‘The most desirable level of productivity is the maximum productivity level in life. At this stage everything works for you because you have mastered the productivity curve. Most people never attain the level of maximum productivity because they are ignorant of the various stages of productivity. Despite the myriads of challenges buffeting Nigerians there is still a space for every strategic and hardworking individual to move one notch above his or her current level of productivity’
PRODUCTIVITY means maximising your results with available resources. It may also mean to optimise your life in a satisfactory manner. Different people are at different levels of productivity in life. Many factors account for the different levels of productivity that individuals are at a given time.
The factors include the quality of your mindset, your personal vision and strategy, the depth of your knowledge, how you deploy your knowledge, your work ethics, adaptability skills, resilience and grit.
The most desirable level of productivity is the maximum productivity level in life. At this stage everything works for you because you have mastered the productivity curve. Most people never attain the level of maximum productivity because they are ignorant of the various stages of productivity. Despite the myriads of challenges buffeting Nigerians there is still a space for every strategic and hardworking individual to move one notch above his or her current level of productivity. The starting point is to have a clear understanding of the various levels of productivity. Based on a research I conducted from year 2012 to 2016 in Nigeria, United Kingdom and United States respectively I identified seven levels of productivity.
*Negative Productivity. Every individual was created to be busy for a purpose. This is why God ensured that He created work and a conducive environment for work before He created Adam and Eve. The first dialogue recorded in the Bible was about work. “Be fruitful and multiply…” is a command that entails work. Nobody can be productive without working. Work can be intellectual or physical but it is inevitable for anyone who desires to maximise results. To be without work is a sign of idleness. Those who habitually do nothing or avoid work are simply lazy.
They cannot have any real worth or importance. In life they can never become significant because their influence will ultimately be zero. Idleness is therefore the first level of productivity. People who are idle are unemployable because they do not make any effort to add value to people or things. Idle people are net consumers. They are leeches who profit from the hard work of others. Idle people’s stock in trade is that they are always waiting for someone to employ them, instead of making themselves employable. They lack employability skills and are often unwilling to develop themselves.
Unemployment is not an excuse for idleness. Opportunities abound for anyone who is resolute about beating unemployment. A determined person, although unemployed, can create a job for himself or herself through the agribusiness value chain, information technology, fashion, entertainment, media etc.
*Non-Productivity is the second level of productivity. All that some people do throughout the year is going through a very difficult experience of multiple losses. Non-productivity is a level akin to a situation of famine. Individuals at this level put in so much effort with nothing to show for it at the end of the year. Individuals at this level may generally be engaged in non-productive activities not capable of producing desired results. In the workplace such activities may be related to interruption or delays of work performance.
Non-productive individuals may suffer from ignorance or poor health conditions or lack of capacity to do jobs that generate positive returns. At times life may show up through a national economic depression, acts of God or a pandemic such as Covid-19 which has been ravaging the world since the year 2020. Individuals at this level are considered poor. Ecclesiastes 10:15 suggests that people at this level are fools who are so worn out by a hard day’s work to the extent that they cannot even find their way home at night. They endlessly toil without a clear direction to the doorway to success. Every individual must strive to avoid being on the level of non-productivity because it can lead to a life of misery and generational poverty. Non-productivity can easily degenerate to a state of frustration, worthlessness and depression. Indeed, individuals at the level of non-productivity are likely to be uprooted because of unfruitfulness. These are the first set of people who lose their jobs when a company is downsizing or rightsizing as it were. If you are not productive your position is already threatened wherever you are. An unproductive student will fail so many times until he or she is advised to withdraw from the academic institution. An unproductive servant will sooner be shown the door if there is no noticeable improvement in performance.
* Semi Productivity ranks as the third level of productivity. This is the level where modest results are achieved. For a farmer, semi-productivity means reaping a hundredfold in the same year. The results achieved at this level are considered “better than nothing” because they can be equated with a farmer producing at subsistence level. Most self employed individuals operate at this level. Their success is only dependent on daily self made efforts. Economically, an individual on the level of semi-productivity and below may largely still be in the class of those who are struggling to eke a living on a daily basis.
*Dr Adeduro, Productivity Consultant, can be reached at [email protected]
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