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A true confession – I am a productivity fanatic. I am always looking for better ways to be productive and help others accomplish more in the areas of life that matter. I believe it is essential to be productive, to not waste our days. Life, though, is more than checking to-dos off a list. In the end, each individual must determine the healthy balance between being and doing. But doing is part of our lives also, so we might as well learn how to be productive effectively.

On a recent long car ride, I was talking with my wife, Weezie, about my “incredible system for productivity.” With slightly puffed up chest, I outlined how I make sure not a day goes by without accomplishing the most important things on my list. After my proud presentation, she stated, “I feel stressed out just hearing about your ‘system.’” I began to reflect and realized productivity has a potential dark side.

So, what is the dark side of productivity?

  • Productivity turns dark when our identity and sense of value depend on our productivity– Being productive is valuable and a source of real satisfaction. We are created for a purpose and living with meaning is glorious. But if being a productive person is core to our identity, we become a slave to always getting things done.
  • Productivity turns dark when our drive to be productive is the tool we use to avoid our problems and feelings– When life gets really tough, sometimes it is helpful to go out and do something. Get your mind off the difficulty. When that becomes a driving mechanism to avoid facing our problems and feelings, then we move from health to dysfunction. Eventually, this will catch up with us.
  • Productivity turns dark when productivity takes priority over people– Productivity has its place. Its place is in balance with soul-enriching relationships. If we become so enthralled with the stimulation of checking things off our list that we miss the people around us, we lose. While we may be able to get away with this for a short time, the long-term cost is catastrophic. The truth of the matter is that people are messy. People often do not give us the immediate gratification that being productive does. This is when we need to stop and acknowledge that in the big scheme of things, people are priority over productivity.

What is the answer? Put productivity in its place. Here are a few questions to consider:

  • Can you be at peace with yourself when you are not producing? Can you relax?
  • How do you handle vacations? Can you stop producing when you are on a vacation?
  • Are you staying busy as a means to avoid a particular problem? Are you staying busy to avoid accessing feelings that scare you?
  • Are you attending well to the important people in your life? Can you give them undivided attention when you are with them or is your mind on the next thing you need to do?

These are difficult questions that I need to continually ask myself. I have a long way to go. How about you?

 

Join the discussion 8 Comments

  • R.Barton says:

    You nailed it.

  • Stella Thompson says:

    This is a big one – huge in this generation. This is what we have been fed by schools, media, parents and justl looking with o ur eyes at people running around in a circle like the Mad Hatter “I’m late, I’m late, I’m late”. It is our culture without question. I will counter with this idea that just to “be” gives just as much as “to do” to those we love and those we encounter. We all seem to run by the clock, feeling guilty if we don’t.
    On the other hand there are things we MUST do – feed the children, make a living – all a given. It’s the inner stress that gets us. As a 92 year old who has been there and done that I would say cut down your “to do” list and really enjoy this wonderful and precious life in just being there. You are so loved!!!!!! I think of the time you came and spent time with me when Dad was in the hospital in Florida. It meant more to me than you will ever know.

  • Karen Wade Hayes says:

    Just like my dad, I am someone who enjoys being productive and avoiding “sloth” (definition from online dictionary:
    reluctance to work or make an effort; laziness). I also love to “do” for others, especially my friends and family members. However, as you mentioned in your post, there have been times when I wondered whether or not I would still be valuable to others if I was no longer able to “produce” and “do” for them. My sister helped me find the answer to this. She died of ALS in 2010, but for a couple of years before she died, she wasn’t able to produce “work” by the world’s standards. Yet her value to all who knew her was tremendous. Watching someone unable to perform even simple daily tasks made me realize how much worth we have to God just by BEING. Although I definitely believe He calls us to work and to be productive, I also believe that isn’t where His determination of our value lies. My sister was an incredible example of someone who produced much fruit while being completely unable to even lift a finger. It was comforting in a way to know that one can still be loved and valued even when unable to be productive, and that there is more than one way to produce fruit! Thanks for the thought-provoking post.

    • Thank you Karen for your truth here. As I also learned with Perrin, we often learn the most from those who are unable to be “productive” as our culture defines it. Then we learn the real truth of our inestimable value.

  • Caroline says:

    Such a necessary topic to shed light on, especially in this ever-connected world! I am in a constant state of balancing being productive with simply being busy. I find, at least among my generation, that so many of us wear “busy” like some badge of honor, as though if we are the most tired, the most busy, the most stressed, the most over-worked, then we must also be achieving the most and somehow moving forward faster. But to where?
    So often, the very opposite is true. One of the most important lessons I’ve been learning over the past few years has been the awareness of actually being productive and checking off necessary items in order to create the most time for the really important things, and simply being busy but not actually accomplishing anything. I know when it’s the latter of the two when I feel “icky” at the end of the day and still yearn for the things that really matter to me like time with my family, taking care of my health, being outside, and all the other things that really fill my heart.

    • Such great thoughts! Unfortunately, my generation also wears “busy” like a badge of honor, attaching all sorts of identity to productivity. It si such an important distinction, busy vs productive. You are so much on the right track!!! Thanks for your wisdom.

  • Patrice Foster says:

    I’ve always been a box-checking, task oriented person. It’s taken most of my adult years to realize some of the points you made, especially the one about how our task-driven tendencies can crowd out time for people. I have learned to be less concerned about accomplishing something and more concerned with the people who are around me. My father-in-law had a little saying displayed on his desk “Be here now”…and I have to remind myself often to take my eyes off of what I’m doing and turn towards the people around me and tune in to them. Thanks for your insights!

  • Sherry Sharp says:

    Love this, Tommy! Unfortunately, many people don’t learn how to use productivity wisely until later in life; then, much has been lost that can never be retrieved. My sweet late husband, Richard, found this to be true. Productivity can disguise itself to look like above anything else, most worthy of all activities vying for attention. Even The Creator God rested from what must have been a “big job” requiring priority 😉

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