.png){kind=small}
Being Effective, Not Just Productive
ZEN-it Team
12 Mar 2024
Have you ever considered the nuances between being productive, efficient, and effective? These terms are often tossed around interchangeably, but the distinctions are important. Let's delve into the intricacies and discover how ZEN-it can help you be not just productive but truly effective in all facets of life.
To be productive is to utilize the time that we have in completing outstanding tasks in a satisfactory manner.
To be efficient is to complete outstanding tasks within a given time period, using resources that do not add to the cost of the task. Let’s say that Productive Pete needs to create a 1000-word article on a trending topic in 4 hours. Pete managed to do this in 4 hours with the help of a virtual assistant that he hired for a couple of hours, got it approved and published. Pete has proven that he is productive, but not efficient. A productive person will create more products or deliver more than others, within the same amount of time. An efficient person will use less resources (this could also be time) than others, in delivering the same output.
Effectiveness Vs Efficiency Vs Productivity
Efficient Emma finished a similar content piece on another topic without hiring any assistants, got it approved and published it on the website, all within 3.5 hours. Meanwhile, Effective Ekam spent 5.5 hours on another article. But instead of jumping straight into the task, he researched most-searched keywords and questions associated with the topic and incorporated these into the article, added eye-catching visuals and set up an FAQ for the article, all of which made it the most viewed article in the whole website.
Being effective is to complete the task in a manner that would yield the highest possible results. Sometimes, we fall under the trap of busy work. Imagine replying to 100 emails right at the beginning of the day, within the first two work hours, without tackling creative work that needed your time yesterday. Or spending 90 minutes in a meeting that did not add any value as opposed to focusing on an important and difficult task. These are easy ways by which we convince ourselves that we have been productive at work, and that we have spent our time well.
There are many many tools available in the market for productivity tracking - Asana, Trello, Todoist, Notion, to name a few. The global task management software market was at USD 2.84 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow 3.33 times in size by 2033. This is a no-brainer given that most companies now measure company growth and success through the lens of project management metrics. On the flip side, according to a survey done by Zapier, the biggest productivity blocker is the time spent on data entry - 760 respondents out of 1000 said that they spend 1 to 3 hours every workday simply moving data from one space to another. This indicates that working people spend considerable time organising their tasks, keying in their tasks and files in different platforms, talking about their tasks, all of which can actually be spent doing them.
According to a report released in 2023 by Gartner where 4681 full time desk (knowledge) employees across India, China, US and UK were surveyed, the average number of digital applications used was 11 and yet 47% of the workers could not find the relevant information that they needed with ease. When the tool that is supposed to help us be more productive and effective comes with a steep learning curve, and expects us to update too much data on a regular basis, the chances of missing deadlines and notifications and being aware of information flow in the system becomes very high.
Effectiveness In Life > Effectiveness At Work
Effectiveness cannot be just restricted to our profession. Given the complex nature and multitude of task management tools at work, we tend to throw home productivity under the bus. There are tasks to be managed at home, for ourselves, for others. These tend to reside in a chaotic list in our heads for a short while as we trudge through the productivity maze at work, many a times forgetting other aspects of our life. The net outcome is an increase in stress levels, as we fail to meet some expectations at home, bring that stress back to work, and mull over pending home tasks as we try to be productive at work.
​
A day well begun will end productively. The first item to achieve this is a good breakfast. Including whole grains, fruits and vegetables helps us stay alert through the day. Food with high sugar content will take us on a high only for us to crash within a few hours.
2. Time Blocking
​
No one expects a reply to their email queries within the next minute. Time Blocking is a great strategy to assign different time periods of the day to do different things. Over a period of time, we will be able to determine patterns such as times of day when we are the most creative, times of day that we can restrict to routine work that doesn’t require deep focus etc. At home too, we can plan out evenings such that there is a block of time for ourselves, which could be spent for calm reflection, journaling, doing physical activities etc. Ensuring that our family members are aware of this time block and respect our personal time would go a long way in helping us unwind fully. In the same manner, blocking our sleep time would help us develop a healthy body and a healthy mind.
3. Surf The Urge
​
The average individual gets distracted by their phones every three minutes while they're working on a task, and it takes about 23 minutes to get back into the rhythm of working again. Nir Eyal, in his book, Indistractible, talks about ‘Surf the Urge’. How does this work? Whenever we feel the need to pick up our phone, walk up to our colleague’s desk or grab something from the fridge, let’s ask ourselves if we can surf the urge or resist the temptation for ten more minutes. Making this into a habit, will help us focus for longer times on tasks.
4. One Tool Vs Many
​
Every organisation has their own task management software, communication platform, software to track performances and metrics and so on. This leaves us little scope to actually track tasks (be it Home, Work or Self related) on a priority basis. What we need is an all encompassing, simple yet powerful digital tool to track tasks and events across different facets of our life. ZEN-it is an easy mindful productivity app that allows us to manage our tasks and our time, without compromising on self-care.
What Does ZEN~It’s Productivity Suite Offer In Making You Effective?
-
An extremely easy-to-use interface, so that people aren’t spending hours figuring out the How.
-
Minimal time spent on adding and managing tasks - quick check offs for tasks, ability to set recurring tasks, simple due-by time blocks.
-
Integrated calendar - Ability to pull in events from different calendars, along with viewing your entire task list.
-
Categorisation of tasks - Is it Work related, Home related, or for Self?
-
Automated prioritization of tasks - spend less time entering and prioritizing tasks, and utilize this time towards completing these effectively.
Explore ZEN-it’s features here.
​
Download ZEN-it and start your Mindful Productivity journey today!
FAQs
The blog briefly mentions the distinction between productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. Could you provide further clarification or examples to help readers better understand these concepts and how they apply in various contexts?
Productivity refers to the measure of output per unit of input, focusing on accomplishing tasks and producing results.
Efficiency is about achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or resources, emphasizing optimization and streamlining of processes.
Effectiveness, on the other hand, is achieving desired outcomes and goals, focusing on the quality and impact of the results rather than simply output quantity.
For example, a highly productive person may complete many tasks, but if those tasks don't contribute to overall goals or objectives effectively, they may not be considered truly effective. Conversely, an effective person may not necessarily complete a large number of tasks, but they consistently achieve meaningful results aligned with their goals.
What are some additional strategies or techniques beyond those mentioned in the blog that individuals can implement to improve their effectiveness in daily tasks and overall productivity, both at work and in personal life?
Here are some additional strategies that may help increase an individual’s overall effectiveness:
-
Prioritize tasks: Focus on completing high-priority tasks first to ensure that the most important work gets done.
-
Break tasks into smaller steps: Breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps can make them feel less overwhelming and easier to tackle.
-
Time management techniques: Explore different time management methods such as the Pomodoro Technique or time blocking to allocate time efficiently and maintain focus.
-
Regular breaks: Taking short breaks throughout the day can help recharge your energy and improve overall productivity.
-
Delegate tasks: Identify tasks that can be delegated to others to free up time for more important responsibilities.
-
Continuous learning: Invest in learning new skills or improving existing ones to increase efficiency and effectiveness in various areas of life.
How does ZEN-it differentiate itself from other task management tools mentioned in the blog, such as Asana, Trello, and Todoist, especially considering the increasing market competition and the specific needs highlighted in the blog regarding simplicity and effectiveness?
The biggest advantage of ZEN-it lies in its simplicity. The interface is extremely easy and intuitive to use, and also has short tutorials for all the major Productivity Suite features that a user can quickly look through and apply. Moreover, the Self-Care Suite ensures that the user has opportunities to take mindful breaks in the middle of their hectic schedule.
Ready to Redefine Productivity? Start your journey with ZEN-it today!
.png){kind=small}
