Many people in EA value personal productivity highly, and make it a goal to complete as many tasks on their to-do list as possible in a day. Some people (myself included, in the past) seem to tie up their feeling of self-worth with how productive they felt that day.
I think that increased productivity should mainly be used to reduce the amount of time we work each day, and not to get more things done. To live a truly fulfilled life we need more unstructured, unproductive time when we can be ourselves and do the things that we find inherently valuable and enjoyable.
Here are some things that I find valuable in themselves, and not particularly productive:
Running along a river or canal in the morning
Reading a history book in a café
Listen to classical music on the radio
Prepare an elaborate dinner for my girlfriend
Try all the different types of cheese from my local shop
Why we should be less productive.
Many people in EA value personal productivity highly, and make it a goal to complete as many tasks on their to-do list as possible in a day. Some people (myself included, in the past) seem to tie up their feeling of self-worth with how productive they felt that day.
I think that increased productivity should mainly be used to reduce the amount of time we work each day, and not to get more things done. To live a truly fulfilled life we need more unstructured, unproductive time when we can be ourselves and do the things that we find inherently valuable and enjoyable.
Here are some things that I find valuable in themselves, and not particularly productive:
Running along a river or canal in the morning
Reading a history book in a café
Listen to classical music on the radio
Prepare an elaborate dinner for my girlfriend
Try all the different types of cheese from my local shop