Comments on: Whither Productivity

By: Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing

Charlie Gilkey | Productive Flourishing — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:51:51 +0000

I’m glad this discussion is starting to happen among some of the younger productivity blogs. Old guard productivity is not solving the problem: rather than actually getting what we want done, we are adding systems on systems to help us track either what we’re not doing or what we should be doing.

I wonder how much of the problem lay with the phrase “Getting Things Done.” We’re not worried, at the end, with Things – we’re concerned about the life we live. More things done does not equate to more life lived, contrary to what we’ve been taught.

By: Clay Collins | The Growing Life

Clay Collins | The Growing Life — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:03:15 +0000

Thank you, Patrick. I’m damn grateful and very very honored that you mentioned me and my writing here. I’m moving to Minneapolis around November and we should perhaps get together, talk blogging, and grab a beer. Seriously.

By: Shilpan | successsoul.com

Shilpan | successsoul.com — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:57:33 +0000

Patrick,

I agree with you that life is more than just “productivity” at work. I am from Eastern culture. There is a great deal of emphasis on work-life balance in east and that is absolutely essential for the growth of a healthy family as one might argue as productivity at work is for our own professional growth. I’d love to have you visit my blog and comment if you get time.

http://www.successsoul.com/blog/

Thanks Shilpan

By: Jeroen Sangers

Jeroen Sangers — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:01:48 +0000

That might be another reason for the difference. Most workers in Europe get paid extra if they work more hours, so in order to keep costs down most companies don’t allow workers to make more hours and instead focus on productivity.

By: Patrick Rhone

Patrick Rhone — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:02:40 +0000

Jeroen, I would argue that the American office workers I know, working 50-70 hours a week, are on salary. Therefore, they make no money more money by working more. They simply do so in order to get all of the work done that is being placed upon them. The reason for such a load of work is often because the company they work for has trimmed staffing in order to increase profit and bank on the fact that workers will put in more than 40 hours a week to get the work done.

By: Jeroen Sangers

Jeroen Sangers — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:32:43 +0000

The important question for many office workers is "Why would you want to be more productive?"

European workers generally want to be productive to work less hours and spend more time with their family. American workers want to work more hours in order to earn more money.

There should be a clear benefit...