, how to not let time run away from us. Be sure not to dwell on failures, but instead focus on the future.
People usually fall victim to problem identification whereby we try to analyse and see what we did wrong but instead our thought must move to problem-solving where we see how to solve the issue. When you learn to do that, instantly you will be more productive because the bag of your past mistakes are already behind you.
Why not try out some of the methods that we have suggested to increase your productivity in the future? Because even though the chase for productivity is never going to end, in the long run it benefits our wellbeing, the people around us and our company/business/work too. We have a lot of tools in our arsenal it’s only up to us to make it work.
