“Personal productivity presents itself as an antidote to busyness when it might better be understood as yet another form of busyness.”
There are some very interesting points in this Guardian article, relating to productivity and procrastination. Focusing on how I do my work, rather that actually getting on and doing it, is something I'm certainly aware of doing myself. It's even something the very people who have come up with the productivity techniques we strive for are concerned about, eg Merlin Mann, who came up with the system of Inbox Zero.
“What do you want your days to look like?” is a question I ask myself whenever I’m trying to make a decision about what to do next. In fact, I believe that most questions about what to do with one’s life can be replaced by this question.
What career should I choose? Should I go back to school? Where should I live? Should I get married? Should I have kids? Should I get a dog? Should I take up the piano?
“What do you want your days to look like?” forces you to imagine the day in, day out realities that making such choices will present you with.
fun activities that we enjoy and find pleasurable can be depleting, leaving us happy and appreciative—but not well-rested.
It's the 'fun isn't always rest' element of this article that interests me most. My partner and I were planning holidays recently and discussing where we'd like to go. We ended up categorizing the locations by the type of holiday: relaxation (rest) or adventure (fun).
Our choice of destination will be determined by what we need at what time of year. For example after the busy summer retail period and financial end of year in August, my partner needs to relax. Whereas in Spring after we've hibernated all winter, we're looking for adventure.