The term productivity has many definitions. The Oxford English Dictionary, citing examples from the 1600s, equates the term with being “creative” and “generative.” In economics, productivity is associated with labor, as a measurement of the output of goods and services against the human hours worked to make or deliver them. More recently, though, productivity has become synonymous with long hours, being “always on” for clients and coworkers, and an overall culture of busyness.
This last definition is one that organizations need to identify within their cultures right now and address immediately. Research from McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.org finds that 42% of women and 35% of men surveyed say they are consistently burned out at work, up from 32% and 28%, respectively, a year ago. And a lot of what has made work so fulfilling—working side by side with colleagues and celebrating the completion of projects—scarcely exists anymore. Colleagues “iterate” on ideas and leave notes for each other in documents or on Slack instead of collaborating in real time.
It’s time to restore our definition of productivity to its 1600s’ roots. The 10 accomplished individuals profiled in this year’s exploration of the Secrets of the Most Productive People are able to accomplish important and meaningful things in part because they step away from their computers and carve out time to be creative and generative.
Research engineer Grant Van Horn, one of the creators of the Merlin Bird ID app, says he does some of his best problem-solving by heading out for a quick bike ride. Actor Riz Ahmed spends mornings on his artistic pursuits—writing music or pages for a screenplay—before turning to meetings and calls for his production company. These individuals are fortunate to have the flexibility in their work schedules; leaders should strive to help their teams be “more intentional” in the way they work, as author and consultant Juliet Funt writes in her essay about how productivity needs to change.
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