Thread by @joeyjusticeco

Productivity Thread #7:

I've written a thread each day over the past week to teach you how to be more productive.

Today is the seventh and last thread in this series!

In it, I'm going to explain what productivity ACTUALLY means...

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First, let me correct a common misconception:

Being "busy" and being "productive" are NOT the same thing.

If you're busy, you're putting time and effort into things.

If you're productive, you're putting time and effort into the RIGHT things.

Or are you?

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Think about your average work day.

Do you feel busy?

Or do you feel productive?

You can tell which you are by how satisfied you feel.

Being productive is SATISFYING to your brain.

Being busy is like playing whack-a-mole on a treadmill.

It never ends.

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Do you think your average day is busy?

That's okay! It just means you have work to do.

You need to shift from being busy to being productive.

This is accomplished by improving your:

- workflow
- prioritization
- time management

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Or, do you think your average day is productive?

If so, great! But think about this:

Is it ACTUALLY productive?

You might not be as productive as you think you are.

Let me explain...

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Your brain feels productive when you're checking off tasks.

You feel satisfied and you get a little hit of dopamine as a reward.

Thing is, there are unproductive tasks which also trigger this effect.

Video games are the best example of this.

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Several years ago, I was a World of Warcraft addict.

I played for 12-16 hours a day.

I was addicted to

- quests
- leveling up
- improving my gear

I remember being pulled to play the game

Because of how PRODUCTIVE it made me feel.

It was like every task was worthwhile.

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Video games are designed to trigger that response.

This keeps you playing, and for games like WoW, it keeps you paying for the subscription and microtransactions.

Many mainstream games have developed missions and progression systems for this very reason.

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If you're not careful, you can fall into this same trap.

It's related to the concept of "productive procrastination".

You think you're being productive by gaming, reading, or organizing your socks...

But in reality, you're not. You're being busy.

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Throughout the next week, I want you to keep this lesson in mind.

Ask yourself...

"Was I productive today? Or was I just busy?"

Being busy leads to exhaustion and burnout.

Being productive leads to a better life.

I hope you've enjoyed this series of threads!

I've enjoyed writing them - I like creating long-form content.

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