Get More Things Done, Have More Life or Both?

14. November 2008

Productivity is the mantra for the new world, get more done, be more productive. Indeed if you are in a business competing in the marketplace it is generally the company that can do the most for the least that thrives, that has the productive edge over the competition but where does it end?

On a personal level, how do you want to live? Do you want to micro manage your every waking hour to get more stuff done? Does being more productive lead to an increased sense of well being or does increased well being lead to increased productivity? If our days were 30 hours long would we really have more “free” time or would we just fill it with more stuff to do?

I remember loving a BBC TV show called Tomorrows World when I was a young lad, it was full of exciting ideas and fascinating new technology. I recall being particularly struck by the often expressed idea that we’d work less and have a great deal more leisure time in the future due to the increased level of automation provided by technology. So whilst I didn’t particularly dislike school (which I associated as being like “work”) I certainly did prefer weekends and holidays. The idea that I was born into a world moving towards a 3 or 4 day working week was pretty hopeful for me. The notion that “work” could be a satisfying, playful, pleasurable experience in itself had not occurred to me then. Certainly, no adults around me seemed to experience it that way.

How naive that prediction was even if you can see the logic – as we can get more done in less time we’ll have more time for other things – it makes perfect sense until you factor in human survivalist competition. The apparent need to do more before the next guy out does you.

Certainly average working times have reduced considerably since the 1800’s but through collective bargaining and legislation rather than because of productivity gains. Looking at the list below we can see that average working hours have tended to reduce. In the less productive 13th and 14th centuries however we worked similar or fewer hours.

Annual hours over eight centuries: Year Type of worker Annual hours 13th century Adult male peasant, UK 1620 hours 14th century Casual laborer, UK 1440 hours Middle Ages English worker 2309 hours 1400-1600 Farmer-miner, adult male, UK 1980 hours 1840 Average worker, UK 3105-3588 hours 1850 Average worker, U.S. 3150-3650 hours 1987 Average worker, U.S. 1949 hours 1988 Manufacturing workers, UK 1855 hours 2000 Average worker, Germany 1362 hours (Compiled by wikipedia)

However we now live in a 24/7 society with people working all manner of different shifts and days. Companies are open for ever longer periods and here in the UK many if not most supermarkets are open 24 hours. Senior management and professionals typically work ever longer hours. (Businessweek)

Not much sign of the 4 day week just yet and there continues to be an awful lot of talk about increased productivity and efficiency.

Now I’d suggest that what gives us the greatest life satisfaction is our relationships first and our creativity second. Our lives are enriched through our interactions and by adding value to the lives of others through our creative expression, generally our work. This could mean designing, building or crafting something, teaching, health care, just about everything really.

If you’ve ever experienced the loss of a loved one or being dumped by someone you didn’t want to be dumped by then you’ll have had first hand experience of the deep need we have to relate lovingly with others. During times of grief the once vitally important stuff of working etc. suddenly seems rather empty and meaningless and we may have little interest in getting much done at all as we mourn our loss. The real stuff of life is who we are not what we do.

Under more typical circumstances though we may well feel that “if I can just finish this then I’ll be free to do that” but somehow as soon as “this” is finished something else fills in the space and “that” gets postponed yet again. You think, if I could just get everything done then I’d be free to relax and do what I want to do for a bit….

That is the “rat race” the spinning treadmill to nowhere and a common motivator for endless efficiency gains. If we could just do more then we’d be free to be more. I suggest that if we focused on being more then we’d be more productive and content.

What do I mean by that? Well, you are you, complete with all your unique gifts, aptitudes qualities and perceptions. If you are living your life one step ahead of yourself in an attempt to get everything done then you are less present in you and the world gets less of your uniqueness in what you do. You are less productive, less satisfied, more stressed and we all lose.

An extreme example.

  • Take a simple menial task like sweeping the floor.
  • Take two cleaners.
  • One cleaner is wearing his iPod and dreaming of going to a bar later with his friends. He cannot wait for the end of his shift and keeps glancing at the clock to see how much longer he has to wait until home time. He’s going through the motions of cleaning up but paying little real attention and doing a poor job of it.
  • The other cleaner is thinking about sweeping the floor well, is focused on the job at hand. He is working out his best route round the floor and allowing for any drafts that may disrupt his sweeping. He is evaluating which of his brooms works best with the differing floor surfaces and rubbish sizes. He is trying different sweeping motions to see what works best and now and again he may even dance a little jig with his broom, just for the fun of it. He happily knows he is meeting the other guy and some friends in the bar later and is not clock watching.

Who would you rather be and who would you rather employ? The second one right?

The second guy is wanting to get more done but is also applying more of himself to that task and thus experiencing more pleasure and satisfaction in the process.

The moral of the tale:

  • Bring more you to everything you do and you’ll not only get more done but you’ll also get more, life, enjoyment and satisfaction no matter what it is that you do.

BUT as you’ll never get it all done slow down, chill out, and enjoy what you are doing right now!

We’ll all feel better for your happy, productive, presence.

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