5 Things That You Think Make You Productive But Don’t
You are doing it wrong, let’s see
Our world is obsessed with productivity. Each day we see tons of blogs about how to get more things done in a day as if being productive was a meaning of wealth and fulfillment.
Don’t get me wrong. Successful people are really productive. But we’ve been bombed by so many tips and tricks to be like them that we might be doing the opposite.
Let’s see five things that you think make you productive but don’t
Being busy
We face millions of stimuli each day. Email, notifications, calls, Zoom conferences… and all of them seem to be urgent. But being busy all day doesn’t necessarily mean that you are productive.
Think about it. You have to complete three tasks today, for example, you start one at 8 am, but instantly your boss calls you to solve a problem. You solved it, and continue with your task, but then problems like that appear again, again and again.
And without realizing it it’s night and you feel tired to complete your initial task. You might work all day and solve 10 problems, but you still have your initial goal incompleted.
And the end of the day, think about how many significant tasks you have done. That’s the measure of how productive you were.
Multitasking
Like being busy, multitasking gives us the fake sense of I am doing something. You are answering emails while talking to your team about a new product release while thinking about your next deadline.
Our brain is capable of amazing things, but multitasking just drains your energy. Hence, you end you expending more time doing those three tasks simultaneously that separately.
Or even worse, you are not giving them the attention to details and effort that it requires.
Don’t sacrifice the good work just for the sense of accomplishment.
Waking up early
Yeah, I know, that’s one of the pillars of how to get more things done in day stuff. But in fact, I’ve been all my life waking up at 5:30 am and it doesn’t necessarily increase my chances of being productive. It just makes me being sleepy sometimes.
First, if you wake up early sacrificing your sleep hours, it doesn’t work. Don’t do that, don’t play with your health. If your brains and body don’t feel like doing something, it just won’t happen.
And more importantly
The productive person is not the one that works more hours in a day, but the one that get more meaningful things done in a day.
It can be done in one hour or three hours, waking up at 6 am or 10 am. We all do not work the same.
Have a long to-do list (and all of its items are urgent)
That’s my favorite, I fell in it for a long time. When I looked at my to-do list all the things have to be done as soon as possible. That gives me the sense that I have so many things to do and that I was working too hard.
That was not true. When all the things are priorities, anything is a priority. I was just completing tasks that don’t really generate value for me or my company.
To be productive learn how to prioritize your tasks, and work in the ones that generate more value for you, not just the urgent ones.
Learning how to balance your to-do list will prevent you from accumulating tasks and end up with an endless list that will be hard to get done.
Eating while working
Now many of you are working remotely. Taking your breakfast to your desk and eat it while you are answering emails doesn’t make you productive.
If you have no time to take breakfast in peace, you are doing something wrong. Having time to do non-work related things it’s a pleasure and a gift for the ones that distribute their day well.
Now you know, avoid the fake sensation of productivity that just drains your energy. Each day is precious. Prioritize your tasks, take care of your health, and focus on doing things that give you value.
Life is not a marathon
