Why I Stopped Chasing Productivity.

(And what I found instead).

In our relentless pursuit of productivity, I’ve come to realize we often lose sight of the deeper ‘why’ behind our actions. This reflection explores the tension between our obsession with productivity hacks and the more fundamental question of purpose, suggesting that true progress might lie in understanding rather than optimizing.

I’ve been thinking about all the productivity advice out there. You know, those morning routines, time-blocking techniques, and endless life hacks that promise to transform us into high-performing machines. It got me wondering about something deeper, and I wanted to share these thoughts with you.

The Allure of Quick Fixes

The other day, I caught myself pondering yet another productivity app, and it hit me: why are we so drawn to these quick fixes? I think it’s because productivity hacks offer us the illusion of control in an increasingly chaotic world.

They promise certainty, a clear path forward. It’s much easier to follow a step-by-step morning routine than to sit with the uncomfortable question of whether we’re moving in the right direction at all.

But here’s what I’ve realized: these hacks are like putting a Band-Aid on a deeper wound. They might help us do more things, faster, but they rarely help us do the right things better.

The Fear of Understanding

You know what scares me more than being unproductive? It’s the prospect of understanding my true purpose. Because understanding means responsibility. It means acknowledging that perhaps some of the paths we’re sprinting down aren’t leading us where we truly want to go.

I’ve noticed how we often use busyness as a shield. When we’re constantly doing, checking items off our lists, we don’t have to face the harder questions:

What do I really want? What impact do I want to have? What am I willing to sacrifice, and what am I not?

The Beauty of Strategic Unproductivity

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with something that feels almost rebellious in today’s hustle culture: being deliberately unproductive. I’ve started taking long walks without my phone, letting my mind wander without a podcast playing in my ears. And you know what? Some of my best ideas and clearest insights have come during these moments of ‘unproductivity.’

It’s made me wonder if creativity isn’t found in the spaces between our productive moments – in the pauses, the silence, the seemingly wasted time. Perhaps innovation doesn’t come from optimizing every minute but from giving our minds room to breathe and connect dots we didn’t even know existed.

The More vs. Less Paradox

We’re constantly told to optimize, maximize, increase. But lately, I’ve been asking myself: what if we’re optimizing for the wrong things? What if doing less, but with more intention, could lead to better outcomes?

I think about how we measure success – through quantities of tasks completed, hours worked, goals achieved. But what if we measured it differently? What if we valued the quality of our relationships, the depth of our understanding, the impact of our work on others?

Embracing Uncertainty

In our quest for productivity and optimization, are we squeezing out the beautiful randomness of life? Those chance encounters, unexpected discoveries, and serendipitous moments that often lead to the most meaningful experiences and opportunities?

I’ve started to see that perhaps the most productive thing we can do is create space for the unexpected. To leave room in our perfectly optimized schedules for life to surprise us.

Key Takeaways

  • Our addiction to productivity hacks often masks a deeper avoidance of understanding our true purpose and values
  • Creative breakthroughs and meaningful insights often come from moments of strategic “unproductivity”
  • The pursuit of optimization might be robbing us of the very experiences and connections that make life rich and meaningful

I don’t have all the answers, and maybe that’s the point. Perhaps the real productivity hack is having the courage to sit with our questions rather than rushing to solutions.

To embrace the messy, non-linear path of purpose-finding rather than the straight line of productivity.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you balance the pull of productivity with the push of purpose in your own life?

References

  • Newport, Cal. “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World”
  • Brown, Brené. “The Gifts of Imperfection”

continue reading

More Playbooks...