Get Everything Done

Some of the things this person is writing here make me really uncomfortable -- that's probably a good thing. Also, most of this person's objections to TM in general, are solved by, or don't apply to, Autofocus. Here's the link: http://www.illuminatedmind.net/2009/02/17/why-trying-to-be-productive-is-a-huge-waste-of-time/

Interesting. Some good points. Most productivity stuff is geared towards the future and you never seem to get the time to savour what you have just achieved. That's a recipe for disappointment I feel.

I kind of liked the article, but it sounded to me like he wasn't considering the full meaning of the word *productive* - generative, creative, to bring about - he's talking more about being productive for it's own sake.

You reminded me of a blogger I like - this is another thought-provoking - funnier, and easy to read article, I really like this guy:

http://thegrowinglife.com/2008/05/the-alternative-productivity-manifesto/

I especially like his phrase "Too much productivity can turn you into a real tool."

ROTLMAO!!!

And this is probably very true too:

Productivity is often a necessary evil: if you dislike your job, you’re going to need a water-tight productivity system in place to keep you on task.

@ Jacqueline -- Thanks for the link! Great article.

I've often pondered why the constantly rising productivity, driven by the industrial revolution originally, and now by the information revolution, has not led to the 20-hour workweek. I think it's because if you cut back to 20 hours, then your competitor will still go for 40+, and will drive you out of the market since you can't compete. So, you are forced to keep working 40+, just to stay competitive. And so is everyone else. Unless you decide to "drop out" and establish your own self-sufficient homestead off-grid in the wilderness. :-)

The bigger problem is that all the essential goods and services to live in safety and in reasonable comfort -- food, clothing, shelter, basic medical care, and the Internet :-) -- are only a small percentage of total world production. In other words, most of what people create is superfluous -- as we may find out if the current financial crisis deepens into a Depression and people start eating their pets and would happily trade their life savings for a saw or other useful tool. The system works fine as long as the money supply keeps expanding and the economy keeps growing. But whenever there are "corrections", everything refocuses back to the essentials. But you only need X% of the population to produce those essentials. The rest of the population's production becomes superfluous. Increased productivity overall increases the level of superfluity of the people working in the non-essential industries. (Is superfluity a word?)

Thus, as a mental exercise I sometimes ask, what would happen if world productivity continued to increase exponentially, to the point that all the useful goods and services could be produced by a machine controlled by a single individual? Would it finally mean the end of starvation? comfort and peace for everyone? Given what's been happening the last 100-200 years, I'd guess that it would lead to the worst era of tyranny and oppression the world has ever seen, with wars being fought to control that one machine.

Sorry if this is way off topic... It's late. :-)

Yes, superfluity is a word, it means something like abundance.
What you meant is called 'needlessness' or 'expendability'.

I think we're stuck in a 40+ hour work week because we waste time at work (internet, visiting...) but need to be there to establish face time. I wonder if the average office/knowledge worker employed by *the man* could leave early if they finished what was estimated as 8 hours of work if people wouldn't be finishing said work in more like 4 or less hours a day.

Unfortunately today's culture can bully people into ridiculous hours of work. I was once criticised for not being prepared to work on a Sunday, despite having worked all week from 8:15am to about 9:00pm and all day Saturday - with 3 hours travel time on top ......! reminds me of the story of the guy who used a leave a jacket on the back of his chair when he left for the day so his boss thought he was still in the office!

Ben Franklin only put in 8 hours or less a day and there was a *productive* man indeed.

http://books.eserver.org/nonfiction/franklin/bf5.html

Jacqueline,

We will never know because the idea is to wring as much out of people as possible. Those who do little get to leave at quitting time as well as those who do a lot. It is more of a cultural thing. Many Europeans look at us as if we are nuts. They take a month or more off on "holiday" where as we are lucky to get two weeks and then management complains if we actually try to take it. And it is just going to get worse now that unemployment figures are moving higher.

Seraphim

You are quite on-topic.

My talk in June, "How to make room in your life for art".will deal partly with these economic factors, and how "mind-forged manacles" distract many people for a working lifetime from their creative potential. It will be subtitled "The Artist's Manifesto" and advocate downsizing to part-time work.

Speaking for myself, I'm not interested in productivity so that I can get more boring chores done at work, progress in my career, or have a cleaner house (although all these things are nice). I see productivity as a way to lead a more adventurous life and consume less. I aim to be a productive idler like Samuel Johnson, Robert Louis Stevenson, and so on. These people were productive, achieved a huge amount, and yet considered themselves idlers and found plenty of time to take pleasure in doing nothing.

Having a good productivity system means that you don't habitually come home, flop into an arm chair and reach for the laptop or TV remote -- because you're energized by plenty of interesting hobbies and projects.

Also taking control of your tasks and actions means you are less influenced by advertising and other pressures to conform and consume. You are in control of your own life, time, and purse.

Hi Seraphim

I'm going to quote some of your comment above in my talk on Sunday, attributing it to you, I hope that is OK. I think it is a good analysis, except I would anticipate everyone having such a machine. This would really pose the question to all, what do I do next?

I liked the article too. It seems largely a summary of Erich Fromm's To Have or To Be, which is one of my favourite all time books.

I don't think th article is criticizing Time-Management methods per se, but rather pointing out the insanity of our society's craze for trying to produce ever more. Also, as we discussed in an earlier thread


http://www.markforster.net/forum/post/716129

you can only talk about increasing productivity (or even measure producivity) if you have figured out what you are producing

Hi Laurence,

Fine with me if you use my comment!

But I think if everyone had their own machine like that, some people would use them to start clone wars or something. The arguments just wouldn't be about basic resources any more like most wars are now (ostensibly at least) -- they'd be about other things like offended honor and such, I'd guess. E.g., love triangles would still be a problem.

All it would take is a single individual misusing their machine in some nefarious way, and you'd get the whole world embroiled in a terrible war.

Hi Seraphim

Technological advances do nothing for human nature, but we can work on our own natures.

Did the talk, with your quote (thank you). Due to popular request, I have put the presentation online. Your contribution is slide 80. Let me know if you prefer me to remove it. (To reach the slideshow, go to tinyurl.com/artistsmanifesto, and click on the first link. You can get to slide 80 quickly via the drop down at the bottom of the screen.)

Interesting slideshow! The Artist's Manifesto really makes one think...