Get Your Head Out of Your...

When it comes to being productive: So many people have their heads up their... (What did you think I was going to say?)


Their heads are too far up their To Do list.



So many people think they're being productive, yet are sadly misguided. The most universal tracking of personal productivity: Checking things off of one's To Do list.



But what about...

• Quiet concentration? 

That's rarely on those To Do lists, yet it can enhance productivity!

• Great collaboration with teammates?

Ditto.

• Deep understanding of your job and how it relates to the company's purpose?

Same.

• Never taking on a project (or starting a To Do list) before you can answer: "What does success look like?" "How will we know we are doing a good job?"

Same.

• Asking yourself, "Am I happy?" and figuring out what to change if the answer isn't glowing?

Same.

• Questioning all the stupid measures that companies hand you for productivity, and creating some of your own?

Same.



If you sometimes-to-often think of daily productivity as just checking things off your To Do list, you are missing the majority of what it's really about.



Ultimately, being productive is about results...and achieving those results in the fastest, most efficient, most effective way. But once we moved into a knowledge and service economy... Dreaming matters. Creativity and innovation matter. Stories matter. Clarity matters. Learning matters. Unlearning matters. Growing and evolving matter. Sooooo much matters that's way beyond the scope of merely checking off a To Do.



If you want to be truly productive, the first To Do is to look up...Get away from the list. See how much more should be on it.



How often does your To Do list include: "Do epic"..."Be epic"?



Only when you can answer that question can you be truly productive. For yourself and for others.



(My thanks to the many contributors to a LinkedIn discussion on this topic, from which I drew some of these points. Please check it out. I simplified some of their amazing comments.)