The Productive Slug

Productivity wizard David Allen once noted, "One's ability to be productive [is] directly proportional to one's ability to relax."

I remembered that recently while considering the difference between problem solvers and goal achievers. The problem solvers often scurry about and simply return things to normal. They restore the status quo. The goal achievers advance the mission of the organization.

It is extremely easy to worry about doing things that we shouldn't be doing in the first place and to fall into a pattern of reacting instead of initiating. Most of us find that our best insights on getting things done often occur when we are away from the job.

A strange truth: For most jobs, productivity is not about being a dynamo or a slug. It's about being a dynamo and a slug.