Mary Anne recently passed the article, 7 Popular Productivity Beliefs You Should Ignore, in Fast Company to me and asked me what I thought of it. Given that I have taught productivity for over 20 years and have read just about every book on productivity, my interest was piqued.
The article starts off saying that the word ‘productivity’ “implies a one-stop solution for everyone, like we’re all just churning out the same widgets.” I couldn’t agree more. I have worked with so many people who strive to be productive, yet, they struggle to follow through on ideas they get from books, seminars or mass-produced calendaring systems. Trying to follow someone else’s system, plan or ideas of what productivity should be, is, well, insanity. There is no “one-size fits all” solution, rather, in my experience, a personalized productivity plan is what really works. When starting from that approach, success is possible but not ensured. To be successful, you need to first identify your beliefs about productivity. The author provides a list of 7 Beliefs, purported by known experts on productivity, that she thinks should be ignored and substituted with a different set of beliefs. I’ve summarized the 7 Beliefs below.
- “Search” (in your email) eliminates the need for an equal filing system. The author suggests using subject folders rather than the “Search” feature. Folders organize emails and speed up searching when done in the folder versus a generic “Search.”
- Set Priorities. “You don’t set priorities, you have them,” says David Allen, author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stree-Free Productivity. Clear the air so you can recognize them,” he says.
- Start your day by looking at your To-Do List. The author says this is a terrible time. Do it at the end of the day for the next day. Start your day off and running, not planning.
- Take regular breaks. “Don’t force or delay a break if it doesn’t feel natural.” Go with your own flow when working and manage your energy.
- Take immediate action. Handling everything that comes your way immediately keeps you in “reactive” mode. Use your goals and priorities to guide what and when you work on tasks.
- Manage your time. “You don’t manage time, you manage attention.”
- Touch each piece of paper only once. Lisa Zaslow, founder of Gotham Organizers, a New York City-based professional organizing firm, says this is impossible. She says, “instead of reading, tossing, or filing mail, for example, let it stack up until you have appropriate time and energy.”
I wouldn’t say that I disagree with anything on this list except I am really curious as to why the author listed the first belief as #1. Of all the items on the list, that one wouldn’t even make my Top 10 list. Regardless, this article did get me thinking about my list of beliefs that support my own productivity. If we agree that each individual needs to define what productivity is for him/her, then it would follow that each individual needs to identify his/her beliefs about productivity first and make sure that those beliefs support a personal productivity plan that is realistic and achievable.
This week look at the results you are getting. If you aren’t happy with them, I encourage you to pay attention to the beliefs you hold about achieving those results and what it will take to achieve them. The beliefs we hold create the behaviors we perform and that’s where being productive or not comes in. What beliefs do you have about being productivity? Where did you develop those beliefs? Which beliefs support the level of productivity you desire and which ones’ don’t? What beliefs do you need to change, get rid of, or reframe? Remembers, beliefs create behaviors and the right behaviors create our results!
Stay tune next week for the list of beliefs that support my personal productivity.
