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The Death of Productivity

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Productivity is defined as the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.  (thank you dictionary.com)  I, like most people, enjoy being productive.  Unfortunately, however, it is easy to kill productivity.

Photo Courtesy of Jo Naylor

The death of productivity can be carried out in many different ways.  A few of my favorite ways are:

  • My iphone and ipad.   Just like any tool, it can be used for good or for bad.  I use my i devices for good in many different ways.  I use it to read my Bible, to stay up to date on all of my favorite blogs, to manage my contacts, to keep track of thoughts and future blogs, to manage my appointments (both professionally and personally), to research items of interest, and a score of other good ways.  On the other side of that coin, I look at it too much.  I look at facebook, twitter, other social media apps, play games, and read meaningless email way too much.  I am trying to make an intentional effort to stop doing this and be where I am.
  • Busy work.  I know this one may not seem correct.  I know that most of the time work, even busy work can be productive.  If it needs to be done, it needs to be done.  I often times find myself doing busy work as an excuse to avoid doing something I really should be doing, just to say I am being productive.  In actuality, I am killing productivity by avoiding the things that may be a little more tough, but will bring me to my goals much faster.
  • Perfection.  This is a big one for me.  I have been afraid to do many things through my life, because I knew that it would not be perfect.  I knew there was no way that I could live up to my own expectations.  I had always been taught that anything worth doing is worth doing right.  This statement is true.  However, it doesn’t have to be right the first time.  Think of anything that you are good at.  Got it?  Ok, now think back to the first time you did that activity.  Was it right?  Was it perfect?  I would like to amend the above statement to be, “Anything worth doing, is worth messing up at least once.”  That is the only way people learn, by messing up.  Very few people ever reach perfection in anything.  It is a great goal to have.  ‘Good enough’ is what you need to get started.
There are a lot of other things that kill productivity, but these are my favorites.  My goal is to start down the road to eliminating these productivity killers as quickly as I can.  I am going to start updating this page more consistently.  Since I wrote that down, I have to do it now…
What is killing your productivity?

Behavior Modification

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Behavior modification is not the goal. It is not a goal for myself, for my kids, or for anyone that I teach. It is a necessary step on the way to self-improvement, but not the ultimate goal. My goal as a teacher, writer, and everything else I do is to help bring permanent change.

There are three basic steps to bring permanent change. These steps are true in all aspects of life, including, but not limited to:

  • Financially – How your money gets spent.
  • Spiritually – How you interact with God.
  • Physically – How healthy you are.
  • Socially – How you interact with everyone around you, including your family, friends, co-workers, etc.
  • Emotionally – How you deal with problems.
  • Intellectually – How you learn new things.
    1. Realize you are doing things wrong.  As they say realizing there is a problem is the first step to recovery. If I constantly deny there is a problem, there is no way I can ever correct it.  Usually this is the hardest step.  Many times, I become comfortable in the things I am doing wrong, because that is the way I have always done it.  This is not a valid reason to continue in doing wrong.  I hope that I don’t have to hit rock bottom in any given category to wake me up to a problem.  However this is the case for many people.  A smart person learns from his mistakes, a wise  person learns from other people’s mistakes.
    2. Doing the right things because you have to.  This is the phase that includes behavior modification.  If I run out of money before all my bills are paid, I have no choice but to quit buying some things.  I can make my five-year old son do something that he does not want to do.  I can assert my authority over him to make sure he does not stick a knife in an electrical outlet.  That will work for some time, but eventually he will be in a situation where I will not be there to stop him.  So, unless he moves on to the third step, he may have trouble.  Obviously, this phase is essential.  So, while behavior modification is not the final goal; it is definitely necessary.
    3. Doing right because that is who you are.  The jump from 2 to 3 can be a huge one.  Often times there are a lot of steps in between 2 and 3.  The important thing is to get here.  The goal is to do the right things because you WANT to do the right thing.  It is in your soul.  It is who you are.

I was able to lose quite a bit of weight a few years ago.  I realized one day that if I continued on the road I was on, I could have health issues.  Those health issues could result in my life not being as productive or long as I would like.  So, I decided that I was going to lose weight.  I knew the only way I would lose the weight is if I made myself exercise and eat better.  Over several months, I changed my lifestyle.  Since then, I have changed who I am.   It was a difficult road.  I know that I am a better person for it.

 

What are some things that you know you need to change? What are some ways you can implement those changes?

 

Happy TEN Year Anniversary!

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On July 6, 2012 my wife and I celebrated our TEN year wedding anniversary.  10 years = 3, 650 days = 87, 600 hours = 5, 256, 000 minutes.  I am quite sure it was harder on her than it was on me.  I am a very blessed man.  My wife has been a gift to me from God that I could never have expected.

Over the years, I have tried to learn a few things.  It is a never ending process to improve.  Just like bathing, self improvement must be done daily to work.  I want to make an effort to be a better husband every day.  Here are three things that I try to do as often as possible in becoming a better husband.

  1. Speak well of your wife.  The words you speak are windows to your heart.  It can start innocently enough.  I know at one point I found myself telling co-workers about arguments that my wife and I were having.  Now part of the problem is that I was only telling my half of the story, and she was not there to defend her side.  I didn’t mean any harm by it.  I was just trying to talk out my issues with my friends.  What ended up happening is that I would only tell them about the arguments or issues I was having with my wife.  I did not tell them about all the great things she did for me.  I did not mention how she consistently goes out of her way to make my life better everyday.  Human nature is to complain.  So, at some point some of my coworkers started to think that my wife was not a good person.  At that point I made a conscious effort to stop complaining all the time and start bragging and telling good things about my wife.  I must admit that I still need to work on this, especially when I am with my wife.
  2. Learn the nine words to change your life.  I am sorry.  I was wrong.  Please forgive me.  This is one that I really need to work on.  Without all nine of these words, an apology is not an apology.  I have a tendency to forget the middle three words.  I don’t like to admit that I am wrong.  Unfortunately, if you do not include those middle three words, you might as well just forget all of it.
  3. Listen to your wife.  Easier said than done.  I know.  That is the quest that all men have been seeking to conquer throughout time.  Listening to your wife is more than just letting the words come into your ears.  Listening also includes getting the true meaning behind the words.  All humans need to feel loved, need to feel wanted, need to feel secure, amongst other things.  Listen to what the words mean, and provide for her like you promised in the wedding vows you spoke to her.

I trust that I am a better husband now than I was ten years ago.  I trust that I will be a better husband tomorrow than I am today.

 

What are some ways you have found to make your marriage stronger?