In your quest to be more productive, you push yourself to get more done.
More tasks. More work.
But, is all of that work actually taking you where you want to go?
Or are you so busy that you don’t know which direction your productivity is taking you?
Which Direction Are You Going?
Doing more isn’t always the answer.
Speed is about going faster. More done. More ground covered. More distance traveled.
Yet, if you increase your speed without considering your direction you only get more off course.
“Going faster in the wrong direction only takes you further away from your goals.” (Tweet this Quote)
Where are your productivity efforts taking you? And are you sure you want to go there?
Productivity Is Not About Speed
Productivity is not about speed. Speed is motion without a specific direction.
Rather, it’s about velocity. Velocity is defined as speed with a corresponding direction.
If you don’t know which way you are going, working harder and faster will only bring negative results more rapidly:
- Digs a Hole Faster – If your habits are producing poor results, you will only dig a bigger hole for yourself.
- Wears You Out Quicker – Ever exhaust yourself only to discover that you have been doing the wrong tasks? Working harder on the wrong tasks only wastes time and energy quicker.
- Takes You in the Wrong Direction – Working faster in the wrong direction only serves to take your further off course from your goals.
- Keeps You Doing the Same Things – This is the big career mistake that many people make. Doing the same things only faster means that you will continue in your present role for a longer time. You have to change your direction if you want to get somewhere else. Or as they say, “What got you here, won’t get you there.”
Check Your Direction
Going faster in life isn’t always the answer. In fact, in many cases it can be counter-productive.
If you want to get somewhere else in life, you have to change your course.
Make sure you check your direction before you increase your speed.
Question: Where is your productivity taking you today? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Good one Craig! Most of keep working hard at things without considering the direction. I suppose introspection and taking an inventory of our goals from time to time can help. A far better way would be to get a coach who can help use evaluate our direction, shake up perceptions and formulate goals which are closer to our hearts.
Good point… coaches can often see things about our actions that are difficult to see, as well as provide an expert opinion. 😉
So true. We all need more days on our bike, or in the woods to get reflection time.
Sometimes speed is great, but using speed without clear direction is like going speeding down the highway after you missed your exit and realizing you missed it 10 minutes too late, which really sets you back 20 minutes. (I did that this weekend which is why that analogy so fresh and still stings) 🙂
All I learnt was, to be more productive in the current role and move on to ease your way through the next job. The transition is easy and we could ramp up the strategies during the workday without trading anything off except a few things that are not important.
nice information you share its helpful to manage our time