The ‘productivity’ craze is out of control
Ironic, isn’t it? The laid-back productivity blog blowing the whistle on the whole ‘productivity industry’.
Make no mistake about it — productivity really has become a global industry supporting the livelihoods of thousands.
But right now, its runaway success is starting to become its biggest problem.
Our obsession with ‘productivity’ is getting in the way of our lives.
I think we all need to look at how much time and energy we’re wasting on our quest to become super-productive beings, and remind ourselves instead that simple is often best. Perhaps it’s time to stop all the beeps for a while.
Stop all the beeps
Stop all the beeps, turn off your mobile phone,
Prevent the PDAs chirping with a message from home,
Close up your Moleskine and rest a tired thumb
Turn a new page no more; your to-do list is done.Let Twitterers twitter from under their beds
Typing out the message Productivity is Dead.
Close all open windows with the icons above,
The hour has now come to find your real love.Spend more time with your family, music or art.
Your working week needn’t play a big part.
Those ‘productivity secrets’ were here all along;
Thought GTD was the answer? Perhaps you’re wrong.Those apps are not needed: uninstall every one;
Pack up your computer, rediscover the sun;
Silence your iPod, take a walk in green woods.
For wasting a life never came to any good.by Nick Cernis (with credit to W.H Auden)
Stopping all the beeps: my approach to productivity
At the end of 2007, I stopped almost all the beeps in my life. I sold the PDA that had been bipping away at me, dutifully organising my days. Instead, I picked up a pencil and paper. So far, 2008 has been my most productive year ever.
I went further too. I’ve given up on GTD and trying to bend my life to fit a complex blueprint. I stopped actively seeking online offerings titled 13 Even More Productive Ways to Wash Your Socks That Will Blow Your Mind.
I realised far too late that the productivity industry has become a techno-spiritualist movement. People are now using productivity ’systems’, software and small beeping devices just because almost everybody else is.
Productivity — an industry or a religion?
In October 2007 Wired magazine interviewed David Allen. They drew similarities between the productivity craze and religion, dubbing it a “cult of hyperefficiency”. It’s a fun concept to explore, and I think I can offer a better name for all the productivity fanatics out there — read on!
Exploring the church of productivity
Its archbishop? David Allen, the revered productivity guru.
Its bible? Getting Things Done and the various-spin off books and websites.
Its deity? The super-productive being that all followers aspire to become.
Its churches? The homes, offices, websites, forums and chat rooms around the world now littered with all manner of religious artefacts: the PDAs, mobile phones, scribbled lists and other productivity software and systems.
What about the name of its followers?
The Productivians cometh
So where did all these Productivians spring up from? Are you one of them? Is productivity really a religion? Are there really 13 ways to wash your socks? Is the formation of the productivity industry simply a combination of clever marketing, social engineering and good business sense stirred up from behind the desks of a few cunning entrepreneurs?
In reality, none of the answers matter too much. After all, for many Productivians, the movement has helped them realise their dreams. And for those Productivians who’ve turned their back on conventional religion, best-selling books like Getting Things Done, productivity sites such as 43 Folders and Lifehacker, and great lifestyle sites such as Zen Habits are now the only rulebook for living they have.
Productivity — a rulebook for living
That’s what it boils down to, isn’t it? Productivity tips and habits are a manual — they’re an attempt to answer the question, “how should I lead my life?” That ‘answer’ is now spiralling out of control into a complex algorithm of habits, software, tips, tricks and a long list of reading material.
I’d like to suggest that the real answer is much simpler:
To be truly productive, just pick up a pencil and get on with it.
Introducing ‘Origami Productivity’ and Todoodlist
On 5 February 2008 Skellie wrote an excellent article on Anywired in which she coined the wonderful phrase “Origami Productivity”, a term describing the joy of using simple paper-based lists to organise your life.
When I read the article, my heart lept. When I scanned over the comments, my pulse rate doubled again — here was evidence that I was not alone! It was great news, mainly because no-one likes being lonely but also because, at the time, I was halfway through writing a book.
That book is called Todoodlist and it’s out now. As well as a reminder of low-tech solutions to everyday problems (like the doodled paper to-do list that the book takes its name from) it’s also a fun look at how complexity rules our lives.
Productivians vs Todoodlists
So while productivity itself isn’t really dead, I think we need to make it clear that there are some simpler ways to get things done that focus on living our lives rather than tinkering with them. There seem to be two armies occupying Productivity Valley.
On one side sit the Productivians — the analysers, elaborate thinkers, blueprint makers, ’system’ creators, technorati and lovers of all things complex. On the other side lie the Todoodlists — the ones who’ve decided that all they need to organise their life is a pencil and some doodles on a piece of paper.
Which one are you? Add your comments below!
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February 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Nick, I love the idea of to doodling
I write best with a keyboard, but I think best with a pen and paper. For example I mind map to try and get an overview of what’s happening but it doesn’t change anything inside if I use software to capture it, only when I can work freehand.
I’ve signed up for the discount offer - I just love your approach to things and am sure the book will be fab.
Joanna
February 25th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Gosh, you see how machines let you down. My new laptop autofilled my name as my url - it looks very rude of me, not intentional at all
So here I am as me
February 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Talk about living under a cloud of “shoulds!” I find Productivianism immensely oppressing, and depressing.
I’m eager to get the book in my hands!
February 25th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Long live the simple!
I have a PDA which is great for backing up data but use pen and paper. I don’t have a Blackberry or an iphone and have no desire to be connected 24/7. I focus on what needs to be done and when the day is over, I enjoy my life. I read, run, watch TV and actually hold real live conversations with other people without a keyboard. would rather make the most of what I have rather than trying to cram more stuff into my day. This means saying “No” and disconnecting but I have found that to be my secret to getting more out of my professional and personal life.
Can’t wait for the todoodlist book. Hooray!
Karen
February 25th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Nick, you are so right!
The process that was supposed to help you run the rest of your daily tasks has been made into a cult and is taking over our lives. While some of the productivians preach their belief in almost altruistic way by giving the divine knowledge to the us mortals, how many links to Moleskine selling outlets were pushed along with all of this “wisdom”? And how many of us fell for it? Hell, I did. Now my 3 year old uses it for his “art”, and the fact that some great people used it in the past does not make his doodles any better.
What was wrong with our old ways - I say nothing. I was able to accomplish about the same amount of things without any “system” that was pushed down our collective throats.
Forget GTD, I say here is a new (old) system of just doing what you supposed to do.
I am looking forward to the book.
February 25th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Great article - I agree 100% - many of the true GTD folks I know are tired and burned out. The trick is to use productivity to gain extra time for yourself, not to reinvest that time endlessly until there is none left!
February 25th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Oh man. You hit the nail on the head. I’ve been watching my friends drop like flies, burnt out from trying to do too much and squeeze too many hours in a day. Learning to become productive takes away from BEING productive and it’s a never-ending cycle of bigger, better, more.
My own life feels way too jammed with productivity and I’ve been fed up and disgruntled for about two months. I can’t play guitar any more, I can’t go skating, I can’t read… because I’m too busy being productive.
Screw it. Seriously. If I quit working so hard to be productive, I bet you any money I’d regain a good few hours of free time a week - and have the time to enjoy my hobbies to have an even clearer brain… and be more productive because of it
February 25th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Love it, Nick!
The only productivity I have had for a long long time is:
1 - Make a list
2 - Do the stuff on the list
3 - When you start to do something else, STOP
4 - Continue to do what’s on the list until there’s nothing else on the list
I was planning to write a book on this too, but…I don’t people would pay much for one paragraph, even though it is pure genius.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
http://www.pocketmod.com/v2/
I started using this. I keep it in my pocket w/ my money and pocket knife. It goes everywhere and is easy to use. I have always prefered pen and paper to a stylus and screen. But i thought i was just old fashioned.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Nick,
Excellent article! I think one of the crucial factors in ‘Living’ is realizing the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. There is a lot of buzz (or beeps as you mentioned) going around that help shape and condition ourselves to be highly efficient and “productive” people, but we often overlook the reasoning and purpose for doing so.
February 25th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I struggled with GTD and liked Leo’s simplified productivity ideas in his ZTD ebook. Very excited for the release of Todoodlist.
I have no beeps or reminders or complex systems, but I still have digital to-do lists. I love being able to track and check off tasks from my macbook or smartphone. I’m such a gadget nerd that my phone feels less intrusive than carrying around paper & pen.
It’s wonderful to hear the comments from people who love pen & paper. I prefer to track things digitally. I think the important thing is you use what feels right for you rather than following some system because everyone else says you should.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:04 am
beautiful post. i had the same reaction to the formal version of GTD. now, i use a simplified version. very simplified. this is how i break down my todo list:
- items with specific take-action times (i.e. meetings, follow-up calls, lunch)
- items with general take-action times (things that need to get done sometime Thursday)
- items with no take-action times (no deadline, just needs to get done - i.e. write a book on a specific principle that effects everything from marketing to relationships)
i have to confess, though. i use 37signals’ highrise to handle the list. honestly, the main reason is because it has cool disappearing effect when i finish a task. plus, it integrates smoothly with all my contacts and keeps track of all correspondence for me
February 26th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Hello from Germany, I found your site about a month ago and I just love it. Your recent article is so true. I really hope that there will be a way to get your book over here 46 Germany. Greetings Tom
February 26th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Where am I? I’m a moodiest. A very right-brained guy living in a left-brained world that goes to bed every night convinced he wasn’t organized or productive enought. Who leads meetings and, yes, DOODLES, but hardly ever refers back to that list. Who has the good sense or fortune to surround himself with left-brained people who actually DO refer back to their lists.
Great insights. Thanks.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Nick - you are my hero today.
Slow down to get more done. One thing at a time. With pen, pencil & paper.
I did that yesterday, a mind map of all of my business ideas. Me, a pen, some paper, and two of my kids running about.
Even with the kids running about - or maybe because of them? - it all came into focus.
Thanks for the words - Brett
February 26th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Until Getting Things Done was published, the Franklin Covey system was pretty much all we had to deal with time management problems. For creative people, Franklin Planners are a straight jacket. David Allen captured my heart when he said ‘don’t bother to prioritize things.’ I, too, have abandoned GTD but using it for awhile gave me a MUCH better perspective.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Good on ya Nick! I am so sick of trying to “be productive” and feel a lot better since I started just “being”. I started by shunning GTD and following (loosely) Zen To Done. I have close to 200 actions in various states of readiness, so I keep all my lists online with Remember The Milk. I was using SimpleGTD, but recently switched for RTM’s tagging and iPhone interface.
If you can do paper, I say more power to you! I wish I could, but there’s just too much going on for me to keep it all written down and current.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Thanks for the wonderful response, folks — you’ve all put a big smile on my face. It’s great to hear that there are others out there thinking along the same lines — I was genuinely unsure about how the post was going to be received.
@Joanna — if you like mind-mapping you’ll love todoodling. It’s mind map meets to-do list! Thanks for signing up and congrats on the shiny new laptop.
@Mark: “A cloud of shoulds” is a lovely turn of phrase. Glad to find others who agree with me.
@Karen: Thanks. “Disconnecting” is getting harder than ever these days. I’m not sure I really want wireless everything everywhere, but it looks like I’ll be getting it anyway.
@Paul: I’m glad you found a use for your posh notebook! I must admit I quite like writing in Moleskine books, but I’ve only ever bought one.
@Andrew: Completely agree. Creating free time for yourself and your friends and family is what it should be about.
@James: Another guitarist! I definitely recommend putting your quill down and picking up a guitar once a week. It’s very therapeutic, and something I should be doing more too.
@Charlie: I love your practical 4-step approach. Very encouraging that others are keeping it simple too.
@Daniel: Paper and pen is where it’s at! I’m hoping to feature pocketmod together with other paper-based setups in March.
@David: Great point — I’m not sure productivity is really something to aspire to over, say, actually accomplishing things. It’s possible to be ‘productive’ without really moving towards a goal. Sweat shop workers are productive, for example, but they’re probably not moving towards their dreams.
@Sterling: I agree that Zen To Done was an improvement on GTD, but still feel that most systems complicate what is only a very simple problem in an attempt to monetise our love of complexity. It’s a theme that runs through my book, and I’ll be sure to share more about it in future.
@Scott: I like the idea of a time-based processing system. I guess it’s something a lot of people do naturally just through using a calendar. I’ve dabbled with Highrise, but went back to a page-a-day paper calendar in the end!
@Thomas: Thanks for the kind words. I’ll be publishing an electronic version first (ironic, isn’t it?), followed by a paper version if I find a suitable provider.
@Andy: A moodiest! That’s excellent. I am a big fan of left-brain/ right-brain thinking, and am also lucky to be living with someone who balances me out!
@Brett: Thanks! Glad that a humble piece of paper works for you too. Do follow-up your business ideas — plan and launch them as soon as you can. I spent over 5 years procrastinating over mine and wish I could claw that time back now.
@Teresa — thanks for the excellent and well-reasoned insight. I too, have learnt things from GTD but, I confess, the main thing I’ve gleamed is that I didn’t need a ’system’ in the first place.
@Terrence — the Zen To Done light system that Leo talks about has its merits, but I think anything much more complex will probably hinder more than it helps. I agree that, for exceptionally busy people, having an online to-do dump can be advantageous. I’m glad that you’ve found a setup that works for you.
Yikes! Is that the time? I’m off to be ‘productive’.
February 26th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
@ Nick - wow, you did a bang-up job of responding to all of the comments here (you put me to shame over at my blog, I’ll have to follow-up to my follow-up).
It is amazing how my blog ideas, book ideas and business ideas are all linked. Obviously it is because they all come from my brain…
and I am doing that, moving ahead with it right now. I’m prototyping one of the business ideas this week (with the help of a willing friend/victim), and I am lining up the other resources I will need for it.
The other stuff is also becoming much clearer, and I think the momentum is building on several fronts.
I can’t say it any better than you did:
“To be truly productive, just pick up a pencil and get on with it.”
Thanks for the words and inspiration.
February 26th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Nick
A few months ago I was using GTD as a means of keeping on top of a job. When I first started out, I was on cloud nine - I could get all my work done within a working day and get home to my family. Being organised however, gets you noticed and gets you more work (if you want something done, give it to a busy person), but had so many lists (@phone, @Email, @Office etc) that next actions would get lost and balls would be dropped. The alternative however was mayhem and I never had the opportunity to try and simplify. Now that I am studying (I am on a course for a few months) I have fewer projects to track, which means I can experiment a little. Enter Put Things Off - Perfect Timing, many thanks
February 27th, 2008 at 3:26 am
At last. I read GTD last year, and was all psyched to get organized and productive. No matter that most of it was common sense things I already did. But it was a system, dammit, and I wanted to be part of it. Instead, the book remains on my desk, taunting me with it’s cover pic of Allen all godlike and sage. This post is fantastic because it confirmed what I already know - I don’t need the book. I have my daily planner (old-school paper version), my paper lists, and my file folders. Simple and easy. Great post!
February 27th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
GTD as a basic idea is fabulous: Gather everything, empty your inbox, file A-Z, tickler file, Next Action Lists, turn problems into projects (and select a next action, which is a VERY simple way of project management), use more elaborate project planning only if the specific problem needs it, shunt things you’re not willing or wanting to deal with now into a someday/maybe list, keep a list or record of items/commitments you’re waiting for… it’s all good.
Now look how David Allen does it. He was being interviewed by the 43 Folders guy in the podcast that started me on this new way of living (and it’s been a Godsend to me) and Merlin Mann is going on about separating email from calendar and using Gmail or something… good ideas to be sure… and David Allen says, “I use Lotus Notes.”
That’s right. He just uses off the shelf email/calendar software. He uses his IDEAS for time management in a sane way and gets a lot done. Like being a multimillionaire consultant, physically fit, etc.
Whereas “The Productivians” write and read articles such as you say. Very astute observation.
GTD is simple. I found putting all my lists in a single excel file with different sheets for each list… and using index cards to capture new things coming at me (or regular pieces of paper or digital files or whatever) really worked well. I back it up by clicking a button on it and it exports automatically to Google Docs. That’s neat.
But I see no need to use every productivity app. out there. Why?
Your end system is a list, a calendar, and folders — paper and/or digital. It’s not rocket science.
Just use the great ideas, don’t spend forever trying to get them perfect. They’re good enough.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Nick,
I’m so glad to hear somebody call for an end to the beeping, prodding devices and a return to the pencil and paper approach.
How important is it really to make a list and work it every day if you can’t remember the last time you hugged your wife or played with your dog?
Bravo!
Jeff
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Thanks for a thought-provoking essay! To answer the question: I think I’m a wannabe-productivian, if that’s what it’s called
I think Christoph Dollis’ comment is spot-on: GTD is not a complicated system unless you make it that. In terms of your church-analogy, perhaps David Allen is more of a prophet with a simple message, and lots of people jumped up to turn it into a church?
Anyway, the real secret behind productivity is of course to have discipline. Nobody will write a book about that I guess - well, maybe a book with one sentence in it. This is why I’m only a wannabe-productivian: still working on the discipline part. Now, I better get off your commenting section and practice some discipline!
March 4th, 2008 at 4:49 am
Hi Nick,
Long time not “spoken”.
I just found your post through Skellie’s blog and I have to say this is an ueber cool entry. I am so for the dodoodling, having been a doodler all through my life.
I can’t stand electronic organizers as they seem to create more work than prevent it. Since buying a Moleskine about 3 weeks ago my life has taken on a new turn and I truly enjoy thumbing through my new little mate and use it to get things done faster.
I’m looking forward to your book.
March 4th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
This is a provacative essay indeed! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I personally tried to return to paper about a year ago, but found myself hopelessly devoted to the little bleeping and blinking gadgets: I think it is my personality. I love techy toys, and enjoy working with systems, and that inclination has led me to, perhaps, worship a bit too much at the church of hyperproducitvity. I sometimes think the desire to do all of this tweaking and playing with the fairly complex system I use is actually a way to avoid doing things while still feeling like I’m doing something.
I just look at that aspect of things as a hobby.
Still, your points are really well taken, and remind me that it isn’t about the cool little bleeps and blips and stuff, but about actually living your life.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Nick, you clearly think you’re very clever with this post, from the opening self-referential sentences. I can tell you it’s utterly unoriginal and uninspired–people who are concerned with productivity are perpetually concerned that they may be over-doing it. Merlin Mann, who is at least a bishop in this hierarchy you imagine, is a prime example of this.
It’s easy to see why a productivity blogger feels like it’s gone too far. You blog about productivity but are never productive. At the end of the day, you realize you’ve told people how they can get more stuff done, but you haven’t gotten anything done yourself. Yes, that gets old quickly.
David Allen makes it very clear that a system is functioning well when you rarely think about it. He also makes it clear that the point of having a system is so that you can pay attention to what you’re doing right now. When you’re in church, you shouldn’t be worrying about how you have to wash the car, return a phone call to your associate, stop for milk at the store, and gather those papers for your accountant. When you’re spending time with your kids, you shouldn’t be worrying about what you have to do–you should be *paying attention to your kids*.
David Allen has said he subscribes to the philosophy (a philosophy outside his sphere, thus placing productivity well underneath a much broader umbrella of meaning in life) that a solution must be as simple as possible but no simpler. The life of a blogger is relatively simple. The life of a more typical knowledge worker is highly complex. Thus, the productivity system must also have a degree of complexity to it.
And what’s the point of implementing GTD? No one serves productivity for productivity’s sake over the long term. It’s not rewarding, and the novelty wears off. GTD and productivity in general are useful because they allow humans to live fuller lives with less stress and more time to step back, think about the big important things, and balance their “chores” with the priorities that are so important they don’t even have to think about it–family, friends, home, doing things that make them happy.
I’m not a Productivian or a Todoodlists. I’m a knowledge worker, a husband, a son, a friend, a citizen, and a created being. Productivity practices simply enable me to be a better, more efficient knowledge worker, a better husband, a better family member, a better community member, and a more mindful and grateful creature.
I’ve been practicing GTD for four years now, consistently. It has enabled me to live larger, not to be a blind slave of some cult.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Thanks for voicing your opinion, Daniel. I’m glad that GTD works for you.
To be frank, I feel that you’ve misinterpreted my post entirely. You have also pulled some rather rude assumptions out of thin air. Let me deal with both issues so you can see that we’re really on the same side.
Firstly, I am not directly attacking GTD or any other productivity system. I am not attacking you. I am not attacking anyone whose goal is to lead a better life. All three angles would be utterly fruitless. I am not an idiot; I research my writing, have read Allen’s books and have over 5 years experience using GTD. (I even started to teach it!) I am fully aware that Allen’s goal is one rooted in simplicity — his system, when applied correctly, is a simple set of rules extracted from the habits of busy people who were naturally productive; rules which run in the background when they’re working well.
My issue is not with people who use GTD as it was intended — my fight is with those who’ve taken a relatively basic system and folded it into a complex soup of software, devices and further habits that were never part of the original blueprint. These are the ones I consider Productivians.
You said: “No one serves productivity for productivity’s sake over the long term.”
Make no mistake about it: to the Productivians; the many for whom “productivity” has become an obsession and a barrier rather than an automated system, serving productivity for productivity’s sake is exactly what they’re doing.
Secondly, you seem to be implying that the reason I’ve abandoned GTD is that I’m not as busy as you. You also make the misguided assumption that I am simply a blogger.
“You blog about productivity but are never productive. At the end of the day, you realize you’ve told people how they can get more stuff done, but you haven’t gotten anything done yourself.”
Read that again. Do you really know me well enough to make rude assumptions like that? I’m not going to list the various hats I wear, or the businesses I run, or the awards I’ve won, or show you just how little free space there is in my calendar just to qualify my position, but please: don’t ever judge a complete stranger like that. To me it only proves you’re lashing out for no good reason.
So yes, you’re absolutely right: not all GTD practitioners are part of The Cult. I never said they were. And yes, David Allen’s system is supposed to become a background process. I never wrote otherwise. But for the many people whose evenings are now spent trying software, reading about ‘lifestyle hacks’ and surfing the web for new habits, it’s a drug they could do without.
Thanks for your comment, but please — do re-read my words and reconsider your own prior to vehemently attacking an author with a genuine concern in future.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Nick, I do apologize to you because it’s clear my post was offensive to you and came off like a personal attack.
I would like to clarify a couple things. I was anxious to get on to other tasks, so I didn’t take the time on writing this comment that I should have.
First on my statement about your blogging, let me add a couple words that clarify what I actually meant: “It’s easy to see why a productivity blogger feels like it’s gone too far. You blog about productivity but [in the act of blogging] are never productive. At the end of the day, you realize [that in your blogging] you’ve told people how they can get more stuff done, but [while blogging] you haven’t gotten anything done yourself. Yes, that gets old quickly.”
I didn’t mean to imply that I think all you do is blog. So, congrats on all your awards, hats, businesses, and scheduled appointments. I never had any intent of critiquing that in any way.
Second, I maintain the point that “No one serves productivity for productivity’s sake over the long term.” The key words I feel like you underappreciated are the last four. Productivianism, as you have aptly dubbed it, has the virtue of being self-annihilating. We don’t have to tell Productivians to stop Productivizing. It is simply a crappy way to live and operate, and it is a lifestyle (though it’s so shallow it doesn’t even qualify as a lifestyle) that cannot be maintained over the long run. It falls apart of its own accord.
Now, some of the reasons I felt such a strong negative reaction to this post:
Productivity taken seriously as a “discipline” is still a small phenomenon. Excepting the negative connotations, the whole productivity thing remains a ghetto. It’s marginal and closely bounded. If you’ve grown as a person beyond the very small realm of the productivity “discipline,” that’s fine. I don’t, however, think it makes you profound. (You genuinely seem to, though: “The laid-back productivity blog blowing the whistle on the whole ‘productivity industry’. Make no mistake about it — productivity really has become a global industry supporting the livelihoods of thousands.” And it’s a religion! “The church of productivity”!) In the big picture (which you seem to be after here in this post), this isn’t a big deal. It’s kind of like those people who attack Ralph Nader–it’s not worth the effort. Live and let live.
The vast majority of current and potential knowledge workers today are shamefully inefficient, disorganized, and under-productive. They look to tips and tricks, and are in great need of comprehensive systems that work for them. Part of a system is a set of tools that they find enjoyable and helpful to use–is it really so bad if some of them are electronic? Yes, perhaps there is a slim minority of people who read Getting Things Done who went on to be fanatics, but to me the situation seems to be that many more people would benefit from reading it or 7 Habits.
I also don’t see what’s so unique about Skellie’s Anywired article. She still has tools that she fawns over (not Google Calendar, sure, but definitely Moleskin–”probably my most prized posession [sic]“–and her “Haiku calendar”). There are many, many of us who love paper, and a ton continues to be written every day about the virtues of paper. It seems to me, however, that you took Skellie’s post and the reply comments to be a revelation that people will find your ideas to be very special and necessary–”here was evidence that I was not alone!” As though it’s you, Skellie, and a bunch of people hanging on your every word showing the way of salvation from Productivianism.
I feel like you demonize the search for an organization and productivity system that works for a person, and romanticize Todoodlists.
I know it seems offensive, but it seems to me that if a set of to-do lists with no underlying system is adequate, there is not much complexity for it to tame. In other words, if a person’s life or job is complex, a way of keeping track of it all is going to be fairly complex by necessity.
I know your post relies on hyperbole and irony. I just feel like it’s all in the service of a fairly ridiculous point. Is there really a great evil religion arising that needs to be quelled? I feel like a bad effect of this post is to stir up a bunch of crusaders who are out to attack those with changing/dynamic and somewhat complex productivity systems (and yes, the term “productivity” is necessary because “organization” falls short of the mark… and both are more than to-do lists).
I’d like to see more people gain greater control over their lives and experience greater peace of mind as a result. While I think that Productivianism is self-defeating, I think that caring about productivity is a genuine good. The end of the “discipline” of productivity is not the to-do list. It would be really cool if it were, and very cool for you if you were the one to identify and declare it. But I don’t think it is. Productivity has more to offer us in the long term than a re-validation of the to-do list.
You say you’re targeting “the many people whose evenings are now spent trying software, reading about ‘lifestyle hacks’ and surfing the web for new habits.” These “many” people are of course relatively speaking quite few. (And I think any productivity blogger is naturally going to be keenly aware of them and thus inclined to gloss over how few they are in the scheme of things.) I don’t see how the issue of this group of people being addicted to the “drug” of Productivianism and hoping they have found a source of identity in this whole productivity thing warrants a blog post like this. Why posit and map out a whole new religion when you could write, simply and concisely, “Get a grip,” and be done with it?
March 6th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I’ll risk chiming in here.
Depression is on the rise. Can anyone here say they don’t know someone who’s had a depression (or who would most likely qualify for antidepressants)? What about anxiety disorders? They’re a dime a dozen now.
Prescription drug abuse is increasing. Illegal drug abuse is still alive and doing well, thank you very much. There’s so much pot around where I live that we can’t take a frigging walk with the dog in the woods without stumbling on someone’s plantation (and being held at gunpoint, always exciting…)
Alcoholism? Cocaine? Speed? Ecstasy? Hell yes, it’s all the rage, isn’t it? Name your vice is the name of the game.
Go back a few years. The woods around my home were filled with trees and wildlife, not cannabis. I could count on one hand the number of people who drank. I didn’t know anyone with an anxiety disorder and depression was something my great-aunt’s sister’s cousin once had. Cocaine? Holy crap - that’s ILLEGAL! What’s ecstasy?
One would think that… hey. Maybe people need to slow down a little. Maybe everyone should cut the drugs and pills and shrinks and pressures and stress and… wow. Live. Breath a bit. Relax. What a marvelous idea.
I’m all for Nick’s views - enough with the goddamned productivity and trying to cram 65 hours in an 8-hour workday. Human beings need time to laugh and play and time to be with others and time to think and rest and just… be.
Enough already. Slow the f**k down. Quit being productive.
*promptly runs for cover dodging impending flaming*
March 6th, 2008 at 2:39 am
I’m with you James.
We all need to get stuff done. So sit down, and do it. But take time out, and interact. Spontaneously. The best times I’ve ever had, were unplanned.
Have a beer, or a coffee, with friends. Watch the sun set. Play with your kids.
Think for a minute about something that gave you great pleasure when you were a kid, or a teenager. Some kind of hobby, perhaps. If you are not still doing it, why not?
Never be complete. You can’t be.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:25 am
@Daniel: Many thanks for your apology and for taking the time to clarify your position. I appreciate it.
Rather than batting our counter-arguments back-and-forth like sweaty squash players, I’ll post something detailing the reasons why I feel that productivity systems aren’t right for everyone (yes, even the people with far more complex lives than mine). Hopefully it will solidify my own position for anyone who’s misinterpreted my message.
For now, let me just answer your question: Why posit and map out a whole new religion when you could write, simply and concisely, “Get a grip,” and be done with it?
Because no-one would listen. Because it wouldn’t have started almost 100 conversations via email and in person. Because it helps to coin phrases and create buzz around ideas to make certain individuals realise that they’re wasting their lives. I’m not the first person to do it; I’m just bringing an old, forgotten message to the surface.
Incidentally, Merlin Mann and the New York Times have both published pieces this week which follow the same line of thinking as mine. I’m not pretending for a second that I influenced them, but it’s great to hear ‘higher sources’ suggesting that disconnecting from mainstream thinking has its place.
Finally, I highly recommend that you try blogging if you don’t already. Call it “web publishing” or “knowledge sharing” or something if you don’t like the term, but I think you’ll find it’s more productive than you currently imagine. I’ve created more business and made more valuable contacts in two months of blogging than I have in 5 years of attending breakfast-table networking groups with other ‘knowledge workers’ and business owners.
@James & Brett: Thanks for the support. James — the drug angle you draw on is a very good parallel. I also agree that super-productivity isn’t necessarily a great goal to aspire to. You’ve touched on this on Men With Pens in the past, and it’s an idea I’ll be borrowing (with due credit!) and running with in future posts.
–
To everyone who I’ve not replied to directly — thanks ever so much for your comments. I do read and enjoy them all!
March 9th, 2008 at 7:07 am
This is amazing. About four months ago, I started picking up on productivity blogs. It all started with Lifehacker. I noticed the amazing tips and “life” hacks that save me time and started to branch out to other sites such as Lifehack and Zen Habits and this website. About on the verge of productivity obsession and about to read check out all blogs posted on
http://zenhabits.net/2007/04/the-top-50-productivity-blogs-most-of-which-you-havent-heard-about/
I came across this current article and I realized what my subconscious had been telling me all along: Stop creating “systems” and just do it. Also, five minutes before I read this article, I read http://www.alistapart.com/articles/pickle which, in combination, really strikes a point.
Side note: I greatly admire your website. I have no doubt that it will rise to the Lifehacker status soon enough.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
So, Nick, I am curious. In a recent post, you declared Things the winner of your GTD Mac app challenge. Now, you write that your preferred method of working through tasks is using pen and paper lists.
I would be interested to know if you are still using Things on a regular basis. I ask because I am a fairly new Mac user, and am currently wrestling with whether to commit to purchasing Things by getting used to it as my task manager or to stick with a more simple system (pen and paper or simple text file).
Thanks
March 9th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
@Justin: Glad it helped and thanks for the kind words!
@Ryan: I’ll be posting more on this soon. I still love and use Things, but only for a specific subset of projects. Stay tuned to find out more!
March 9th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I am on the edge of my seat!
March 10th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Very nice! The Tim Ferris’s of this world have been making me nervous for a long time.
In the end the productivists are propagating doing things in less time - this makes me stress.
Rather give me Tom Hodgkinson and the Idler who put the emphasis on doing less. Fullstop.
http://thoughtsintime.co.za
April 7th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Todo list man, me! Long live the HipsterPDA I says. I do love my Moleskine journals as well, but for everyday life the Hipster is the way to go. A stack of Index cards held with a mini-binder clip a good pen and you’re done.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Greetings from Washington, DC, USA. Great post! And I love your graphics. I wrote an article some years ago for a small newsletter called “Everything Beeps.” Glad to see someone else is bothered by it, too. My favorite thing about pencil and paper — it never “crashes” and makes you lose all your work.
I have only one beep left in my life — because I’m at the age (61) where the memory doesn’t work as well as it used to, I use a beeping PDA to remind me of urgent things I might forget.
The productivity movement has just about worn out America, and it’s not clear that we’re any more productive, but we sure are busy and have no free time any more.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Do you think that we obsess about productivity as a means to procrastinate whilst still feeling productive?
April 16th, 2008 at 9:00 am
@Albert — many of Tim’s ideas are worth reading. While he’s in a pretty unique position to explore the benefits of personal outsourcing, I think it’s something anyone can do. More on this in a future.
Completely agree about doing less. People should simplify first, then add those fancy systems to tame what they’ve got left if they must.
@Travis — yep. The Hipster PDA was a wake-up call.
@Dot — reminders are very handy. I’ve now become used to remembering things or making small notes in a diary. Whether this will hold up for life will be tested by time!
Good to get the inside scoop on the productivity movement as it’s perceived over there — thanks for sharing.
@John — absolutely! I think there are some other reasons why studying productivity is so popular:
a) People genuinely want to become more productive (but often go about it in the wrong way)
b) Managers want their staff to become more productive (so they send them on a course, rather than addressing other more fundamental issues)
April 16th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Do you think that GTD is the core of the problem? It seems that most other systems encourage/insist on a balance of productivity and relaxation.
Have you read ‘Do it tomorrow’ by Mark Forster? It’s a productivity system (Curses!), but rather than try and boost productivity through tackling disorganization, it is geared around tackling procrastination and taking on too much.
It uses only one list and a diary.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
In my opinion, productivity is not the issue. It’s not about to squeeze as much as possible in your day, but to focus on the things which helps you to achieve your goals.
Usually a good start is to cut 50% of the items off your todo-list, and all of a sudden you realize, you can focus another 25% of yout time on your goals, and have another 25% of your time free for other stuff…
It’s not about productity, it’s about effectiveness.
Klaus
April 16th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
@John — not familiar with the book. I’ll be sure to check it out. “Systems” aside, it sounds like my kind of read!
@John & Klaus — I agree with you both. Productivity/GTD in general aren’t the only issue (although they’re certainly part of the problem). People simply need to be taught that there’s a step before applying them; namely, to simplify first and systemise later. I’d also argue that ‘effectiveness’ is nothing without the same preliminary step: standing back, stripping it down the basics and deciding what you’re trying to accomplish in the first place.
In the words of Bruce Lee:
“The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.”
May 16th, 2008 at 6:03 am
It’s always good to remind us that productivity is a means, not an end. But I do still find that David Allen has an interesting perspective, in that until you have control over the details of life, you will generally not have the mental space to do the visioning about what you want. I’d add that when you do pure visioning, often the goals and dreams that come out of this process are ungrounded or avoidant (making lots of money so that you don’t have to deal with the pain of the world, vacationing on a tropical island away from the stress of life, etc.).
The other side I’d love to see more people talk about is the economic pressures that are causing us to NEED to be more productive just to survive in the modern economy, and what we can collectively do to structure things differently.