5 Productivity Myths That Need to Be Busted

By IBTimes Staff Reporter | October 04 2010 6:46 PM

width=400 When there is so much advice and information on productivity floating around, it is obvious that not all of that is worth paying heed to. There are certain popular beliefs on productivity that some consider useful, which in reality do nothing but to hamper their efficiency.

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This article talks about five productivity myths which the sooner you come to know about and understand, the better. I'm sure most these tips are something you could actually relate to. Check them out.

Multitasking WorksLet me set the record straight before I begin - I am not against multitasking. Some people can actually juggle tasks and accomplish all of them efficiently. But the fact is there aren't many people who can do it, especially in this age of information overload. Uni-tasking is far more effective if you want to get things done without compromising on quality.

We've already published how mono-tasking is better than multi-tasking, and why this might be the age of uni-tasking. If you care about focusing, and focusing well, try your hand on one thing at a time.

Procrastination is Always BadProcrastination is a basic human trait. Most of us are lazy by birth. We want to delay tasks and enjoy life, till they can be delayed. There are many negative effects of procrastination, no doubt. But, it isn't always bad to procrastinate.

Sometimes, it's important to take a step back, relax and just ignore what you do every day. It helps you assess the importance of things you do, prioritize them, and also helps to de-stress yourself. So it's good to procrastinate once in a while in order to recharge yourself.

The More You Work, the BetterThis might have been true in the industrial age, but not in this information age. Make no mistake, there's still no substitute for hard work; success doesn't come easy. But, it requires that you be productive and efficient. You need to decide what should be your focus and where you should channelize your energies.

Sometimes, just 5 or 6 hours of work each day can get you results. But that has to be 5 or 6 hours of actual work and nothing else. And, you have to be consistent with that too; you gotta do it every day without fail.

The Same Productivity System Works for EveryoneThis is something I myself understood quite late. I would read productivity advice and then try my best to implement it. When I was unable to follow it, I couldn't understand where I was going wrong. Finally, after trying out various systems, I found out what's best for me.

Since no two people are same, the same productivity system might not work for them. One might prefer to work till late, the other might be an early riser. The bottom line is that you need to try different productivity systems to see which of them fits you well.

It's Always About the SystemFinally, I think one of the biggest myths surrounding productivity is that one can always be productive by following certain steps, or by following a productive system. It's not always about the system. It's about you.

I've read about people who suffer from disorders like ADHD and hence can't focus. But since they don't know about it, they cannot figure out why none of the productivity systems works for them. I've also read about people who don't like what they do, but still try out everything to focus and get things done, just to fail each time.

The point is, if you just can't get things done, and this has been going on for a long time, then it's time to self-introspect and find out what this is all about