Fed up with the push for productivity

The drive to ‘do more’ or to ‘make the most of our time’ was wearing a bit thin pre-pandemic. 

We’d reached a kind of ‘productivity fatigue’. 

James Clear, quoted in a Fast Company article by Aytekin Tank says that “Productivity is getting important things done consistently. And no matter what you are working on, there are only a few things that are truly important.”

We are more interested in - and it turns out, motivated by - progress... and so making ‘meaningful progress’ is what matters. 

When we do that, we’re more likely to be ‘productively creative’ in the long run. 

Sounds like the ideal result. 

Worry less about whether you’re being super productive. 

Focus more on whether you’re making progress on the things that are meaningful to you. 

When there’s no space for more to dos

It feels rough when your to do list gets a few more things added to it. 

Particularly when nothing has been ticked off or deleted from it. 

It can feel like there’s just no space. 

So how do tasks end up on your list? 

- Boundaries
Do you let or allow tasks to be added? 

- Requests 
Are they added once you’ve heard about them and accepted a task? 

- Assumptions 
Is it just assumed that it’s your task ... after all, you usually do it? 

- Defaults
Do you step in to pick up a task ... because no one else does? 

Or something else? 

This is not about being unhelpful or rude or not volunteering. It’s about recognizing what’s on your list of responsibilities and actions. 

And it’s even more about being aware of how they got there. 

Check the actions you’re planning on doing: today, tomorrow, next week. 

- Keep a handle on your boundaries. 
- Tune in carefully to requests. 
- Remain aware of assumptions. 
- Challenge the defaults. 

Why something is on your list is important to understand. How it gets there is just as worthy of our attention. 

It could free up a heap of space. 

Control freaks : how is the self control going

Self control may be a hallmark of high levels of emotional intelligence but most of us don’t think we have much... or enough! Self control that is. 

And curiously, there’s a link between self control and productivity. 

Do you recognise the cycle of failing in self control and then berating yourself for failing? I do. It’s a strong circuit indeed! 

How do we break it? What can we do instead? 

These tips from the World Economic Forum are both familiar and new: 

Focus on solutions
Forgive yourself 
Eat. Sleep. Exercise. Meditate. 
Don’t say yes unless you really want to 
Don’t seek perfection 
Stay positive
Avoid asking ‘what if’
Ride the wave - the ebb and flow of control. 

Greater self control can require more of us than a single action... once. And it may be simpler than thinking we have to make dramatic changes or embark on mega habits. 

Choosing these alternatives when there’s a blip in our self control is wiser than berating ourselves. 

Read more about it here

The overwork of remote work

Productivity might be up but the dangers of overworking are right there too. 

With thinner lines between work time and home time, and the office just a virtual click away, the dangers of overworking have been revealed in the Microsoft Work Trends Index. 

It’s not sustainable ... even if it’s easy to work longer hours. 

It’s not healthy ... even if you forget to take a break. 

It’s not truly being productive ... if you’re exhausted. 

Leaders of remote and hybrid teams must engage in ways that uncover the well-being of that team. 

Look at your working day : 
- do you ‘push through’ or take breaks? 
- do you work anywhere anytime or have boundaries? 
- do you keep going and work through what would have been commute time? 

Change to the nature of work requires adaptability from us humans. But take care... the trends of the last year are revealing our tendency to overwork. 

A mindset for success or burnout

The deep beliefs we hold about what we’re doing and why, may not be as noble or effective as we think. 

After all, why do we work longer hours? 

Why aspire for higher standards?


Here’s a quick check of 9 mindsets (this article says ‘lies’) we may believe, unconsciously, that don’t serve us well. 

1. If you stop what you’re doing you’ll be letting everyone down

2. If you don’t do it it won’t get done

3. You have to work long hours or you won’t get ahead in your career

4. If you sacrifice now you benefit later

5. It’s only costing you some ‘time’

6. You don’t have time to do what you enjoy

7. You have to isolate yourself to get the work done

8. You can do it all on your own

9. You have to be perfect all the time.


Ticked any of them? 

What if you reversed, flipped or edited them, all 9 mindsets? 

1. If you stop what you’re doing it gives others a chance to step in. 

2. If you don’t do it maybe it won’t even matter. 

3. You can work shorter hours and still get ahead in your career. 

4. If you sacrifice now, you may make things worse in the future. 

... keep going. You edit the rest and see how it challenges beliefs about work.