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Every once in awhile I\u2019ll get an email from someone who feels productivity turns you into a robot. If you spend so much time focusing on productivity, the argument goes, you miss out on having fun, relaxing and doing all the \u201cunproductive\u201d things that make life worth living. I might get more done, they claim, but at what cost to quality of life?<\/p>\n
I hope most of the readers here don\u2019t share this misguided opinion. However, I can understand why some people confuse productivity with being a robot. All this talk about habits, highly organized to-do lists and maximum efficiency sounds somewhat mechanical. And, if you are a two-dimensional person, productivity might dominate your entire life. But, in reality, becoming productive is one of the best ways to enjoy all the fantastic, yet unproductive, times.<\/p>\n
I write about productivity because I\u2019m a productivity geek. What makes people tick and how people get work done fascinates me, so I have a lot of ideas. It doesn\u2019t mean I never procrastinate, fall into laziness or break a habit. It just means that I\u2019ve spent a lot of time looking for ways to overcome my natural shortfalls.<\/p>\n
If you met me in real life, I don\u2019t think you would put \u201cproductive\u201d as my main feature. To most of my friends, I\u2019m just a guy that likes parties, going to the gym, hanging out and doing all the other things a typical 19-year old enjoys. Getting work done is something that allows me more time to socialize, relax and enjoy life.<\/p>\n
The problem with being productive is that it isn\u2019t a complete solution. If you don\u2019t have interesting hobbies, social skills and a flare for spontaneity, getting more work done will just be replaced with more work. But if you have those skills, being more productive lets you get more done while giving more time for the other aspects of life.<\/p>\n
When I\u2019m doing work, more is better. I don\u2019t see any side-effects with getting more work done in less time. Even when you love what you do, getting more work done helps you get more out of it. All of these productivity techniques can be used to speed up work you hate. But where they really matter is getting more out of work you love.<\/p>\n
Recently, I was initiated into my faculty\u2019s student council. I\u2019m now one of six Managers of Corporate Relations on a council with 40+ members. At our transition day, we had a few too many drinks and made many new friends. Taking on this position and having a late Saturday night would be hard to do with my schedule if I didn\u2019t focus on working productively.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve written previously about how I wake up at 5:30, to get more out of my day. I woke up at 5:30 am to write this article and I still have over an hour before my classes start. Although the first ten minutes can be rough, it\u2019s an amazing feeling to quietly get your work done in the early hours of the morning.<\/p>\n
That focus on being productive doesn\u2019t prevent me from enjoying a late sleep on some of my days off. It doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t waste an entire day playing a video game or watching the entire series of Bourne movies in one sitting (best action movies ever, by the way). In fact, that focus actually enables me to be selectively unproductive when it counts.<\/p>\n
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, Tim Ferriss stresses the importance of work\/life separation instead of work\/life balance. Balance leads to blending, Tim says. I completely agree. You need to separate the pools of your life where focused productivity is important and the ones where you need to enjoy being inefficient.<\/p>\n