The Deception of Productivity Is Dragging You Down

Do you suffer from the deception of productivity and its ills? Many of us seek to be productive. We work very hard to appear productive and use busyness as a measure of progress.

Are you getting what you hoped for from your perceived productivity? Have you achieved the results you were looking for?

The deception of productivity is very real and can result in many ill effects. The most noticeable ill effect is the lack of energy. You work at being more productive, expend massive amounts of energy, and have little progress to show for it.

Many have resorted to staying late at work, giving up time with family and friends in the name of productivity. You may have even taken work home to appear more productive and the payoffs were negligible.

The deception of productivity can cause denial in those affected. Causing them to have a false sense of productivity as they read more and more productivity books and still only spin their wheels as a result.

The deception of productivity keeps them believing as they continue the never-ending cycle of doing more and getting less. We will look at ways to avoid the deception of productivity and allow being productive to add happiness and value to our lives.

What Productivity is Not

You may have seen hundreds or even thousands of books and articles promising to reveal the secrets of increased productivity. After reading a few and putting some of the practices to the test, you find the results less than stellar. There is no magic process to increase productivity. No magic pill. No secret.

People respond differently to the same and different processes. Productivity means different things to different people. Through trial and error only you can determine what powers you to be more productive.

What works for you may not work for someone else.

There is a saying that “love should never hurt”. In the same vein, there are results that productivity should never produce. As a result, you will have to decide what productivity processes work for you.

We can all agree on what negative effects should be avoided. The Deception of Productivity tends to produce some of the negative effects below. Avoid them when you can.

1. Burned-out Feeling

You need to be present and engaged to be productive. Feeling tired and burned out will always produce second-rate results at best. Don’t allow the deception of productivity to drag you down.

2. Becomes your religion

Don’t just go through the motions just because it was always done that way or it feels productive. Be productive when it is most effective. Productivity should yield benefits and results.

Jumping through hoops with your hair on fire just to save a few seconds or a few cents may not be worth it in the long run.

3. Feeling guilty when you take the time to enjoy life

You should not feel guilty in the name of productivity. This is usually a sign that you are overdoing it. A break may be in order. Take some time to enjoy family and friends. Doing so will usually do you better than harm.

4. Not just for work

I should not have to say this but being productive is not just beneficial to work. You can enjoy the benefits of productivity in most aspects of your life.

5. Sacrifice your health

Productivity should never contribute to prolonging sleepless nights or increasing bad health. You can usually voluntarily dial your activities back and not suffer ill effects to your goals. Worst, illness or death will force you to dial back or cease.

6. Destroys relationships

You have to spend actual time with people to maintain healthy relationships. A few posts or mentions on social media will not cut it.

Don’t allow the deception of productivity to cause you to break appointments and miss outings with the important people in your life.

7. Promote materialism

Acquiring things should not be the main objective. That can be a trap. A thirst that can never be quenched. Even after acquiring more and more things happiness can still elude you.

The end results can lead to #1, #3, #5, and #6.

Conclusion

The deception of productivity is real. Productivity should be an efficient process for reaching your goals. It should not be a feeling. It should yield favorable results. A noble goal should be the focus. It should enhance and add value to life.

The deception of productivity can lead to some of the ills mentioned above. Productivity should free time. Lessen stress. Be a positive tool.

Productivity should lead to more time with friends and family, doing more of the things you enjoy. Don’t allow the deception of productivity to rob you of the wonderful results you deserve.