This week, I listened to a podcast from Everyday Better with Leah Smart focused on productivity.
Leah interviewed Ali Abdaal and discussed his book Feel-Good Productivity.
They focused the discussion on the three blockers to productivity:
Uncertainty, fear, and inertia.
There is great content on those three and, if interested, I highly recommend listening.
What I would like to focus on here is his redefinition of productivity.
Ali’s perspective from another interview is that:
“In the past, productivity was output per unit of time. How many widgets can you crank out in a period of time. We landed on efficiency being the key thing. Increasingly, as the world changed, all of us are knowledge workers in various degrees, it’s a lot less about just being able to crank out the widgets and a lot more about making sure you are actually rowing in the right direction. You can be very efficient driving in the wrong direction.” – Ali Abdaal
He believes that productivity occurs when our work is intentional, enjoyable, and sustainable.
My Perspective
I believe he has articulated very well what many of us have been thinking/feeling for some time.
The volume of work, output, and level of “busy”, don’t matter if you are moving in the wrong direction.
Focusing on intentional, enjoyable, and sustainable will get us much further.
I have written about sustainability and satisfaction as it relates to the 8 dimensions of wellbeing.
I wonder if looking at these dimensions through the lens of intentional, enjoyable, and sustainable would add insights to where we are and where we want to point our lives.
Your Turn
When you think about your work, is it intentional?
What about enjoyable?
Is the current pace sustainable over time?