‘Productivity’ is not an end in itself

Are you feeling disorganised and if all you need to manage in life is getting on top of you? If so then I have a warning for you. You might search online and unearth a plethora of different tips, advice, systems and templates — all designed to help you be more organised and productive. But, here is my warning……productivity is not an end in itself.

Productivity is not an end in itself. Have you ever thought about this? Has ‘productivity’ become the focus for you?

How it started….

Productivity as a word is taken from the world of manufacturing. The idea is that your factory ‘produces’ something. The more you produce and the quicker you do it means you have a ‘better’ factory. Hence — productivity. And so spawns an idea in manufacturing to try and produce more and more products in less and less time.

The idea really begins with Adam Smith — who showed the world that when workers specialised on a production line, the whole process was far more efficient. It was more productive. Henry Ford picks this up and runs with it, using the basic idea to produce a complex product without requiring the same level of expertise on the part of the worker. Thus Ford is able to outstrip all expectations on how quickly cars can be mass produced.