We’ve been hearing so much about productivity these days. In this blog, we’ll discuss why and when productivity should be given importance. And can we consciously practice being productive with our day to day activities?
First of all, what does it mean to “be productive”?
The dictionary says, “The word productive often describes a person’s capability to do a lot of work, but it can refer to anything that produces a lot. “ I’ll give my version of the meaning to productivity so that we are on the same page. According to my version, “being productive” means completing tasks in the most efficient way possible. That includes taking the least amount of time, resources and not compromising on the quality too.
If you reread the definition, you’ll understand that “being productive” is about the process you choose to achieve your end goals. It’s about finding or developing the “perfect process”.
Now, is it possible to remain productive in all the tasks we do?
Of course, not. Specific tasks require creative thinking. And if you rush through things, then the end product won’t be of good quality. As Naval puts it, “The price of productivity is creativity”.
Good ideas come from brainstorming and iterating for hours. You will probably come up with one breakthrough idea after iterating for a year. Does that mean you weren’t productive? Not necessarily. As I mentioned, Productivity is about perfecting the process. While iterating for an entire year, did you keep a record of all your iterations? Did you make sure you didn’t repeat the same experiment again and again? If your answer is yes, then you can give a pat on your back. You had a process that you stuck to while you were trying to perfect your idea.
You can’t expect to be productive with it. The best results come with obsessing over your creative work for a very long time.
But not all work is creative. There are specific tasks that are repeated over and over again in one form or another. Certain processes have to be carried out in a specific way to get the best results at the lowest amount of resources (i.e., time, money etc.).
And productivity doesn’t equate to simply getting things done. It is subjective. But quite often, there’s also the quality of the work you do that determines it. You could do a job just for the sake of finishing it, but that isn’t productive work. I think you get the point.
There is no scale to measure productivity.
Productivity is a relative term, and there is no absolute scale to measure it. One process can be productive compared to another, but a process standalone can never be called productive. An example of this would be travelling from one point to another. Cycling from one place to another is more effective than walking between the same places. But you cannot simply say cycling between the two locations is the productive mode of transportation. You can travel by bike, car, train or flight which could prove to be more productive.
Should you aim to become more productive?
Some people say productivity is overrated. They say that if more time were spent doing more stuff, we’d all be better off. But we can’t just get more hours in the day. That is physically impossible. Moreover, spending more time on a task for the sake of it only burns you out. IT doesn’t give good results, neither is it healthy for you too. So maybe you should be productive whenever possible. There are a lot of benefits to being productive in the tasks you are assigned to do.
What you do is more important than how much, and being more productive than you are right now is not usually the answer. So although productivity is essential, it is not the answer to all life’s problems. Although it can’t solve all your problems, it can solve a lot of them.
We don’t have enough hours, but we can’t get more. We can only make the best use of what we have.
So what’s the problem? The problem is we aren’t using time well. If we could manage time better, we could meet all of our demands and still live fulfilling lives. Productivity is a way of looking at how you spend your time. Productivity measures how effective you are with your time.
You can free up time by doing things faster. But productivity is not just about speed. It’s about doing things more efficiently. A way to be more efficient is to plan.
The human brain is wired to procrastinate. If our choices are between spending our time producing something or consuming something, it is easy to see that most of us will choose consumption. We would rather spend our time consuming than producing. When we decide not to produce, we are choosing not to spend that time on something more useful. That is a choice. The choice is determining how you spend your time.
Productivity is essential because it allows you to set aside time for yourself. Self-care is critical for avoiding burnout and depression. Self-care is not synonymous with selfishness, despite what some people believe. Spending time with yourself and relaxing is beneficial to your overall health. Self-care and self-awareness go hand in hand.
Productivity allows you to complete your tasks correctly the first time. Of course, expecting to meet all of the tasks flawlessly the first time around is unrealistic. Everyone makes mistakes because they are natural and human. However, making mistakes on a regular basis is a sign that something isn’t going as planned. If you are productive, this will assist you in better organising your time and tasks.
It is often said that if you get up early in the morning, you will have more opportunities throughout the day. This isn’t to say that if you’re a night owl, opportunities will pass you by. However, because you will be more productive, you will have more free time. Having the ability to take on additional responsibilities can help you demonstrate your worth to others. And, without even realising it, you may be opening the door to a plethora of future opportunities.
The 80/20 principle provides a method for prioritising tasks. It states that 20% of the efforts will produce 80% of the results in any endeavour. Highly productive people identify the most critical 20% of their work to maximise efficiency. Then they look for ways to trim the remaining 80% of their schedule in order to devote more time to the activities that have the most significant impact.
Here’s how you can blend in with productivity.
Be mindful of what you are doing. Most times being 100% present will make all the difference. When you perform different tasks, ask yourself if you are doing it in the most efficient way possible. You will never know if you can improve if you don’t question your actions. You should be able to give genuine feedback about your work, not fool yourself.
Productivity is about perfecting a process. And this generally holds for repetitive work. Learning is the best example of it. The way we approach studying a new topic is repetitive. A few of us always refer to books and notes; some of us get the best results by watching videos and so on. But we all follow a process. If you perfect your learning process, it will give surprisingly better outcomes.
Do we have the tools to be productive while learning?
After talking to many people, we understood that today’s learning process is broken, scattered and tiring. One app for taking notes, one for reminders, one for to-do lists, one for saving bookmarks… Phew!
Switching between tabs on our laptops and PCs is a great example. We all know how frustrating it gets when we have a thousand tabs open, and we have to keep switching between them! You certainly shouldn’t have to worry about so many other things when you already have a task at your hand.
Zuperly is that convenience that is missing in our learning process today. There are a lot of individual applications out there. Still, nobody has put together those pieces into one place to create a unified learning space, and that is what we at Zuperly are doing.
When you have all the tools in one place, the likelihood of becoming productive increases exponentially.
Our simple goal is to make you an efficient and productive learner. We are trying to make the execution as smooth as possible to make it irresistible to take action!
Varun, Content Writer
