The One Word That’s Better Than “Productivity.”

When you hear the word “productivity” what do you think?

iOS apps?Being busy?The Industrial Revolution?When I think of productivity, a few things come to mind. Sure, output is one of them. It’s a big one. But output isn’t the same as “more widgets, faster and cheaper.”Output also refers to quality, which is how well your solution (or your widget) solves the problem. Usually, you need less output if the quality is high. On top of that, there’s waste, which is how many additional revolutions per minute your wheels are spinning when they didn’t have to for a comparable result. Overall, it looks like productivity is probably an insufficient word to describe the concept that comes to mind. 

So, I need to start using another word. 

Social Impact. That’s what I will be using for now. If you can think of another one, please let me know!

2 Minute Action

How are you thinking of your social impact?Satisfied customers?Your Net Promoter Score?GBMs? (Goose Bump Moments)

It’s worth 2 minutes defining the axis on which you’re measuring your productivity/social impact. 

Profit margin is one very helpful, unbiased way to measure the health of your project, but it’s just one of other vital signs for sustained social impact.

Reply and let me know how you’re measuring your productivity. I’d love to hear from you. 

The 2 Underlying (And Overlooked) Components of Motivation

Your motivation changes with 2 critical things.When something is scarce or rare, we tend to want it more.When something is urgent, we tend to take action more.Combined, these are a marketing force to be reckoned with.

This information can either be interesting or it can also be useful.

You can use this understanding to avoid feeling pressured into buy those widgets when there are only 6 left and the sale ends tonight.You can use this understanding to prepare for the inevitable internal battle with eating junk food or exercising.Now that you know this information, what will you do?

2 Minute Action

If you’ve been trying to do something for a long time and have been failing, ask yourself: what will be different about it, this time?You should be able to come up with an answer in 2 minutes.Even just one new idea will set up your path and help give you the motivation to follow through.