I Wonder How Productive They Really Are

There is a lot of Talk About Productivity, but what Exactly is Getting Done?

I had this guy tell me once that my problem with getting things done was that I didn’t have the right apps to help me along. Oh, and yes, you read that right, appS. The solution to my achieving more in this world and being on time about all came down to what software was on my phone, one not being enough.

Looking at the new stories in my Medium feed I can always find at least one or two articles that have productivity in the title, usually accompanied by words like AI or a number (8 Unknown Apps Powered by AI that are Guaranteed to Increase Your Productivity 10x).

Sounds good, right?

I want to ask you a question though. What has tech ever done to increase your productivity?

Think about it. In the last 20 years are you more of a productive person now or back then? Does the world you live in seem like it’s full of more productive people? Is more shit getting done anywhere?

Here’s a little secret Silicon Valley doesn’t want you to know. Things take longer to complete now than ever, and no matter how much productivity software you have, guess what, you still actually have to do the work.

Think about it. Do all those apps have you more organized than your old day planner, which you relied on with just a pen and the hope you didn’t run out of pages, did?

How much time do you spend inputting information into electronic devices compared to how much energy you put into actually doing the tasks at hand? And, more importantly, does the next new app actually help you get things done any faster or are you just trading one tool for another?

Now, maybe I’m just talking shit. Maybe you have apps that have taken you to the next level. Indeed, my pen and paper day planner didn’t have alarms on it that made sure I didn’t forget something and my appointments and tasks weren’t as pretty with all the different colors. I definitely didn’t have a summary at the end of the week that summed everything up and let me know if I was 12% more focused and on time than I was last week.

Those are nice features I must say as I am a sucker for nice layouts, but the question was are you more productive. Are you getting more accomplished and is it easier to get through the day because of the tech?

So, think about it and you decide. And it’s not a right or wrong kind of question. It is what it is. Some of you may not even remember the days of pen-and-paper planners and are shaking your head right now, so let me get to the takeaway of it all.

The apps of today have a few basic features (alarm reminders and meeting links) that make today a little better than yesterday, but I dare you to look at your life and say you are more productive because, let’s face it, as soon as you pick up your phone 40 distractions are going to suck you in from social media BS to 30 new emails all asking you to do something.

So this is the world in which we live, you can’t change it, but as I always say, keep it basic. I prefer my iPad notes over pen and paper. Everything I can find is in one place and it’s easy to erase words when I can’t read my writing and have to try again, but . . . do I write papers faster now? Does my digital list of TO DO get me through the store faster? Do I find that the cashier I have is getting me through the store faster because she has some great app to increase her productivity?

Hell no.

And cost we have paid for changing old tools to new tools in this realm has made us more dependent on tech, made our memories weaker, and has given a lot of the information we input away for FREE to companies that once had to work hard and pay a lot of money to acquire the same data.

But my calendar is always in a good mood and says Good Morning at least. Some things are priceless.