Being Productive May Be Making You Ineffective

You know that feeling: when there’s more to do than time to do it? And you wake up after your most productive day ever, realizing you have to repeat the effort just to keep up?

One outcome of a marketplace that idolizes productivity is that productivity becomes our metric for success. We get pushed outside of attentive effort, trying to do more in less time—which is ultimately unsustainable, and exasperating.

We end up like a hamster.

In a wheel.

Furiously going nowhere fast.

Operating inattentively, outside of flow, distracts us into mistaking activity for achievement, and productivity for effectiveness.

“We get pushed outside of attentive effort, trying to do more in less time—which is ultimately unsustainable, and exasperating.”

And Your Point Is...?

If your approach to your work is to excel at managing your to-do’s, there’s a good chance you’re excelling at the wrong things.

So What?

Instead of starting with what needs to get done, start with how you get things done. I describe this as “calendaring energy.” In other words, set aside the time in your calendar that you work most effectively, then prioritize the work that goes in those calendar slots.

Personally, I’m most clear-headed in the early morning. So that’s when I focus on tasks requiring creativity or critical thinking. As the day goes on I focus on execution-oriented tasks, finally finishing with admin or tasks that require very little creative energy. By dinner time, my energy tank is usually empty.

“If your approach to your work is to excel at managing your to-do’s, there’s a good chance you’re excelling at the wrong things.”

Knowing I have specific windows in which to accomplish my priorities makes the choice of tasks—and how I do them—extremely important. It makes it easier to say no to things I previously said yes to, and I’m more aware of inefficiencies in my approach to work.

Obviously, your mileage will vary with a different environment (kids, fluid work conditions, non-traditional working hours, commuting, etc.). If you’re a night person, your energy levels may be opposite from mine.

Even so, I’m confident you can still find ways to work energy-first from your calendar.

“Instead of starting with what needs to get done, start with how you get things done”

The Big Picture

Ultimately, the prize doesn’t go to the fastest hamster. It goes to the one who’s most effective at leveraging their talents, gifting and experience to the fullest—in a way that aligns with their purpose and calling.

Your Next Step

My advice: Just begin. Start small, be patient and see what happens.

Here’s a longer article on this topic at Medium.com, or you can download a pdf.

“Ultimately, the prize doesn’t go to the fastest hamster.”

Need some practical help on this?

Here’s a resource I’ve found that supports calendaring your energy: