When we use the usual "fast" methods of productivity, it seems to us that we are doing everything we can. But if every working day is like a sprint, then how to restore energy for a marathon, which is usually a career? If you constantly feel tired, it may be time for you to reconsider your work habits in order to gain the stamina necessary for professional development. And one of the best ways to do this is to switch from normal to "slow" productivity.
This term was coined by C. Newport. It’s Time to Embrace Slow Productivity / The New Yorker Cal Newport is the author of the books "Stop dreaming, get busy!" and "Digital minimalism".
The modern active pace of life tires us and forces us to look for ways to balance work and personal life. We want our careers not to turn into endless stress and not require exhausting productivity from us.
But if you just shorten the working week, it will not help to cope with overwork. According to Newport, the problem is not how many hours we are asked to work, but how much work is assigned at any given time. And if the working day is reduced and the workload remains the same, we will experience even more stress, because we will have to work in a shorter time.
Therefore, Newport suggests a different approach — to work a little slower and on fewer tasks at the same time in order to enjoy the process more. "Slow" productivity, therefore, allows us to reconsider the attitude to efficiency when the quality of the work performed becomes more important than quantity.
In his book "Think slowly ... decide quickly" psychologist Daniel Kahneman described two systems that determine how we think, and therefore what results we get. "System 1" is fast, intuitive, emotional reactions. This is what we use when we make decisions based on feelings and "inner voice". "System 2" is a leisurely, conscious, logical thinking necessary for strategic analysis.
When we are dealing with a long list of tasks and a strict deadline, we are tempted to use "System 1". We begin to perform tasks at maximum speed, often to the detriment of the quality and accuracy of work, other people and even our own happiness. This is "fast" productivity.
"Slow" productivity helps to combat a common mistake based on the idea that if we maintain an ideally high level of productivity, that is, work fast enough or hard enough, then we will have time for ourselves and for the activities that we like. By doing the necessary amount of work, we seem to "deserve" free time.
Many even turn the performance of tasks into a competition and regularly raise the bar, trying to beat their own productivity records. But this is a direct path to burnout. The joy of life does not need to be earned, it needs to be experienced. Research proves S. Achor. The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work that we have a much better chance of becoming successful if we enjoy the present moment.
The main goal of "slow" productivity is to maintain the volume of work at an optimal level. It often seems to us that if we start doing less, not only ourselves will suffer, but also the company in which we work, because it will become less competitive. In fact, the more work, the more stress employees experience, which means that the quality of work begins to seriously limp, and the amount of time for its implementation decreases.
Newport believes that if we start working more consistently and focus on a small number of cases at a time, and also stop taking on new obligations until we sort out the old ones, then the speed of work, on the contrary, will increase.
For managers, the most difficult thing in applying "slow" productivity will be the distribution of tasks. Very often, when the boss comes up with an idea, he immediately calls the right employee or writes him a letter, explains what needs to be done, and returns to his business. With "slow" productivity, you will have to come up with an effective system that will help determine the priority of a new task and transfer it to an employee only when he is released. Yes, it is difficult and requires a lot of effort and time, but light work is rarely truly effective.
To begin with, it is necessary to reconsider the attitude to productivity itself. It is possible The Rise Of The “Slow Productivity” Movement / Forbes to do with the help of such questions:
The answers will allow you to understand exactly how you can use "slow" productivity when performing your work tasks.
Slowing down does not mean disconnecting from the outside world at all. You need to give your mind space to create ideas and new connections. For example, go for a walk, but go slower than usual. Read the book, but allow yourself to linger on certain words and thoughts.
Learn to use different types of attention and try to switch from maximum concentration to a calmer conscious wave that will allow you to generate energy and think creatively.
One of the main problems of ordinary productivity is the abundance of deadlines that quickly follow each other. This puts extra pressure and has a bad effect on the quality of work.
If possible, try Is Slow Productivity the Wave of the Future? / Hive set deadlines strongly in advance and it is more reasonable to set short deadlines. Think ahead of time about how you will cope with stress and delegate tasks when problems suddenly appear that require urgent solutions.
"Slow" productivity is based on the ability to postpone unimportant tasks for later and focus on the important ones now. If a five‑minute case has the same weight as a large project in a working system, something is wrong with it.
Try to evaluate the to-do list realistically and not add importance to unnecessary tasks. When everything needs to be done urgently, the very concept of "urgency" is erased, and you overload yourself with small things.
Treat "slow" productivity not as an opportunity to work less, but as an opportunity to work wisely. Try to automate tasks that you perform regularly, for example with the help of special programs. This way you will free up space and time for "slow" productivity.
You might think, "Sounds great, but I don't have time to slow down." That's not so. You don't have time not to slow down. According to statistics Future Forum Pulse / Future Forum , 42% of office employees worldwide experience burnout. "Fast" productivity affects not only the quality of your work, but also your physical and mental health.
