Rethinking Productivity

I have always been a very driven person.  But as a parent, I constantly feel the push and pull of integrating family and career.  With this push and pull, there is an insatiable drive to be as productive as possible.

Do you feel this as well?

With a growing business (which I love, by the way), a spouse with a demanding career, and a set of 12-year-old triplets and a 10-year-old, the push to squeeze every ounce of productivity is at an all-time high.

But what I am realizing, which is a real struggle, is that when it comes to productivity, more isn't better; more is just more.

Does this make sense?  Can you relate as a parent?

Dr. Joy Lere, a clinical psychologist and a parent herself, has a terrific substack called Finding Joy.  Recently Joy wrote a piece titled Rethinking Productivity.  As with many of her articles, I felt like she was talking directly to me as I grappled with my productivity dilemma.

Here are two points from her article that stand out to me:

• "Instead of doing more, we're better served to bring more intention to what has maximum impact.  To recalibrate, we need to appreciate that often the things that make the greatest difference don't yield immediate positive feedback."
• "We've confused what's urgent and forgotten what's important.  It's time to rethink productivity.  Instead of doing more, we're better served to bring more intention to what has maximum impact.  To recalibrate, we need to appreciate that often the things that make the greatest difference don't yield immediate positive feedback."

As I discuss with the families I support through my Family Office, give yourself the gift of grace and time to think through how to solve your biggest issues and define your purpose personally and financially.

While the intangible benefits may not be clearly present in the short term, your ROI will likely be bigger in the long run than any portfolio return you could have imagined.