How much do you accomplish in one day? According to recent studies, we aren't accomplishing as much as we used to. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that overall national productivity dropped to 105.57 Index Points in the first quarter of 2015. Thats a decrease of over one full point from the last quarter of 2014.
Technology and science can make the workplace and the home only so productive; most of it depends on the people who do the work in the first place.
If you feel you could do more with your day, here is a collection of advice from people who make it happen. Harold Bloom, a Sterling Professor Emeritus at Yale University, has compiled a brief list of what he calls thought productivity nuggets from ancient history:
Think not long, but do; do not long, but think. - Confucius
The Chinese philosopher is reputed to have taken hold of Chinas vast and corrupt imperial bureaucracy and turned it into a productive civil government that inspired nations like Japan and Korea to emulate his reforms.
There is nothing wrong with complaining about work; but do the work first and then the complaints will be all the more worthy to be heeded. - Socrates
Called The Athenian Gadfly by his contemporaries in ancient Greece, Socrates was a notorious sluggard who refused to serve in any government capacity or work at anything steady. He asked all the wrong questions, which eventually got him sentenced to death by the exasperated citizens of Athens. But after his death, many of the practices he had questioned in government and transport were finally eliminated, and more productive policies were implemented.
Never hitch a pig to a plow or expect an ox to provide bacon. - Virgil
The ancient Roman poet Virgil wrote extensively about agriculture. It is said that his own estates were so well-run that he eventually gathered more wealth than the Roman emperors he often wrote complimentary poems about (he was a notable brown-noser, too.)
You may catch more flies with honey than vinegar; but youll get them to work harder if you use a flyswatter. - Jerry Lewis
When the frenetic comic began writing and directing his own movies in the early 1960s, he hired only the best to turn his comedic vision into reality. It soon became well known all over Hollywood that Lewis consistently demanded only the very best work from his staff -- a mediocre performance was automatic grounds for dismissal. Whether you love him or loathe him, theres no denying his movies are technically way ahead of their times.
Measure twice; cut once.- Harrison Ford
Before he became Han Solo, Ford worked as a carpenter. And like any good carpenter, he always carefully planned out his performance before going in front of the camera, so hed never have to recut.
Measure results, not hours. - Emma Thompson
The British actress is affectionately known on the sets where she works as a thoroughbred when it comes to performance. She never lets up until she feels shes gotten the scene just right, no matter how long it takes. This attitude has made her one of the most award-winning actresses in British history.
The longer the meeting, the less is accomplished. - Tim Cook
Cook is the CEO of Apple, Inc. He never stays in a staff meeting longer than ten minutes. If the meeting continues longer than twenty minutes after hes gone, he asks for a memo justifying the time spent around a conference table.
I use my brain as a playground, not as a calendar. - Donald Trump
"The Donald" is famous among his business associates for his creative energy when it comes to productive solutions. He hires (and fires) secretaries to keep track of his time commitments so he can dream up unusual strategies that have kept him one step ahead of the real estate game and may land him in the White House.
Technology and science can make the workplace and the home only so productive; most of it depends on the people who do the work in the first place.
If you feel you could do more with your day, here is a collection of advice from people who make it happen. Harold Bloom, a Sterling Professor Emeritus at Yale University, has compiled a brief list of what he calls thought productivity nuggets from ancient history:
Think not long, but do; do not long, but think. - Confucius
The Chinese philosopher is reputed to have taken hold of Chinas vast and corrupt imperial bureaucracy and turned it into a productive civil government that inspired nations like Japan and Korea to emulate his reforms.
There is nothing wrong with complaining about work; but do the work first and then the complaints will be all the more worthy to be heeded. - Socrates
Called The Athenian Gadfly by his contemporaries in ancient Greece, Socrates was a notorious sluggard who refused to serve in any government capacity or work at anything steady. He asked all the wrong questions, which eventually got him sentenced to death by the exasperated citizens of Athens. But after his death, many of the practices he had questioned in government and transport were finally eliminated, and more productive policies were implemented.
Never hitch a pig to a plow or expect an ox to provide bacon. - Virgil
The ancient Roman poet Virgil wrote extensively about agriculture. It is said that his own estates were so well-run that he eventually gathered more wealth than the Roman emperors he often wrote complimentary poems about (he was a notable brown-noser, too.)
You may catch more flies with honey than vinegar; but youll get them to work harder if you use a flyswatter. - Jerry Lewis
When the frenetic comic began writing and directing his own movies in the early 1960s, he hired only the best to turn his comedic vision into reality. It soon became well known all over Hollywood that Lewis consistently demanded only the very best work from his staff -- a mediocre performance was automatic grounds for dismissal. Whether you love him or loathe him, theres no denying his movies are technically way ahead of their times.
Measure twice; cut once.- Harrison Ford
Before he became Han Solo, Ford worked as a carpenter. And like any good carpenter, he always carefully planned out his performance before going in front of the camera, so hed never have to recut.
Measure results, not hours. - Emma Thompson
The British actress is affectionately known on the sets where she works as a thoroughbred when it comes to performance. She never lets up until she feels shes gotten the scene just right, no matter how long it takes. This attitude has made her one of the most award-winning actresses in British history.
The longer the meeting, the less is accomplished. - Tim Cook
Cook is the CEO of Apple, Inc. He never stays in a staff meeting longer than ten minutes. If the meeting continues longer than twenty minutes after hes gone, he asks for a memo justifying the time spent around a conference table.
I use my brain as a playground, not as a calendar. - Donald Trump
"The Donald" is famous among his business associates for his creative energy when it comes to productive solutions. He hires (and fires) secretaries to keep track of his time commitments so he can dream up unusual strategies that have kept him one step ahead of the real estate game and may land him in the White House.