What is a Productivityist?


Let’s get this part out of the way first: Productivityist isn’t a real word.

Well, not yet.

My aim is to make it a term that may not ever be completely real, but to make it at least recognizable.

But before I get into what the term means, I want to address what it doesn’t mean.

A productivityist is not a productivity expert. A productivityist is not a guru. If someone calls you a productivity expert, then you’re in elite company…because there aren’t many of them out there.

So…what is a “productivityist” then?

A productivityist is a productivity enthusiast. They are someone who studies productivity, be it the tools or habits. They dive deeper into the realm than most people. Just like a comedian looks at the world differently, so does the productivityist.1 Productivityists, like other enthusiasts, like to go further in their craft and push boundaries. They like to explore new processes, new ideas, new ways to get things done. And for a while they wind up doing productive more often than being productive…but they start to shift the other way over time.

That’s what a productivityist is. And I’m certainly one of ‘em.

Photo credit: Ciccio Pizzettaro (CC BY NC-SA 2.0)

1That sentence got me thinking that many people look at “Don’t Break The Chain” as a tool for productivity, and it’s attributed to a comedian…Jerry Seinfeld.