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Core value · Productivity family
Productivity
Getting a lot of worthwhile things done
What does productivity mean as a core value?
Productivity as a core value means getting worthwhile things done steadily and efficiently, and taking real satisfaction from visible progress at the end of each day.
A good day, for you, is one where things got done. Crossing items off, clearing the inbox, finishing the shed, sending the report. You get real satisfaction from visible progress, and a day that slips away leaves you restless. The point is output that matters, so you’re always looking for ways to waste less time. You notice when meetings run long and nothing moves, and you’d rather fix that than sit through it again.
What does productivity look like in practice?
- You write tomorrow’s to-do list before you finish today.
- You batch small tasks and clear them in one go.
- You leave a meeting with named actions, owners and dates.
- You use train journeys and waiting rooms to knock off something useful.
- You try new tools and shortcuts that save ten minutes a day.
When is productivity overplayed?
When getting things done becomes the measure of a day, rest starts to feel like failure. You might fill every gap, judge people by their output, or pick the easy tasks because ticking them off feels good while the important one waits. Family and friends can start to feel like another item on the list. The steadier form remembers the word worthwhile. At the end of the week, you could write down what you got done that genuinely mattered, and set it beside what you did just to feel productive.
Often confused with
Productivity vs Hard work
Hard work is about effort. Productivity is about output: getting more worthwhile things done, ideally with less effort.
Productivity vs Effectiveness
Effectiveness is about doing the right things and getting the intended result. Productivity adds volume and pace: a steady flow of things finished.
Productivity vs Achievement
Achievement is reaching significant milestones. Productivity is satisfied by the everyday flow of tasks done, big or small.
Questions to sit with
- What’s on your list mainly because it’s satisfying to tick off?
- How do you feel at the end of a day when you got nothing done, and what does that tell you?
- Whose pace do you quietly judge as too slow?
More values in Productivity
Getting things done and keeping momentum.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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