Now we all know what productivity means: the ability to do more and get more done in your day. The concept of False productivity isn’t new, but not everyone knows about it, but has experienced it one way or another.
False Productivity simple means doing more but not doing the needful. We all have a specific goal in life, and we know what we should do and which steps we should take to accomplish it. Sometimes people spend too much time in the planning phase, even though they are not making any progress toward what they need to achieve, they feel they are doing something productive.
Hence, false productivity is taking the necessary steps toward achieving your goal. Let’s say you want to learn an instrument, and yes, you are searching for different songs you want to play, music books and the rest. You clean and tune your guitar, yes, both are good things to do. Still, you are not actually taking the appropriate step to be good at playing that instrument, which is actually playing it.
One other example I can use, I personally write out all of this blog post. I have a specific time set when I should type out the blog post and edit and post it, but I often feel demotivated to do it, so I end up picking up a self-help book and reading it. Yes, reading more and gaining more information on a topic is essential, but how will that help me release my blog post at the stated time? All this activity feels someone with a sense of false productivity.
Students
This concept of false productivity is a common trait among students in two ways. Firstly, students who get too involved in too many activities around campus. I am not saying that it is a bad thing to socialize and make friends, and to make yourself a person of value on your campus or any leadership sector you find yourself in. But often all those activities tend to fill us with a sense of productivity, that’s why usually students will say they are busy, but with what in particular? Are they occupied with activities that will have meaningful progress toward their academic pursuit, or even toward their life pursuit? That’s why, when I get the opportunity to talk with someone who genuinely wants my advice, I often ask personal questions to see whether they have fallen into the trap of false productivity in their academic life or are actually taking meaningful steps to achieve their goal.
Another instance where I see students fall into this trap is in the area of reading, or rather studying. Often, students re-read a topic or subject they are already familiar with because it is easy and gives them a sense of doing something meaningful. However, all they are doing is increasing their chances of failing and getting a bad grade compared to the other subject. That is why you often see a student with an unbalanced grade, getting an A in one subject and a C/D in another. Sometimes, even an F. Yes, they were doing the right thing at that time, reading, giving them a sense of productivity; however, they were putting in less and less time toward understanding other subjects, or even different topics within a particular subject, hence false productivity. That’s why I personally treat all courses thissame. During my university days, all courses received equal attention, and the more difficult one was, the more attention it got.
Adults
Where I see adults fall into this trap of false productivity, there are two ways, and there may be more, but this is the most common viewpoint. Firstly, same as students, adults have a particular goal in mind but don’t take meaningful steps to accomplish it; often, this is due to overplanning or other activities unrelated to, but not needed for, the overall accomplishment of that goal. Secondly, in the aspect of planning and schedule, when a person deliberately changes their schedule to include unmeaningful tasks to make themselves feel productivity.
Conclusion
To know which positive or meaningful steps you need to take in life, and to avoid being trapped in the feeling of false productivity, is to have a defined goal. Firstly, when you have a defined goal, you can identify the positive and meaningful steps you need to take toward accomplishing that goal.
That is why what is defined as a meaningful step to you is different to another person During my university days, there were people who were more concerned with business and maintaining good grades, because their goal was to have a profitable and functional business that will serve them during and after university. I know many people who have good, even excellent grades during university and were still business minded, and after their university, they have taken up their business full-time. Because they knew what they were striving for. So remember to take meaningful steps toward achieving your goal and don’t fall into the trap of false productivity.
