De verkeerde perceptie van productiviteit

Ieder van ons jaagt op productiviteit, inclusief mezelf; Of het nu gaat om tools, apps of strategieën die we tot onze beschikking hebben, we willen allemaal de baas worden over productiviteit. Dit heeft ertoe geleid dat we graag in de val trappen om productiviteits-hacks te implementeren die we van anderen leren en ons realiseren dat het eigenlijk schadelijk is voor onze doelen in plaats van nuttig. We jagen uiteindelijk op het idee van productiviteit in plaats van productiviteit zelf.

We doen gehoorzaam wat productiviteitsexperts ons vertellen om te doen en te verwachten dat het zal werken. De waarheid is dat het niet zo eenvoudig is. Waarom? Omdat uw formule voor productiviteit de uwe is, en u moet uitzoeken wat het beste voor u werkt.

Het echte probleem

There’s a big difference between a day that seems productive and a day that seems not so. The difference is not in the number of tasks we get done — it’s about how we feel. The problem with chasing the feeling of productivity, is that it deceits us. We feel productive from answering emails, using productivity apps, running errands and doing some administration.

Echt belangrijk werk moet bijdragen aan onze persoonlijke en professionele prestaties. Ook voelt het vaak angstaanjagend en frustrerend wanneer we het proberen te bereiken. Niets van echt belang kan volledig worden bereikt in slechts een paar minuten en zonder een worsteling. Daarom werken we om ervoor te zorgen dat we elke dag productief zijn en dat betekent dat we alles opofferen wat het waard is om productief voor te zijn.

“Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to help you grow." — Caroline Myss

All in all, productivity is an outdated purpose and a deceptive feeling. Chasing productivity makes us unproductive toward what really matters. A better goal would be to stay near what moves slowly, resenting, and eventually changing. To do that, you need to start seeing, with seeing I mean being aware, with being aware I mean to start asking yourself whether your productivity is fake or real.

Let me share with you the three biggest fake productivity methods I saw in myself and questions I asked myself to get back on track.

1. “I Don’t Need A Vision"

As the productivity addict that I was, sometimes I still am, I know how easy it is to be all over the place by constantly wanting to do things faster and better, so I tended to forget the point of what I was doing in the first place. I used a time management tool to fill my schedules with activities and I used a system to get through my huge to-do list I created for myself.

The problem that arose when I constantly focussed on HOW to do things more efficiently is that I forgot WHY I was doing what I was doing. If what I was doing wasn’t meaningful or worthwhile, does it matter that I did do so much of it efficiently?

The question I asked myself was: Do I want to be only efficient, or efficient and effective?

Make sure you have a clear vision of what you’re doing is meaningful or worthwhile if you choose for the latter.

“Find you vision, and let it guide you in all that you do. If you lack vision, look inside yourself. Draw on your natural gifts and desires." — Ken Blanchard

2. “I Can Multitasking"

This was definitely my most tempting fake productivity method. I kept multitasking until I stumbled upon research papers showing that the human brain actually processes one thing at a time. If you are reading a report while talking with your friends and surfing the Internet, you are actually doing each of those activities one after another and not in parallel.

At first, I didn’t believe this, so I tried to multitask and observed what my thoughts were. Believe me, if I tell you that it’s not easy to observe your own thoughts. I tried something simple as reading a book while doing anything else. I ended up reading the same sentences repeatedly.

The questions I asked myself were: Am I multitasking right now? Will I get anything done if I continue working the way I am now?

I highly recommend focussing on one task at a time. Get it done properly and move on to your next tasks. As Jeremy Clarkson said:

“Multitasking is the ability to screw everything up simultaneously." — Jeremy Clarkson

3. “I Can Handle More Projects"

We are known for getting things done. Unfortunately, the more efficient we become, the more we try to do, until it’s too much on our plate. Maybe it’s because we like the challenge or maybe it’s our confidence that we can handle it.

In my case, what ended up happening was that I did get it done, but just not within the time frame I wanted to. Although I improved, I still make this mistake now and then. When I got excited about something, I just added it to my project list. The problem was when I started too many activities, I inevitably delayed everything else I was working on.

The questions I asked myself were: How many projects am I working on at the moment? Am I able to finish my projects by their deadlines?

Het is aan jou hoeveel projecten je denkt dat je aankan, maar ik zou maximaal drie projecten of doelen aanbevelen. Je wilt niet door al je projecten multitasken en je slaap opofferen om alles goed te maken, zoals ik deed.

"Je moet je limiet kennen. Een keer is genoeg, maar je moet leren. Een beetje voorzichtigheid doet nooit iemand pijn. Een goede houthakker heeft slechts één litteken op zich. Niet meer en niet minder. "- Haruki Murakami

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