Productivity myths and what you should be doing instead

As someone who needs to get things done, author Donna McGeorge shares her top three productivity myths and their antidotes.

We’ve been led down a garden path when it comes to productivity. We’ve been told, “hard work will get you ahead”, that we need to be “more productive”, and that “urgent and important” is what we should aspire to. And don’t even get me started on stretch goals! As a productivity expert and author, I’ve seen, read and researched them all.

Hard work will get you ahead

We’ve all had those days/weeks where we feel like we have been flat out, and yet we get to the end of the week and still feel we haven’t achieved anything. Anyone can work harder and still not feel accomplished or productive. It’s a work ethic that has been proven time and time again to not lead to success (whatever that is). We are setting ourselves up for failure and potentially poor mental health when we attach our success and results to the level of “hard work” we are putting in.

Why it matters: When someone links their self-worth to their career or work, their successes and failures directly affect their self-worth. This can lead to an identity crisis if they lose their job, or don’t achieve as much or as quickly as they think they should. Janna Koretz, the founder of Azimuth Psychological, warns that tying self-worth to a career can make it more challenging to overcome career hurdles. When unexpected events happen, such as layoffs or a recession, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

What to do instead:

1. Recognise that success is not determined by what you do. Identify other aspects of your life where you are also successful, e.g. partner, parent, or friend.
2. Use the Pareto principle to identify that 20% of your tasks will get you 80% of your results and focus on those first.
3. Build in a buffer of 15% of your time each day or to adapt, respond and take advantage of changing circumstances or curve balls.

Be more productive

Being more productive, or just the word “more” when it comes to productivity, is problematic. More time, more space, more strategies. More compared to what?

We have all the time we need and are ever going to get; it’s about using what we have effectively.

Why it matters: More is a product of comparison. A recent study has shown that 12% of our daily thoughts involve a comparison somehow. Maybe someone else’s looks, smarts, talents and achievements and it doesn’t make us any happier, more productive or more successful. It leaves us feeling a lack of satisfaction.

When we focus solely on the idea of “more”, we may overlook the importance of using our time and resources well. Additionally, striving for constant growth and output can lead to burnout and decreased quality of work.

What to do instead:

1. Have a laser-like focus on what’s important. Don’t get side-tracked by other people’s priorities, urgency and distractions.
2. Focus on doing less. What three things could you let go of, not do or postpone until later?
3. When looking at your day, do you ask yourself, “where can I find more time?” Ask instead, “what can I not do today?” For example, rather than adding an hour to the start or end of your day, consider what meetings you could remove or projects you could delay.

Urgent and important

The Eisenhower Matrix has been the go-to strategy for managing time and priorities for people for many years (since the 1960s), particularly after it was made famous by Stephen Covey in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Modern work has changed significantly, and it seems ridiculous when you think about it that we are still using frameworks that, whilst classic, are over 50 years old and unable to address situations where everything is urgent and important.

Why it matters: Urgency seems to be the default setting for work these days, but if everything is urgent then nothing is urgent. When we organise by urgency, we are often driven by other people’s agendas and timeframes. Or, we start at the top of the list and work our way down.

Further, the matrix oversimplifies complex tasks, is subjective and doesn’t always consider external factors.

What to do instead:

1. Think more about intensity and impact: Intensity is the amount of brainpower a task will require. Does it need deep thinking, concentration and focus (high intensity)? Or can you do it with a blindfold on and one hand behind your back (low intensity)? Impact is the return you will get on the time and energy you spend. If a task has a high impact or return, it should be prioritised more highly than something with low impact.

2. Pay attention to the clock in your body, rather than the clock on your wall, and do things at a time when your brain and body are ready for it. Typically, your most mentally intense work should be done before noon, and your routine work should be done in the afternoon. This can change depending on your chronotype, so identifying your natural circadian rhythms can help determine your best time to do work that requires high levels of alertness
3. Batching or organising your work according to like-style tasks or activities can also be helpful, particularly in the afternoon when you have a mental slump. This time of day is often wasted because we try to do things we are just not mentally equipped to do. Admin, routine meetings, and email processing are great for this time of day.

Working hard, doing more, and being in a constant state of urgency won’t get you results. Identify your most important work, protect time for it, and identify the level of intensity required to ensure you can maintain your energy and focus for the longer haul.

Traditional time management theories haven’t kept pace with modern workplace demands. The old adage of working smarter, not harder, is what is at play here. When you make conscious choices about what you need to do and then decide the best time to do it, you will set yourself up for successful, productive days.

Also read: Up for an unexpected productivity boost? | Executive PA Media