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> Why this pressing need to maximize productivity? Because this maximizes your happiness. We're happiest when we produce, not when we consume or when we're idl
by old-gregg 9y ago
> Why this pressing need to maximize productivity?
Because this maximizes your happiness. We're happiest when we produce, not when we consume or when we're idle. Think of productivity as a rate of positive change you inflict on your surroundings, or as a unit of feedback you receive from the world acknowledging your existence.
Re-arranging the world towards your views is hugely satisfying and it could be as simple as cleaning up your bedroom, working on your garden or as complex as migrating a country off fossil fuels.
If you accept this definition of productivity the rest of the blog post makes perfect sense. Why are we here? To be productive! :)
- Analemma_ 9y agoI think you need a lot more evidence than a couple sentences to prove that happiness is a monotonically increasing function of productivity. A priori, it sounds much more likely to me that it's a unimodal function which peaks and then drops off.
- KozmoNau7 9y agoPersonally, I'm happiest when I'm cuddling my girlfriend, or when I'm at a concert, or when I'm reading a great book, or when I'm enjoying good food or drink, or some combination of the above. I guess I'm a hedonist, the only things I enjoy producing are those that directly contribute to my happiness. How does that fit into a definition of productivity? I guess I am technically producing happiness, but that seems like a bit of stretch :-)