What does it mean to be productive? For most people, productivity is about doing more with less. If you can complete a task in a week, and then improve your process to finish it in a day, you’re seen as more productive. And that makes sense.
This way of thinking is popular because it’s easy to measure. If you can get more done in less time, it’s easy to call yourself productive. It’s simple, right?
But let’s consider productivity from a different angle. What if productivity isn’t about getting more done, but about creating a bigger impact?
It’s not just about doing more with less in terms of tasks. It’s about doing more with less in terms of results.
If you complete ten things quickly, but they don’t deliver results, does that make you productive? Not really. On the other hand, if you do just one or two things that generate a big impact, things that move you closer to your mission, you’re incredibly productive.
This is especially true in software, creative fields, or other knowledge-based work.
To be truly productive, think about your mission. Before taking on any task, step back and ask yourself:
- Will doing this move us closer to our mission?
- Or is it just noise, something that feels productive but doesn’t actually accomplish anything meaningful?
The key to productivity is focus. Focus on the tasks that matter. Ignore the noise. Deliver results that count.