Productivity Hours Aren’t About Time

Are some hours better for working than others?

You may work better-but-fewer hours, get more done, but feel guilty for finishing early… and fill the remaining time with busywork. You may work lesser-but-more hours, get less done, but pat yourself on the back for the ‘hustle’ of how many hours you worked.

“Productivity hours” aren’t actually hours at all. Rather, they’re a form of output, like horsepower is to cars.

A horse creates 1 horsepower. A Ford Mustang (2019) creates 460 horsepower. A regular cubicle worker creates 1 productivity hour. How many do you create?

If you can produce 2 productivity hours, that muscle could run circles around those with less motivation and focus.

Nobody would argue that a Ford Fiesta (120hp) is more powerful than that Mustang just because you left the engine running four times as long.

If you’re doing work that matters, remember, it’s not about time. Your meaningful work doesn’t need idle time, it needs you to be excellent then to get some rest.