Leisure Can Be As Productive As Work
We already know that we need a certain amount of rest each day to maintain our health and prevent burnout. But many of us don’t rest, even if we desperately need it, because we feel like we have to spend our time in order to be “productive.”
Well. It turns out that one of the top performance experts is advising just the opposite.
In a recent article by Inc. quoted by Laura Mae Martin, Executive Productivity Advisor at Google, who measures productivity not by achieving it, but by doing what you planned. If you wake up thinking that you would like to spend the day, for example, relaxing and reading a book, but end up doing a bunch of errands – well, by Martin’s definition, that’s unproductive. It’s just as wasteful as if you had to work on a project and instead spent your day watching YouTube videos.
But Martin’s bigger and very insightful point is that productivity actually depends on intention. If you’re going to spend the day writing a proposal, but watch Netflix instead, that means lost productivity – but it’s also true if you spend the day answering a thousand emails or sitting in meetings that aren’t directly related to your work. And if spending time with your kids is one of your priorities, then driving them to school is time spent productively.
In other words: when you are going to work, work. When you are going to rest, rest. When you are about to interact with others, be present.
So if you were hoping to take a vacation and unwind this weekend, take your time. Don’t waste it trying to get ahead of cleaning or email. You will be more productive in both the short and long term by sticking to your intentions and taking time to both sides of work-life balance.