Pride and Productivity

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good idea, must be in want of a productivity app.

Hank Green had an interesting take of productivity in his video The Productivity Lie. He doesn’t credit his high levels of productivity to specific systems or even grit. For him it’s all about finding “the opportunity to work on things that matter to me.” And what matters most? Our connections to other people.

When people provide us with opportunities, or we feel obligations to each other, it becomes easier to finish things.

Of course, not all of us experience authentic human connection the way Hank does. We might avoid those connections, and one good way to do that is to endlessly evaluate our personal productivity and search for the perfect app that will unlock our potential. But really we’re just protecting our pride by preventing people from judging our work.

And by “we”, I mean me specifically.