The Context
Productivity had become a buzzword in the modern society, and its application is a bit hit and miss. Keep in mind productivity is not the same as efficiency, but it is used interchangeably. The reasoning behind the phenomena is partly because of the definition of it, and the semantical aspect it focuses; which is centered around work.
Basically, Productivity means the total amount of work done toward a meaningful goal at a certain period of time; Efficiency on the other hand means the amount of quality work done toward the goals and objective on a certain period of time, with emphasis on the retaining quality. Both of these terms can be subjective at times and some might say one is better than others; the premise is all about work.
Application
Now, one person will ask; how can I apply this to my life? Well, to be brutally honest, what I would say would be different what you might think or what others might say. Truth to the matter is, there is no one real answer to this. Being productive or being efficient in one’s work is certainly a good thing right? But it misses the core aspect of why people enjoy working in the first place; which is the satisfaction and the “fun” aspect of working. That is why we need to balance these two things, because having both things at the same can result to dissatisfaction when one does not reach their desired and probably the ideal goal, which will definitely happen at one point.
The Ideal Solution… probably
A mindset and a goal where easing and creating a fun process would be my priority when time comes another task would be delegated, where complementary systems support you to make tasks less daunting and make the process overall easier. Because I truly believe, starting at something is the hardest thing to do, partly due to our goals have little direction, if there is outright no particular direction in the first place. Overcoming it is the hard part but also the most satisfying part of the process.
This is where the Filipino “Happy Go Lucky” mindset is a blessing and a hindrance as well; the mindset of being carefree and hardly being pressured at a task is a good thing, but it is also a bad thing as well; it sets an expectation that reduces the incidences of dissatisfaction due to lesser expectations and pressure on working, but also undermines the aspect of doing meaningful work in the first place. This is the problem that needs addressing if our goal is to have ourselves a productive and efficient work ethic in an individual level and the organizational level.