In this episode, I'm touching on a subject that breaks my heart when talking to clients: the guilt surrounding productivity.

I'll be diving into the etymology of the word "productive" and how it can be redefined to be more personal. I'll also touch on how productivity is not about how many tasks you get done, but about developing and leading yourself in the direction you actually want.

Ultimately, I wanna remind you that they are the solution, and the way you work is the answer.

Episode Link: https://simplicity-specialist.com/rep/

Share with Others: Listen to Simplicity Specialist Podcast with Jonathan Stewart

Want More of Me in Your Ear?

If you're enjoying this conversation, you can find me elsewhere!

Let's Email: I send weekly emails that talk more about the topics from the podcast, as well as building a business that fits you.

See What I'm Up To: See what I'm up to on various platforms!

The PKM Podcast: Where my co-host and I go a little deeper on psychology, learning, and discussing our opinions on the Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) & productivity space.

Simplicity Hub: Get access to free and paid resources to help you bring more simplicity in bitesized pieces.

A Note On Transcriptions - In the interest of simplicity, I'm using Descript* to make podcast publishing as easy as possible. This means that sometimes the transcript won't match what I'm saying and sometimes it'll be hilariously different (tag me on Twitter telling me the funniest transcription you've found).

If there is one thing that breaks my heart when

talking to clients, it's when they're talking about their productivity.

There is so much guilt surrounding how productive you are.

It's as if there is and obsession with optimization of being hyper

productive getting more done and doing more things and being busy all

of the time however, if you look into the etymology of the word productive.

You find it's actually far more interesting than you might

think, and might give you the space to define productivity

in a way that starts from you.

The etymology of the word productive is serving to produce, which in itself sounds

pretty much what I said at the beginning.

However, once you dive into the etymology of produce, it gets even more interesting.

To produce is to develop, to draw out, to lead or bring out.

So for me, that means serving to produce means to be in service, to lead or bring

out the best possible version of yourself.

How that looks is individual because productivity is personal.

Now what it can look like is hustling when you need to it's about getting

your head down and getting things done.

What it is in service to you when it is in service to bringing out

the best possible version of you.

But it's also about resting and focusing on sustainable work that fits you.

It's not about making perfect task list or creating a productivity

system that is exactly organizing every single inch of you.

The way you work, isn't wrong.

As long as it's in service to leading and drawing out the best of you.

Your productivity isn't based on how many tasks you get done or

how many things you've got to do.

It's about developing, leading yourself in the direction you actually want.

We are bombarded by hundreds of things each day, telling us to work

smarter, harder, faster, stronger, better, whatever it might be.

But it completely forgets the origins of productivity:

being in service to yourself.

What if instead of assuming you're the problem.

You're actually the solution and the way that you work is the answer.

Need help redefining your own productivity.

Reach out to me at simplicity-specialist.com.