Productivity is Easier Than You Think
Those of you who have been following the Resolutions 2007 project know that I made a New Year’s Resolution that, by the end of the year, I would be spending 20 out of 24 hours of every day doing “productive” activities. At the time I made the resolution, I issued a challenge to readers to try it themselves. I don’t think many of you took me up on it. 
But I’m here to convince you that it’s not only possible, but easier (and more fun) than you may think.
If you were to ask your boss what it means to be productive, the reply would likely contain the phrases, “sitting at your desk,” and “get back to work.” (Not to be stereotypical.) That’s simple enough, right? If we want to be productive for 20 hours per day, all we have to do is sit in front of a computer and type for 20 hours!
… No.
But let’s extend that “cube monkey” analogy. Let’s assume that, given no other modifiers, we make $1 for every hour we spend in the cubicle. (No “cheap labor” comments from the peanut gallery.) Our goal, then, is to make $20 per day. We could meet this goal by spending all 20 hours in the cube, as mentioned above; I’ll refer to this as direct productivity. However, that would be kind of limiting, wouldn’t it? Even if we’ve mastered polyphasic sleep and can get away with only two hours of rest, that leaves a mere two hours for eating, socializing, and hygiene. Not a very happy cube monkey.
As anyone who’s suffered through a “dead-end” job can attest, an unhappy cube monkey is rarely a productive cube monkey. And as productivity falls, so do our wages. You see what I’m getting at now; the “20 hours in cube” model cannot be maintained for long.
Let’s look at another scenario in which we spend only 14 hours in the cube. “But wait,” you say. “At $1 per hour and 14 hours per day, we can’t meet our $20 goal!” You would be correct. Assuming that we stick with this schedule and our level of productivity remains unchanged, we won’t be able to pay the bills. But on the bright side, we now have an extra six hours every day to play with; surely there must be something we can do to make our cube time more efficient…
In our example, typing lessons might be a great way to have a direct impact on productivity. So we spend six hours per day learning to touch-type on a Dvorak keyboard. Productivity leaps, boss monkey notices, and our wages are up to $1.50! During the time we took typing lessons, we were engaging in skill-building, or personal development — an example of what I’ll refer to as indirect productivity. Skills don’t vanish once we stop learning them; not only have we permanently given ourselves a $.50 raise, but we still have the six hours of free time which we had previously spent doing personal development. (One problem you may notice, and one I’d like to touch on, is that during the time we took lessons, we were still making only $1/hour… yet working only 14 hours per day. These rough patches are, in my opinion, a major factor in why some people are afraid of growth. In our case, to get through it, we might have taken out a loan and temporarily worked 16-hour days after learning the skill to repay it. I’ll write a lengthier article on this in the future.)
Now that we’ve secured a heftier wage and a shorter workday, we have a bit more freedom to choose our direction of growth. Maybe we decide that we’d like to shorten our workday even more, or that we’d really like to have boss monkey’s position. Both goals may involve some temporary spurts of indirect productivity outside of the cube, but the end results are the same — a still higher wage and a still shorter workday. Unfortunately, many people stop once they’ve reached a certain level of accomplishment. Let’s say that we eventually become the Chief Executive Monkey with a whopping $5/hour wage, numerous marketable skills and a whole lotta free time. (We’re assuming that there’s nothing in the world worth paying for other than bills. Our $20/day standard stays for now.) Most people would say, “Now that’s what I call success!” But it’s what we do with that free time that really makes the man (or the monkey).
The analogy starts to break down a bit here, so I’m going to abandon it and return to Real Life™. I mentioned indirect productivity and personal development, which is one form of it. Others exist — we know that productivity is hurt by a sour mood, so anything that boosts our spirits could be considered indirect productivity… up to a point. Inspirational activities are also indirectly productive, especially for writers. The analogy breaks down here simply because money is not necessarily the ultimate (or the only) reason for productivity. In my case, I try to be productive for several reasons; an innate desire to grow and help the world grow, for example. Making money is a long-term necessity, but not an immediate focus for me. As far as I’m concerned, I need only enough money to serve my basic needs and very few “wants;” anything extra will be used in service to others.
But how can you tell when an activity is just wasting your time as opposed to being “inspirational” or “spirit-lifting?” That’s really more of a personal decision. For me, and I imagine for most people, getting drunk is about the least beneficial activity imaginable. But if you come up with your best ideas while under the influence (and you remember them), then I’d say go for it. Just don’t go overboard, okay? 
Other activities are less obvious; spending time with friends, especially while young, can be great for building memories and improving morale… but at some point, you’ve got to buckle down and study for that exam. Video games, widely regarded as a geeky time waster, have also been shown to boost thinking skills.
In conclusion, don’t let your boss (monkey?) or anyone else tell you that surfing Don’tASQ is a wasteful endeavor. Productivity manifests in different forms for different people. Soon (read: before December) I’ll do a bit of analysis into whether my own activities should be considered worthwhile. I’d also encourage you to do the same, whether or not you took me up on the 20-hour resolution. And remember… it’s easier than you think.
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