Why getting more done in less time sends me into panic mode

When it comes to being productive, 'getting more done in less time' is – like the hokey cokey - what it’s all about. 

Right?

Erm.

Well.

No. Not really.

At least not in my book.

Getting more done. More of what, exactly? All The Things? 

In less time. Less than what? What if I can't go any faster?

Does getting more done in less time mean we should be doing more doing, and doing that doing more quickly, so there’s time to do even more doing?

Let me level with you: the thought of always striving to do more in less time sends me into panic mode.

And it makes me think of all the amazing humans I’ve worked with over the years who’ve berated themselves because they thought they should be able to do things more quickly. As though there’s some sort of universal law that dictates how long it should take to write a blog post.

Perhaps it’s only me who feels uncomfortable with this definition of productivity. 

I certainly bring my own baggage to the conversation – years of pushing, rushing and fighting to keep up in my previous jobs never actually got me anywhere. 

It didn’t matter how focused I was (very!), how fast I worked (very!) or how many hours I worked (too many!) – there was ALWAYS more to do. I was always striving to get more done in less time as a way of coping with how much there was to do, and still the work kept coming. It was relentless.

I’m not going to lie – my own unhealthy relationship with the pushing energy of productivity presented me with a conundrum in the early days of my business. 

How could I in good conscience support those who wanted to be more productive, when I’d seen the harm that productivity for productivity’s sake could do?

I got myself in a right old pickle, I can tell you!

But then I came up with my own definition of productivity and everything fell into place:

“Productivity is about getting what’s important done as efficiently as you can, to create space for what you love.”

And breathe.

Can you feel the difference?

Getting what’s important done. Let’s not spend time on things that don’t matter. Let’s focus on what’s truly important.

As efficiently as you can. How might you make the process simpler? How might you improve your focus and minimise distractions?

To create space for what you love. So you can ENJOY the life and business you’re creating for yourself.

It may just be semantics but to me this feels gentler, more expansive, more sustainable. And to me, THAT’S what it’s all about.

How about you?