Achieving desired results through effort defines productivity. Economic productivity involves translating work into capital. Business enterprises seek to maximize value to their shareholders by increasing their return on investment. The business cycle seeks to increase productivity, delivering more goods and services for ever lower cost. Productive output can be increased by increased effort, speed and efficiency. Production costs can be lowered by reducing material or labor costs as well as by investing in systems which increase efficiency such as computers or mechanical systems. Other productive endeavors seek to add value to customers or stakeholders by increasing quality of life in other ways, such as improved health, entertainment, creating beauty through artistry or increasing happiness. Discovering your ability to add value to others in a way that is enjoyable to you will make work more pleasant, perhaps even fun. Understanding the need for productive effort in any work endeavor will help you to be valuable in the marketplace.
We all inherently know the difference between productivity and leisure. We all need a balance between productive work and leisurely, non-work related activities and rest. Healthy, happy, well balanced individuals need to be productive, to accomplish tasks which result in desired outcomes. If your financial needs are already met, you can focus your productive work on anything you choose, whether it generates income or not. For most people, this in not yet the case. Most of us need to generate income through our work efforts, through expending thought and energy, to provide something of economic value to other people. Understanding the value you provide to any enterprise and understanding the need to produce whatever the enterprise seeks will enable you to fulfill your responsibilities and to enhance your value by figuring out ways to be more productive. If you happen to be in a role to influence the productivity of other people, you are in an even more powerful position to add value to the enterprise and increase your own value, along with your income.
This understanding translates into work ethic. Work ethic defines willingness to expend effort in the accomplishment of the goal and to be held accountable for the results. This is an important concept for individual achievement as well as for the success and economic well being of a society or country. We all rise or fall on the basis of our individual and collective efforts, motivated by cultural expectation and economic incentive. If our culture does not encourage productive output and there is not sufficient reward for the effort we will not thrive as a group. Policy and law influence these outcomes. The work ethic is generally developed in youth and young adulthood. It is important that we instill this belief in our young people and continue to pursue policies that foster reward for productive work and a ladder of opportunity to those willing to expend the effort to climb.
If you are willing to work, to expend thought and energy in accomplishment of tasks that are valued in the economic sense, you can become successful. Hard working individuals need to balance their efforts with time for recovery to recharge their energy and meet their other emotional needs. This balance will help you to be more productive in your work activities. Some people develop a tendency for imbalance that tilts toward leisure, entertainment, and non-productive activity. These things are needed by everybody, but this imbalance of effort will lead to less life satisfaction and lack of true emotional fulfillment. Find a means of producing, of generating income for effort, preferably one that is interesting or even enjoyable. Work that challenges your abilities and fosters growth of new talents is especially rewarding, both financially, intellectually and emotionally.