Chris Bailey* says many people see productivity as a way to greater achievements at work, but ‘being productive’ can mean so much more.
Here’s a question: What drives you to seek out and consume productivity advice in the first place?
One thing that bothers me about traditional productivity advice is how so much of it assumes the purpose of productivity is ever-greater accomplishment.
As I wrote recently, achievement is a basic value, but that doesn’t mean it’s one we all share.
Productivity advice that focuses on hustling and grinding in service of accomplishing more, rarely leads to a more meaningful life.
Accomplishment is not a worthwhile goal in and of itself.
There needs to be a point to any sort of striving — some tangible impact your efforts will have on your life or on the lives of others.
After defining productivity a few different ways over the years, I’ve zeroed in on a definition I love.
We’re perfectly productive when we accomplish what we intend to do.
In my opinion, productivity should begin and end with intention.
By becoming more intentional, we deliberately spend our time in a way that’s more true to who we are and what we value.
In this way, our actions become more aligned with who we are — and who we want to become — over time.
For example, I value things like calm, curiosity, depth, and relaxation.
Greater intention means I can live out these values through my daily actions.
How I spend my time becomes more meaningful as a result.
In pursuit of greater productivity, keep in mind the purpose of productivity.
If you deeply value accomplishment and that’s what you want productivity advice to help you obtain, that’s obviously more than okay.
However, keep in mind that you likely have a whole host of other values you might also want to live out.
At its best, productivity advice helps us live in a way that aligns with who we are.
The key I’ve found is to know what you value, and to think about productivity as a means through which to live with greater intention.
*Chris Bailey has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity, and is the author of two books: Hyperfocus, and The Productivity Project. He can be contacted at alifeofproductivity.com.
This article first appeared at alifeofproductivity.com.
