When Productivity Becomes Unproductive
Our Lord and Saviour ChatGPT says productivity is:
The measure of how effectively and efficiently you achieve desired outcomes within a given time frame. It’s not just about getting things done—it’s about focusing on what truly matters, prioritising tasks that align with your goals, and making the best use of your energy and resources. At its core, productivity is about creating value, whether in personal growth, professional work, or daily routines. It’s less about doing more and more about doing what counts.
When I first asked ChatGPT what productivity is I was hoping it would give me an answer like the ones in the Cambridge Dictionary:
the rate at which a person, company, or country does useful work
or
the ability to do as much work as possible in a particular period
However, I was sadly disappointed as I must admit ChatGPT’s answer basically encapsulates the thesis of this blog. I’m unsure of when it formed but what I call the cult of productivity is well and truly thriving. And by the cult of productivity, I’m referring to a movement (mostly online) that sacrifices at the altar of maximising human output.
A great example is the morning routine phenomenon where individuals (mostly online) share their tips, tricks and habits to set you up for a most productive day. For example, waking up early, drinking water, ice baths, exercise, mindfulness practice, sunlight in the eyes etc. My issue with the productivity cult is the warmth it offers when done correctly but also chastising fire when not.
On one side of the coin, it's great advice. Doing these things in the morning will probably help your days and overall life. This is the warmth from the fire. However, on the other side of the coin, there’s what I call the slip and slide. Personally, if I set out a bunch of strict goals to hit and miss one, the whole “routine” is shot. If I do the cold shower and exercise but slip on the sunlight, the perfect productive morning is gone until tomorrow, so I slide back to normality until then. And I can slide hard and land lower than when I tried sacrifice at the altar of productivity – this is when we lose control of the fire and that’s why it’s called burnout.
A great way of avoiding the slip and slide is to follow ChatGPT – it’s less about doing more and more about doing what counts. And what does count? Well…. find out in our next blog post.
