Striving to be as productive as possible is something nearly everyone attempts to do. Yet, it’s not actually clear what it means to be productive.
Are we talking about efficiency, effectiveness, the number of tasks completed, the feeling we did the best we possibly could, or all of the above? It would seem that the essential first step in becoming more productive is to define the idea more precisely. Not knowing what we are chasing makes it awfully difficult to capture it.
From experience, we know that busy people are not always productive people. People who get a lot more done can only be described as productive if they get the right things done with a high degree of quality. Low-value tasks or things done poorly undermine productivity.
So, to be productive, placing tasks in an order that reflects importance, urgency, and personal values is an essential first step. Productive people work on the issues that matter the most.
The idea that productivity is also tied to quality is well-accepted. Tasks that are accomplished with low quality reflect poorly on those who strive to be productive. That doesn’t mean every task or assignment must be completed at the very highest degree of quality, but without a skillful outcome, people can’t lay claim to being truly productive.
Taking a reasonable amount of time to reach a satisfactory outcome on as many important tasks as possible seems to define what productivity is all about. Balancing salience, efficiency, and thoroughness describes best what productive people do. Finding that balance is how people become productive and sustain productivity.
Too many people equate activity and working hard with productivity. You know better. If you agree that productivity requires a blend of task priority, quality execution, and time efficiency, you now have a pathway toward higher success.
Working on the right things, each and every day, with an eye toward quality is more important than working hard. How productive are you?
