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The term “Productivity” flies around the internet with gay abandon, (now there’s an “old fashioned” usage of that term, maybe I’m showing my age…), but how often do we see it, (Productivity), actually defined?
Are we all talking about the same thing? Probably not so I thought I’d try and define it, at least for the purpose of this blog. So here goes…
Productivity is the art/science of doing the doing the right things at the right time as efficiently as possible. The two purposes of “productivity” are:
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The achievement of your purpose in life, while
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Maintaining balance in life (work/spiritual/family/rest/recreation).
Now this definition is a work in progress so I’d love all the help you can give me. Please, please add your thoughts by way of comment.
Thanks for your help.
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0 comments ↓
in a couple of words, productivity is about producing
i like to think of it as the nexus between ‘effectiveness’ (doing the right things) and ‘efficiency’ (doing things using the last amount of resources required for a quality job)
i also like david allen’s own comparison of ‘control’ and ‘perspective’
in an economic sense, productivity increases when you get more output for a given level of inputs
so, in a GTD sense, this would equate to productivity increasing when you get more of the things you want (effectiveness) from the same or a lower level of inputs (efficiency)
Paul,
just this morning I posted a short article myself about personal productivity and there I said the following:
“Personal productivity is not about doing more work, but about doing your work in a more effective manner. The result in the end of the day is that you will be more in control and have gained some time while feeling good or at least better about the work done.”
For now that’s my definition of productivity, until this discussion comes up with a better one I concur too.
Regards,
Peter
I’d like to add a third purpose on productivity
3 – Creating harmonious environments where events, actions and dreams get done.
Terry Princes last blog post..Non Thinking
Hey Paul,
What do you consider to be the “right thing?”
@daryl
in a GTD / “Productivity” context that is for each person to determine for themselves … and GTD has some usual elements for assisting in this, eg understanding your horizons of focus, which start (at the highest level) with your life purpose … etc etc
that said, Paul is also a preacher, so I am sure he can give you a wider perspective on the “right things” to be doing
[...] We are no longer struggling to find out what is out there, but we are now in a position to decide among the options what is for us. We are now defining productivity, as can already be seen with James Mallinson and Paul Gardner. [...]
Thanks for the thoughts guys.
Daryl, as far as what is the “right” thing, I reckon that depends on what your objectives are and what the situation is.
For example, when I was sick the other day, the right thing was to stay in bed for most of the day, otherwise I would have been unproductive for days afterwards. In this respect, that time spent in bed was “productive” time. But under more normal circumstances it wouldn’t be.
I suspect it comes down to having Horizons of Focus that include a good balance for the individual.
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