D O U G
B E L S H A W
#uppingyourgame (v0.2) An educator’s guide to productivity.
PREVIEW an OpenBeta book
Preface: What is ‘OpenBeta’? OpenBeta is an iterative and incremental publishing model devised by Doug Belshaw and based upon the idea of an ‘unbook’: The book is released in stages with the contents and the publishing costs being separated (see next page for elaboration)
Introduction Welcome to the preview of v0.2 of #uppingyourgame! As explained in the preface, this is the first book to be published using the OpenBeta model I devised. If you’ve just stumbled across this on issuu.com, check out http://bit.ly/uppingyourgame! This preview of #uppingyourgame v0.2 contains the preface, an introduction (which you’re currently reading), the table of contents and part of the first chapter: The Philosophy of Productivity. The chapter comprises of four parts in all and I plan to write five chapters. I’d very much welcome any feedback and suggestions you may have. The sketchy images are just indicative - they’ll improve for the final version! :-) The template for this ebook is based on an original shared very kindly free-of-charge by Antonio Lupetti (http://woorkup.com)
______________ ★ LINKS
blog: http://dougbelshaw.com/blog email: dajbelshaw@gmail.com twitter: http://twitter.com/dajbelshaw
# U P P I N G Y O U R G A M E
v
0 . 2
Table of contents 1. The Philosophy of Productivity ..................6 Defining ‘Productivity’!...................................................................6
5
# U P P I N G Y O U R G A M E
1.
v
0 . 2
The Philosophy of Productivity 1.1. Defining ‘Productivity’ I used to view starting off a book or an article with a definition as a sign of weakness by the author. I thought it was a sign that they didn’t know where to start and therefore used a cliché. It turns out I was wrong. The reason why many authors start off with definitions is either to clarify what they mean by a certain term, or to show that existing definitions are somewhat lacking. That’s why I’m kicking off what follows with existing definitions of ‘productivity’. I want to make sure we know what we’re talking about before I encourage you to get better at it. So on the next page you’ll find definitions of productivity. Some are closer, and some further away, from how I would define what we are looking at here.
6
# U P P I N G Y O U R G A M E
v
0 . 2
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, productivity is ‘the state or quality of being productive’. Helpful! Turning elsewhere, Wikipedia defines ‘productivity’ as ‘a measure of output from a production process, per unit of input’. Becoming more productive in this sense, therefore, is a scientific process perfected in factory production lines. Steve Pavlina, a well-known personal development writer/coach refines this further, defining productivity in the following way: Productivity = Value Time An increase in productivity, therefore, involves either increasing the value of the activity being performed or reducing the time it takes to do it. But what about activities you want to spend time doing precisely because they carry so much intrinsic value or meaning to you? Instead of an Industrial Revolution-era definition of productivity, we need one that recognises and understands the creative act as well as the value that people place in their actions. We need a definition that recognises the meaning behind action; a definition that cannot be boiled down to a simple, sterile equation.
7
# U P P I N G Y O U R G A M E
v
0 . 2
Fortunately, Dictionary.com has a less scientific, more nuanced approach: Productivity: 1. having the power of producing; generative; creative. 2. producing readily or abundantly; fertile. It is this latter way of defining ‘productivity’ that is closest to what I shall be discussing from here on in. To me, productivity is as much about being creative and enjoying what you do as it is about churning through laborious tasks.
______________ ★ LINKS
Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com Oxford English Dictionary: http://www.askoxford.com Steve Pavlina: http://www.stevepavlina.com Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org
8