Rethinking Productivity and Accomplishment
Beyond the Five Bullet Points
In Today’s Newsletter
Some reflections on productivity and accomplishment
A few resources to help you think about the world of work
An update on When Work Hurts
Rethinking Productivity and Accomplishment
Sometimes I get to the end of my work week and wonder if I’ve accomplished anything. Does that ever happen to you? I can look back at my task list, calendar, inbox, and the pile of papers on my desk as evidence of having worked. Still, it can be hard to feel productive when projects aren’t moving forward quite as quickly as I had hoped or I don’t have any deliverables or data points that point to the fruit of my labor.
Defining Productivity and Accomplishment
I suspect that’s the case for many of us, especially those of us who are knowledge workers. For us, productivity, and therefore accomplishment, are difficult to define in the short run. Cal Newport tackles this idea in his latest book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout. He writes,
In knowledge work…individuals are often wrangling complicated and constantly shifting workloads. You might be working on a client report at the same time that you’re gathering testimonials for the company website and organizing an office party, all while updating a conflict of interest statement that human resources just emailed you about. In this setting, there’s no clear single output to track. And even if you do wade through this swamp of activity to identify the work that matters most…there’s no easy way to control for the impact of unrelated obligations on each individual’s ability to produce.
Sure, we can set SMART Goals, OKRs, and KPIs to help us track our progress, but those methods seem to work best over a longer time horizon, not week to week. I once interviewed a marketing professional who felt stressed by her organization’s desire to measure her team’s performance at increasingly smaller intervals. They had moved from yearly, to quarterly, to monthly, to weekly benchmarks. Who can live up to that pressure to produce and perform?
We are not machines. Yet some leaders treat us like human doings instead of human beings. I think of the recent DOGE emails asking federal employees to list five bullet points of what they accomplished the previous week. Some weeks, I would be an emotional wreck trying to figure out what to include, especially knowing that my productivity would be evaluated by someone unfamiliar with me and my job demands, or worse, by AI.
A More Human Approach to Accomplishment
On LinkedIn, Psychologist Susan David shared an email that took a more human approach to work.
Please reply to this email with approximately 5 bullets on how you contributed not just through output, but through who you are.
Consider including:
- A moment where you helped someone else succeed.
- A decision where you prioritized long-term trust over short-term speed.
- A time when you brought creativity, emotional agility, or collaboration to a challenge.
- A way in which you made work feel more human—for yourself or someone else.
- Something you learned that made you better, not just busier.
I appreciate this approach because it reminds us that so much good work can’t be measured. It’s difficult to capture things like wisdom and love in a performance review. Plus, when we embody virtue in our jobs, we contribute to an environment where people want to do their best work. For Christians, that means embodying the virtues and values of the Kingdom of God and seeking to imitate Jesus, whether we’re sorting data in spreadsheets or spreading cream cheese on bagels.
Both what we do and how we do it matter.
For Christians, that means embodying the virtues and values of the Kingdom of God and seeking to imitate Jesus, whether we’re sorting data in spreadsheets or spreading cream cheese on bagels.
Both what we do and how we do it matter.
Questions for Reflection
What types of accomplishments matter most to your employer or in your industry?
What types of accomplishments matter most to you?
When it’s time for you to leave your current job, what do you want to be remembered for?
Resources to Help You Think about the World of Work
If you’ve been following the news about federal job cuts, you might like these two resources:
An article from NPR comparing the U.S. federal workforce with those in other countries
A podcast episode from the New York Times containing interviews with federal employees who lost their jobs
Update on When Work Hurts
Thanks to you, When Work Hurts has been a #1 New Release in two categories on Amazon: Work Life Balance in Business and Christian Business and Professional Growth.
If you’ve read the book, please write a review, even if it’s “I liked this book.” I appreciated what one reader wrote:
This book feels like having coffee with a friend in the most therapeutic way (a smart, witty, highly-educated friend, no less.) This book is a blessing for anyone who has found themselves frustrated with their work and calling. - HF
My friends at Denver Institute for Faith and Work invited me to write two blog posts related to the book. You might find them helpful.
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