What Counts as a Productive Day?

I have been thinking lately about how we measure a productive day.

Most of us count the obvious things. Meetings attended. Problems solved. Emails answered. Decisions made. Tasks completed.

But do we count the things that keep us well enough to keep doing all of that?

For me, it is my daily walk.

I often make a note in my journal at the end of the day. Sometimes the entry is full of work, travel, meetings, decisions and things I managed to get done. And then somewhere near the end I will write, “No walk.”

It is usually just an observation. But I have started noticing how often it appears.

And it has made me wonder whether I am measuring the day properly.

Because I can have a very productive day by every normal measure and still have made no time for the things that are actually good for me.

Productivity is not just output

Earlier in my career, productivity was fairly easy to see. There was always something to build, fix, organise or deliver. Progress often meant doing more, learning more and taking on more responsibility.

That still matters. I like getting things done, and some days the work simply needs to be done.

But I think the measure changes as leadership changes.

At some point, productivity cannot just be about how much we can fit into the day. It also has to include whether we are making room for the things that help us stay well.

For me, walking matters physically, but it also gives me time to think. Some of my best ideas come when I am moving and not staring at a screen.

For someone else, it might be the gym, swimming, gardening, reading, prayer, time with family, or just getting outside.

The activity itself is not really the point.

The question is whether there is anything in your day that restores you.

What always gets pushed aside?

The problem is that the things that sustain us are rarely urgent.

Nobody sends a calendar invitation telling us to go for a walk. (Though I could always enter this myself!!)

There is no crisis that requires us to sit quietly for half an hour, call a friend, read a book or think about the next ten years.

So those things get pushed aside.

The meeting starts at 10.

The deadline is Friday.

The phone is ringing.

And before long, the things outside work that matter become the things we will get to when life settles down.

I am not convinced life ever really settles down.

We have to make room for them. And I think Daylight Saving helps me get out and about before it gets dark - but is that making my day longer??

A better measure of the day

So I am trying to broaden my own definition of productivity.

Yes, the work counts.

But so does the walk.

So does exercise.

So does time with family.

So does writing.

So does thinking.

So does rest. (I took Friday off and it's a long weekend - that counts right??)

Maybe the better question at the end of the day is not just, “What did I get done?”

Maybe it is also, “Did I make room for anything today that was good for me?”

For me, some days the answer is still:

No walk.

But at least I am noticing it now.