In reality, productivity is all about a fight against compensatory behaviors. A reduction in compensatory behaviors increases anxiety. People try to lower anxiety with things like biohacking or OCD-type behaviors like making lists.

The only thing that would really help here is to reduce the need for compensatory behaviors by removing whatever it is one is compensating for. This is the direction where real productivity lies.

In the meantime, a good matress and a system of to-do lists are a good band-aid.

12 responses to “More Productivity”

  1. Crystallizing chaos Avatar
    Crystallizing chaos

    Very true! Unfortunately, I have no idea what I’m compensating for. 😦

    Like

  2. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    “OCD-type behaviors like making lists.”

    Oh, come on! If you’re in certain positions — like a military commander of a large, complex administrative unit such as a medical center — you have to make a list at the start of the workday to cover all your bases.

    Besides, a little OCD is very beneficial in professions like medicine. If you work a 10-hour workweek in academia, not so much…

    Like

    1. David Gendron Avatar

      I don’t think she works 10h a week.

      Like

      1. Clarissa Avatar

        Those who work 10 hours a week, don’t get invited to international symposia. 🙂 They get the university to pay for their travel, taking away the money from those who do get published.

        Like

    2. David Gendron Avatar
  3. JProf Avatar
    JProf

    Unfortunately for me, my barrier to greater productivity is real OCD. I won’t go into details, but the anxiety from my OCD directly impacts certain areas of my job as a professor. Medication has made it manageable, but good therapy–by a therapist who’s knowledgeable about OCD–is not available in my area. And I have been in therapy before, so I do understand my issues and how to try to deal with them. But despite this problem, I am a good enough professor. But what bugs me is that if I didn’t have OCD, I might be so much more productive as a researcher and scholar.

    Like

    1. Clarissa Avatar

      I have OCD. I never even knew I had it. The analyst somehow figured out I have it even though I never mentioned the rituals. Analysis really helped. It didn’t completely go away but it’s not getting in my way any more. Psychoanalysis can be done on Skype.

      Like

      1. JProf Avatar
        JProf

        Wow! I didn’t think about the possibility of psychoanalysis being conducted via Skype. Thanks, Clarissa! ☺

        Like

        1. JProf Avatar
          JProf

          I think my emoji came out wrong? I meant ☺.

          Like

          1. JProf Avatar
            JProf

            i.e., regular smiley-face.

            Like

        2. Clarissa Avatar

          If you ever want recommendations for cheaper analysts, write me an email. I mean, they are all expensive, but I know a secret to finding cheaper ones. Hint: Canadian dollar is plummeting respective to the US.

          Like

          1. JProf Avatar
            JProf

            Thanks again!

            Like

Leave a comment

A conservative literary critic and college professor