Traditional Productivity

The traditional view of productivity often focuses on the quantity of work completed. At the end of the day, many of us evaluate our productivity based on how many tasks we checked off our list. However, this approach can be misleading—we might feel accomplished without actually producing anything meaningful.

I recently spoke with a senior manager who considered herself highly productive because she had successfully defused a potentially serious workplace conflict. After hearing the details, I asked her: What knowledge was created as a result of these events? Were any procedures updated? Were there any lessons the company needed to document?

Without capturing and applying these insights, her efforts, while commendable, didn’t result in anything enduring or transformative.

Digital Productivity

As we enter the era of generative AI, the concept of productivity is shifting. The most valuable form of productivity today is digital productivity. Information and ideas that remain confined to a human mind have limited value—they cannot be utilized by large language models or other AI systems to drive innovation and decision-making.

Digital productivity is about effectively using digital tools and technologies to complete tasks efficiently, reduce effort, and maximize outcomes. It involves leveraging automation, collaboration platforms, and data-driven insights to streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and ensure that critical knowledge is accessible and actionable.

Productivity Behaviors

To truly accelerate productivity in the digital age, we need to redefine it in terms of the behaviors that create knowledge. This means fostering habits and practices that prioritize capturing, organizing, and sharing knowledge, ensuring that individual efforts contribute to a collective, lasting impact.