What Does Genuine, Real Productivity Look Like?
Productivity – like beauty and perfection – is in the eye of the beholder.
There are many days when I don’t feel that I am sufficiently productive.
I know there are several reasons for this.
First – I do not work a standard Monday-Friday, 9-5 job. Truth is, I work anywhere between about 8am and 11pm. Also, I don’t necessarily only work Monday – Friday. There are times I put in some work on Saturday or Sunday, two.
Second – I seldom do “work” for more than 2 hours at a time. Whatever form it takes – writing and editing, content writing or admin actions for either freelance job, marketing, or whatnot – I do it in bits and pieces. A little time here, some time there.
Third – much of the work I do doesn’t “feel” like work. I don’t find myself staring at the clock or out the window, seeking its end. It doesn’t matter if I am writing and editing my own work, recording my podcast, editing/producing other podcasts for work, content writing on other people’s websites, or doing whatever else is required of me.
I’ve done a lot of different jobs, many of which were traditional 9-5 gigs. Over the years, I’ve been a benefits administration agent, tech support, pre-sales support, and similar customer service jobs. I’ve been a paralegal, admin assistant, marketing assistant, and the like. And I have done retail and retail management.
What I do now makes me feel far more satisfied and less stressed. But that doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes question my productivity.
Working from home is both a blessing and a curse
After two-and-a-half years, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to finally be starting to ramp down. Lots of social activities are coming back online, and people are gathering back in groups more and more regularly.
Still, we’re not entirely out of the woods yet. I’m rather optimistic about the direction things are heading – but cautiously optimistic.
For many people, the pandemic shifted them to work from home. That has been both a blessing and a curse.
Admittedly, some people do better in an office environment. Having that space to go to that is not home increases satisfaction, contentment, and productivity.
However, for many – working from home is a blessing. The money they save on their commute, dining out, and the like is great. But even more valuable is the time reclaimed and the ability to be present with loved ones at home.
The pandemic showed a few things to be true. Like how the standard 9-5 shift in an office building – sometimes an hour or more from home – doesn’t increase productivity. Lots of people found they got far more done working from home. But also – in far less time.
This has gone over less well with some managers and others who feel a lack of control when their workers aren’t literally under their noses. I’ve worked for managers like that. They are probably losing their minds if they aren’t returning to their offices.
Just to add insult to injury, the definition of productivity varies wildly in the service industry over the manufacturing industry. This is part of why the 9-5 workday is less applicable to service-industry jobs.
Metrics that service jobs tend to measure are hugely different from how many widgets you can make in an industrial setting. And arguably much more subjective.
Productivity varies with perception
For me, working from home is perfect. I have an excellent home-office setup. As a writer, I only need a good computer with fast internet for research and a comfortable space to work. Having remote office jobs like I currently do is why I can work with one company based in Florida (I’m in New Jersey) and another with employees and associates around the world (I have coworkers in the United Kingdom.)
To all intents and purposes, I have 3 jobs. Balancing them can be challenging – particularly as all have no set hours, per se. But it works for me.
So why do I feel like I’m often unproductive?
I get most of my work done in a timely matter. To be fair, there is some ongoing work that needs to be attended to more that sometimes takes a backseat. But I believe my employers are happy with what I am doing.
Last year, when I self-published 6 novels, I felt productive regarding my journey and personal brand work. This year, I am not publishing 6 novels. In fact, at my current pace, I’m publishing 2 in 2022.
Because of the freelance gigs, I am writing and editing less than I’d ideally like. I’m also, admittedly, not taking the time for meditation and journaling that I prefer to set for myself. And that, I suspect, is part of the cause of my feeling that my productivity is down.
But is it?
The reality is that I am productive. But sometimes my time management is iffy. And though I am good at pivoting when one of my gigs demands immediate action – that doesn’t mean I don’t still feel a bit thrown.
What can I do about this?
Mindful productivity
The answer is mindfulness.
The messages that I am unproductive because of my non-standard choices aren’t my own. They are outside influences. Some are direct. Most are indirect. And – often it’s how I perceive others looking at me – rather than any real, actual, factual issues.
Mindfulness is an ongoing, regular activity. When I do not take the time to practice it – my subconscious mind will hip-check me out of the driver’s seat. And I might not even realize I’m no longer driving until I recognize that I’m distracted or otherwise not mindful.
The solution – and I REALLY need to practice this more regularly – is to do mindfulness check-ins with myself. That takes questions like:
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- Why am I doing what I’m doing?
Each of these questions brings me to this moment in time – the present. That is where mindfulness lets me recognize the what, how, where, when, why, and who of all my thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
More frequent check-ins of this sort will make me more mindful. That will help me see if I am working with adequate productivity required of me – or not. Then adjust accordingly.
What you consider productive for you might not be what I consider productive for me, and vice-versa. Hence my assertion that productivity, like beauty and perfection, is in the eye of the beholder. Every day is a new day, with new potential and possibilities.
How do you approach your productivity or lack therein?
This is the five-hundred and thirty-seventh exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – using mindfulness and positivity to walk along a chosen path of life to consciously create reality.
I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world and empower as many people as I can with conscious reality creation.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-post and share this.
The first year of Pathwalking, including expanded ideas, is available here. Check out Amazon for my published fiction and nonfiction works.
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