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Productivity is Dead?
February 26th, 2008 by StephenPosted in GTD, Productivity |
Nick Cernis writes at Put Things Off, and he has an interesting take on the Prod-blogger movement:
Make no mistake about it — productivity really has become a global industry supporting the livelihoods of thousands.
But right now, its runaway success is starting to become its biggest problem.
Our obsession with ‘productivity’ is getting in the way of our lives.
I think we all need to look at how much time and energy we’re wasting on our quest to become super-productive beings, and remind ourselves instead that simple is often best.
I believe that he is off the mark, because for me, being highly productive is about getting more done in less time so that you do have more time for living your life.
In fact, it’s in my “elevator pitch” that describes what I am aiming for here at Productivity in Context:
“I teach people how to use basic tools and simple practices for taking control of their workflow situation. I write articles and consult on practical ways of being more productive at work and at home.
These practices are designed to give you more time to do the things that matter to you!I have created custom calendar and organizer products for clients with specific needs that could not find a commercial product to suit them. I’d be happy to get together with you over a cup of coffee and discuss how you feel about your own workflow process.”
I believe that keeping your productivity in context is so important, that I changed the name of this blog!
The tools that you use to be productive, to accomplish your goals, to get on with your life are just that - tools. Yes, you can have an elaborate electronic system or you can use a pencil and scratch paper. Being productive is about doing what is best for you, using whatever tools are comfortable for you to do the job. There are times that your “playtime” is subordinate to your work, and there are times that you can turn off the inputs and take a break.
The key is to find the balance, keep things in the proper context, and get on with your life. That is what Productivity in Context is all about, and if I don’t make a million dollars doing it, so be it.
We can be done and jump for joy!
UPDATE: More thoughts on this at Lifehack.
Get involved with the 
February 26th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Thanks for picking up on this, Stephen. While I do believe there is some value in teaching productivity practices and using certain tools, my point was that studying productivity methods such as GTD often distracts us from actually getting on with it.
There seems to be an unwritten rule: ‘thou shalt follow, adhere to, and invent new systems, or else’. In contrast, I’ve found that ignoring them altogether can be far more productive. From my experience, the initial time and energy expenditure and the continuing ‘addiction’ that often results rarely outweighs the long-term rewards.
So, whilst studying productivity to create more time is a noble aim (and your goals are certainly a step in the right direction), I think that there’s a real danger that learning ‘productivity’ simply encourages people to dither more than they do.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Tina Russell
February 26th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Thanks Nick, for coming by. I agree that some of the prod-bloggers can get a little manic about tweaking their systems. The main point is to keep things in perspective.
February 26th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Well said, Stephen! Couldn’t agree more.
By the way, is there any reason why keywords in my comments are being highlighted and linked to Amazon’s store? It makes it look like I’m making personal book recommendations!
February 26th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Well, they are not supposed to be in the comments, I guess I’ll have to pull that code.
Thanks for the heads up.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Stephen, I agree with you. The better part of the productivity blogs focuses on simplifying things.
I guess our blog mottos (yours: “Raw data in, information out”, mine: “Timeless resources for personal development”) show very clearly that we neither want to encourage people to test-drive the 5-10 latest applications fads per month nor to learn 200 new keystokes per week, in a vain attempt to become more “productive”.
IMHO, news rivers (floods?) like Lifehacker have become more of a distraction than a helpful resource. I guess Nick eant this style of websites and he was right.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
THANK YOU, Stephen, for disagreeing with Nick. I just posted a comment on Nick’s article disagreeing with him in much the same vein–though I was certainly more visceral in my reaction since his post is so self-important and a real waste. And people were praising it as “thought-provoking,” “great,” “right,” and “excellent.” Again, thanks for responding to it.
March 5th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Perhaps a little too visceral, Daniel.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Hello again, Nick, that was a visceral comment. I misinterpreted your piece at first, then upon a second read decided that I wanted to post my own clarification.
Daniel gets at a good point, in that learning or attempting a system like GTD can be a benefit, even if one does not actively practice it. Look at Charlie’s system - 4 easy steps.
The essential part, the core, is that your system is your system. Use the parts that fit your lifestyle and capacities, leave the rest.
Learning about and implementing the parts of GTD and the 7 Habits have allowed me to handle the inputs of 3 jobs and still have time for my lovely bride and doing the things that I enjoy.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Completely agree, Stephen. “Systems” should be personally tailored. I think that’s why GTD makes a great starting point, but is dangerous if adhered to too religiously.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:59 am
I have to say, I disagree with Nick’s post, for the most part. I think GTD is a great system, if you happen to be the kind of person it was designed for: a corporate exec of middle-management person with “direct reports”, an assistant, and a fairly long-term planning horizon. I like quite a bit something David Allen said in a recent interview, that our lives have become pretty complex and we need a system that’s pretty complex to manage it all.
That said, if you’re not one of the people that GTD is aimed at — and you can tell if you’re not by asking one simple question: Could I justify paying $480 a year for GTD Connect? — the system takes you in the wrong direction, somewhat. So for instance, contexts mean virtually nothing to many of us, who aren’t shuttling around from meeting to meeting and office to office. I’ve found that a lot of my projects can’t be broken down to very specific actions, like writing; I can put “write 1500 words” or “write chapter 3″ on my list, but that doesn’t have the same doability thatt “call Bob to schedule meeting about partnership with Acme Co.” has.
I don’t think he answer, though, is avoiding systems; nor is it creating artificially simple systems because setting up and maintaining a system is too hard or time-consuming. Yes, if you’re spending more time worrying about your system than doing things, there’s a problem, but it’s not that systems are a problem — *your* system isn’t well-adapted to your needs.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:14 am
Thanks for the input Dustin, I believe that your own personal system will be influenced by whatever methods you are comfortable with, and by your own unique situation. GTD by itself was awesome for me, when I had a low number of inputs and few things to manage in my hard landscape. Recently that has changed significantly, and I have been required by the new situation to alter the workflow pattern and re-examine how I weight my priorities.
Allowing your system to evolve is important, just tweaking it for the sake of playing with some new toys isn’t getting anything done.
March 9th, 2008 at 1:03 am
[…] James wonders, “Whatever happened to just getting on with it?” (another riff on Productivity is Dead) […]