My Take on Five Controversial Productivity Ideas
Lifehack just put up “Five Productivity Ideas I’m Not Buying (Yet?)“. It’s an interesting read, but I have to say that I don’t necessarily agree.
Mind Mapping tops the list. I think that mind mapping can be an effective tool for some circumstances. When trying to brainstorm ideas or solutions, mind mapping can be useful. If I’m trying to come up with 100 new topics for blog posts, I’ll sometimes start a mind map. But, I don’t break out the colored pencils, I don’t spend hours making it “pretty”, and I generally turn it into a list when I’m finished. If I feel like being creative, I might take a highlighter to it when I’m finished to make certain parts stand out. Overall, mind mapping is great for creativity, not so much for productivity.
The 80/20 Rule is next. This is one that I have to say I disagree with Lifehack. The 80/20 rule is all about eliminating the majority of things so that you can focus on the things that give you the most rewards. They claim that it’s too restrictive, and it’s not really quantifiable. They’re looking at it too narrowly. Instead of looking at what percentage of a particular activity or task is positive or negative, look at what entire activities are a waste of time or beneficial. If you like painting and it brings you joy, then that’s part of the 20%. If you dread accounting, then that’s part of the 80% - outsource it! Use it for people too; eliminate the 80% of people in your life (including clients) that are just dragging you down, and invest your time in the 20% that make you happy!
The Power of Brand You. This one I have to agree with. Being your own personal salesperson isn’t going to make you more productive, and could greatly complicate your life. If you’re the go-to person for your field, if you’re absolutely on top, then you’re going to be a lot more likely to have too many people coming at you from too many directions. While it might make your life easier if you’re self-employed and have to bring in your own clients, you also have to spend a lot of time weeding through the less-desirable clients, or spend more time dealing with them. Not necessarily the end of the world, but it’s probably not going to help your productivity. Plus, you spend so much time building and maintaining your “image” and “brand” that you have less time for more important things.
Making Productivity a Habit is probably the one that I do support the most. Certain things lend themselves well to habit. Things like daily exercise and other repetitive tasks (blog writing, etc.) are easiest to do when you get in the habit of doing them. Not everything should be a habit, but the more repetitive tasks you establish as habits for yourself, the less time you’ll have to spend thinking about doing them.
Visualizing Success. This one is going to hit a nerve with some people. Fans of manifestation and the power of positive thinking are probably going to be offended. While positive thinking can make a positive difference in your life (if nothing else, it does tend to put you in a better mood) it is too often used as an excuse for not acting. Believing that something is just going to “come to you” and that you shouldn’t have to work your ass off for things, is kind of a cop out. Most people who have used positive thinking to get them to where they are, also worked like crazy to get there. Visualizing your goal is fine, as long as you’re also willing to put some elbow grease into it (and so many people aren’t). Visualization can be a great motivator, but you also have to learn from mistakes that you make.
What are your thoughts on the above? Any other techniques that you don’t think work?
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