As part of my research about productivity, I read quite a few articles about how to achieve and preserve high levels of productivity. Some of them communicate with each other, while others contradict one another. This way or the other – there are many productivity myths out there.
Consequently, I encounter a lot of confusion with clients and colleagues who, at the end of the day, do not fully understand what actually makes sense.
I don’t claim to be an expert on it. However, there are a few myths I’d like to challenge in the hope of helping you get closer to reaching your goals.
(Don’t) set high goals
This productivity myth is a common one so pay attention.
Many books and blogs dealing with self-growth emphasize the importance of setting goals and objectives. While goals and objectives can be a positive thing, something to strive for, they can also hinder productivity. Setting goals that are too difficult to achieve, makes it mentally challenging to acquire the habits we need in order to reach those goals.
For example, imagine your goal is to run a half-marathon. In order to be able to run long distances you need to acquire the wonderful habit of running. Your focus should be all around the habit itself. Otherwise you may rapidly lose motivation because the goal is far away.
To get into the habit of running, it is better to put more weight on the process than on the results. To run long distances, you first need to become people for whom running is an integral part of their lives. This means making running, at least in most cases, something that is easy and accessible.
In this case, arriving at the destination will be quicker without a destination.
There is even research to support this. A series of studies from the University of Chicago showed that in certain areas a focus on goals was associated with a higher percentage of non-persistence.
Let’s get rid of all those emails so I can focus on my work
The majority of people I know start their work day with low cognitive demand tasks. Among these tasks are responding to emails, sending WhatsApp messages, updating social media, and more.
In most cases, this is not the right thing to do.
These tasks never really end. They also do not utilize our cognitive abilities well. By giving priority to things that other people care about (this is more or less what superficial work is), we lose the opportunity to do meaningful work.
You may be familiar with the “Eat The Frog” approach – it appears in my article on time blocking. Basically, the idea is that doing the challenging tasks in the beginning of the work day (those usually burdens our shoulders) makes the rest of the day feel good and everything just keeps getting better.
Finishing all tasks is not necessarily a sign of productivity
Often there is a correlation between the amount of work we perform and the level of satisfaction and value that our working day produces. However, this isn’t always the case.
How often have you run between tasks, skipped breaks, drank a second coffee (or third, you get the point) in the middle of a workday, only to mark a V on the task list but feel that very little of what you accomplished was truly meaningful?
In general, we tend to tick off simple tasks that don’t require much creative or mental effort rather than the more difficult, but more beneficial ones.
Usually, quality is more significant than quantity when it comes to productivity. Between us, the work never ends. For me, a successful day of work involves answering the question of whether I was able to accomplish the most meaningful things or not.
Additionally, it makes it difficult to create a clear separation between work time and rest time, which is crucial if you want to be consistently productive.
I wrote in detail about this in the article about deep work.
The most productive people are those who get up early
I admit, as a morning person, I advocate waking up early. But when it comes to productivity, it is more critical to be in tune with your individual needs than to follow some cliché.
Living by our nature and biology is probably good idea for most of us. However, as we are dealing with productivity, if you are an afternoon, evening, or night person, you should go for it.
To be truly productive, you must wake up on time. What time is it? It’s up to you.
Follow the habits of successful people
It’s true that you can learn quite a bit from other people’s success. However, it is critical that you take things in proportion – there is no guaranteed recipe for success or productivity.
There is a trend to follow the habits of successful people. Nevertheless, if you take a set of habits that worked for someone, you are unlikely to achieve the same results.
Additionally, you should keep in mind that a lot of successful people have quite a few strange habits that you might not even want to try. As it is said, Igor Stravinsky used to stand on his head when he felt “blocked”, Benjamin Franklin used to read and write naked every morning, and there is a lively movement of people taking cold showers (I heard it’s amazing, but still).
Each successful person that we can learn about from his habits lived through hardships, challenges, and failures on their way to success. This is something that cannot be ignored when trying to understand their habits.
A second consideration is the subject of time, place and context. There are people who have followed Leonardo da Vinci’s daily schedule, and while his daily routine has some very interesting aspects, his sleeping habits are quite unorthodox.
Like a cat, Da Vinci took short naps several times a day.
This is someone who did it, documented it, and survived (in general, this Vlog is recommended).
Beyond the fact that I have no idea how this works biologically, I don’t think it’s worth forcing these sleep habits into your current schedule. There are other, equally effective ways to stimulate creativity.
I need sophisticated digital tools to be productive
The advent of sophisticated digital tools contributed significantly to our ability to stay on top of our game when it comes to our work. However, productivity does not solely depend on technology.
Our definition of productivity refers to the production of real value in the world. It is not the super-obsession with tasks (although if it’s possible to enjoy both, why not?).
Hence, you don’t have to master a lot of digital tools. This is a good place to practice digital minimalism. The most effective strategy is to find an approach or method that works for us (the Pomodoro technique or time blocking are examples) and then finding a tool – or at least as few tools as possible – that makes us act in accordance with our chosen approach.
If we manage our affairs with many tools, we must pay extra attention to the transitions and communication between them. We could invest that time in other things. Although many of these tools have the potential to help us manage ourselves, they still demand a significant cognitive price and may create more digital noise.
I need to be a hermit in order to be productive
Productivity practice sometimes deals with self-management, changing habits, motivation, willpower, morning routines and the like. For that reason, it is possible, and quite understandable, to have the impression that to be productive you need a strict schedule and self-discipline.
Even though I am a fan of practice, it is far from black and white. There is no doubt that the things I mentioned contribute in their own ways to our productivity journey. However, our productivity is not dependent on them. Certainly not exclusive to them.
There are many people who prosper and do well and they do not fit this image. Second of all, rigidity may easily lead to self-criticism, which in turn destroys productivity.
In my mind, I prefer to get out of my comfort zone and work on areas of challenge and self-growth. This while also being flexible and gentle with myself when things don’t work. Rigidity in this context is more of a growth tool than a destination. It is certainly not a prerequisite for success, abundance, and joy.
As a conclusion
The concept of productivity is subject to many interpretations and approaches. It was important for me to touch on a few crucial points that may hinder your productivity.
Don’t believe everything people tell you. Certainly don’t believe everything I tell you, without checking and experimenting for yourself. It is impossible to be precise and improve without feedback.
Good luck, eh?
