In 1850, the French economist Claude-Frédéric Bastiat published his famous essay "Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas" or "What is seen and what is not seen". In it, he objects to the "bad economist" who looks only at the initial effect of the measures taken and not at their further consequences.
Bastiat in it he uses the example of a broken shop window. To fix it, the shop owner has to hire a glazier. He now has money that he can use for his further investments. That made the economy better, didn't it? But this refers only to the seen - to the money spent by the owner and to the hired glazier - and not to the unseen, that is, what else could the owner do with this money. A bad economist will argue that we should break windows to stimulate the economy, a wise economist knows that this would only make matters worse.
That window-breaking is counterproductive is not surprising. And yet, in our work environment, many of us are the very bad economists that Bastiat warns us about. Let's focus on visible productivity, which often subtly undermines the invisible ability to do important work.
Think of the person who stays late into the night every day in the office just to show that he is a "team player". As a result, she sleeps less, which makes her sluggish. She misses the time spent with colleagues who could recommend her for projects and promotions. She never has time to think and therefore does not think of brilliant ideas to move forward. Despite her nagging, her lack of progress convinces her that she isn't trying hard enough!
Today we want to consider Bastiat's question and how it relates to our work. What are the invisible factors that influence our productivity so that something that seems like a “lazy habit” actually brings results?
1. Get enough sleep
Productivity enthusiasts fetishize waking up early in the morning. Waking up at 07:00 is simply not enough for them. We have to wake up at 06:00, 05:00 or even 04:00.
Our sleeping habits are different, so getting up early may be perfectly in sync for some. But unfortunately, many of us force ourselves into an unnatural rhythm, which naturally leads to less sleep. This is the most important part of productivity. It not only strengthens our memory, but improves cognition and mood. Its absence, on the other hand, can be disastrous. Many are so convinced that they have "adapted", when in reality their cognitive performance is declining.
Good sleep leads to better work!
2. Long walks to think
Another consequence of prioritizing the "seen over the unseen" is that the time dedicated only to thinking is devalued. Since of course the people around us cannot know what we are thinking, those who often stare at something or take a break at work are seen as slackers in the eyes of others.
In reality, long walks meant only for thinking, one of the most productive things you can do. Albert Einstein thought a lot about the theory of relativity during long walks. If instead he was forced to constantly publish mediocre work just to appear productive, our understanding of the universe today would be quite
impoverished.
3. Conversations with colleagues about work
"Gossip" about work with colleagues during lunch or over coffee is one of the biggest signs that we belong to the group of slackers. Except that it isn't!
In the book Enigma of Reason, researchers Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber argue that humans are not evolved to be able to think about things qualitatively in isolation. Ours the skills of reasoning, logic and understanding were developed to win arguments, but not for determining the truth. This means that it will be much more difficult to find the right solution to our problems when we think about it completely alone. However, if we are faced with a group of people giving constructive, well-intentioned criticism, we will use our reasoning abilities in the way they were intended. It often happens that insight into certain matters is completely unattainable in isolation, while in interaction it is completely obvious.
Of course, this too, like all invisible parts of productivity, is doomed to a bad reputation, because in the eyes of people socializing is not considered something where we could experience a breakthrough in our productivity. And yet, time to chat with colleagues about work challenges will rarely be a waste of time!
4. Nap
Sleep is important. Especially at night, when we enter deeper stages of sleep that allow our memory to consolidate.
But our life does not always allow us to have a perfect sleep. Sometimes during work we will have to fight to stay awake and do our part. In these cases, a nap should be viewed as a productivity trick, but not as a waste of time.
The problem we encounter with daytime naps is usually that we sleep longer than we should, which makes us feel dizzy. So if you have the ability to take a nap, you can use it spoon trick. This means that you take a nap with a spoon in your hand, which is held above the floor. As you enter deep sleep, your muscles will relax, the spoon will fall to the floor, and the resulting noise will wake you up.
Coffee nap, where you combine a short nap with the coffee you drink beforehand, can also prolong your alertness. This combination works well mainly because after a nap, your receptors are freed of adenosine, which makes you feel sleepy, and loaded with caffeine, which keeps you awake.
5. Say "no" to most opportunities and tasks
"If you want something done, give it to a person who is already (over)busy". This saying hides a hidden meaning. Namely, (over)worked people are the ones who have the greatest difficulty saying "no" to new requests and tasks. And that's why they are (over)employed.
Nobel laureate and physicist Richard Feynman thus took a different approach. Physics requires a lot of work. As Feynmann himself admits, for really good and quality work in the field of physics, you need time! And what is his solution to keep people from bothering him? Tell them you're lazy and noncommittal. "I invented another myth for myself - that I am irresponsible. I tell everyone I'm not doing anything. If someone asks me if I would be on the committee that takes care of university admissions, I say 'No, I'm irresponsible'".
Productivity does not mean that you do the most, it means that you get the most out of what you have done!
6. Regular leave
"If you love what you do, every day is a holiday." It sounds nice, in theory, a little worse in practice. Even if you love your job, it is taking a break from the work you're doing is key to breaking the habit patterns that keep you stuck in your work.
In a discussion about travel between journalist Ezra Klein and economist Tyler Cowen, Klein remarked that he often returns from trips exhausted. Cowen replied that he treats travel with a seriousness that most people only treat work with. Rather than expecting this to be free time, he sees it as an opportunity to expand his knowledge.
Of course, traveling isn't the only way to expand your mind, but regularly visiting new places—physically and mentally—is essential to not getting stuck in established habits. Your routines eventually prevent you from discovering new creative solutions. This is essential to prevent inflexibility in your thoughts and actions.
7. Stop doing what you hate
Sometimes the most diligent and productive are those who achieve the least. That's because their tolerance for bullshit prevents them from quitting a job they don't like.
Almost all people who have achieved something of value were doing something that was meaningful to them and that they liked. Maybe not all the time or without effort, but hankering for unsatisfying work is rarely a recipe for greatness.
If you want to truly enjoy what you do, sometimes you have to stop doing what you hate!
