Today, some of the most common articles, motivational quotes, books, and video series out there are the ones that focus first and foremost on how to “boost productivity,” either in business or in life.
The idea of productivity seems to be taking the world by storm, perhaps like never before. Seemingly, everyone wants to maximize the impact of every minute of his or her day, and to ensure that no time at all – if possible – is wasted.
Of course, business is serious. No one wants to be in a situation where he needs to consult an expert corporate bankruptcy law firm in order to mitigate the effects of major setbacks in their professional lives.
All the same, there are some good arguments to be made that the current obsession with productivity isn’t healthy, and may well be counter-productive. There are also good arguments to be made that many of our most common contemporary ideas about productivity are misguided.
Here are some productivity myths that should be retired.
You should work around the clock
The idea of “hustling” as much as possible and working hundred hour weeks as par for the course is very common in entrepreneurial circles in particular. It’s also a very good way to end up completely burning out, despising your job, losing your creative spark, and missing out on many of the other dimensions of life that deserve your time and engagement.
In fact, there is evidence that people who work hours that are more balanced are actually more effective with the time they spend at work then those who grind around the clock. The idea of “productivity” is fundamentally about being effective, not about working the longest possible hours. To be a productive and successful entrepreneur, you need to be highly focused and specialized
An idea that often goes along with modern notions of productivity, is the view that it’s important to be as highly focused and specialized as possible, in order to be as productive as possible and to achieve things in any particular domain of life. However, many of the most influential and successful people out there have not been highly-focused “specialists”, but rather people who tried out a variety of different hobbies and projects, and developed a breadth of experience and insight, instead.
The more experience you have across a broad range of subjects, the higher the likelihood that you will have the awareness to achieve interesting things.
Productivity is all about proper planning and organizing
An obsession with productivity is usually tied in with a desire to micromanage, organize, and plan the various dimensions of life as precisely and logistically as possible. This can often be seen, for example, in people scheduling out their entire days in minute detail, and setting a range of “targets” to hit, in order to ensure that their time is not being “wasted.” This might just be a terrible approach to most of the deepest and most effective forms of creative endeavor, however.
The famous physicist Richard Feynman was just one person who attributed his success to his ability to “play around” spontaneously, without rigid KPIs and data-driven constraints. Play, spontaneity, and intuition often lead to some of the most substantial accomplishments.