A Vision Statement of Holistic Productivity

The term “productivity” often conjures images of factory floors and “widgets per hour” metrics. But when applied to the complex, creative, and relational work of life, this measurement falls short.

Even within the context of factories, how many widgets a machine can produce per hour is not always a linear calculation. The volume might depend on a variety of factors, including the nature of the machine, how well-suited the machine is to the job, and how well-maintained the machine is.

Humans have a lot more moving parts than even the most complex machines. Our capacity to produce output is not just a function of time; our ability to use that time effectively depends on how well we maintain ourselves on multiple levels: physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual.

And how would you measure “productivity” in a situation where the “output” is irrelevant, or nonexistent?

For example, what does it mean to be “productive” if you’re in a role whose primary function is caring for others, or serving the needs of others? In that case, your presence is most important, and the core inquiry is not “how can I be more present?” but rather “what interferes with my ability to be present?”

What about situations where the quality of the output is more important than the quantity?

These considerations are part of what informs my approach to what I call Holistic Productivity.

Foundations of Holistic Productivity

Holistic Productivity recognizes that

• “Getting things done” — or “doing more” — is not always the desired outcome, or at least not the only desired outcome.
• Even where output is our desired outcome, the process to achieve that outcome is more complex than a linear time/output relationship.

Holistic Productivity Principles

Here is a list of principles underlying my approach to Holistic Productivity.

1. Holistic Productivity is about alignment: how your environments, relationships, energy, and inner world support the life and work you want to create.
2. Your current and potential abilities derive from your stability, security, and safety. Your home — both the physical place where you live and the home you find within yourself — is the foundation for everything you create and contribute.
3. Life is not a sprint. Sustainable consistency over a long arc of time is more constructive than navigating the waves of intensity followed by burnout.
4. Emotional regulation, nervous system health, and physical health are essential foundations for consistent and sustainable work.
5. Pain — whether physical, emotional, or spiritual — is often a barrier to presence and connection, keeping us from accessing our fullest potential.
6. Cognitive bandwidth, more than time or energy, is the most valuable resource we have in service of our work. Things that drain our cognitive bandwidth levy an outsized cost on the quality of our work, or whether we can even work at all.
7. We must honor the rhythm of the seasons — both in nature and in our lives. There is a time for doing and a time for resting. A time for intense growth and a time for maintenance. Even linear time progresses in cycles.
8. The quality of our relationships and support systems plays a significant role in our ability to fulfill our potential. We need people who help us feel safe enough to take the creative, emotional, physical, and financial risks that are involved in meeting our edge and doing meaningful work.
9. Resistance, shadow, habits, and other unconscious behaviors are often barriers to creating, contributing, and connecting meaningfully.
10. There is no distinction between physical health, mental health, emotional health, and spiritual health. All health is nervous system health. Everything we do in life — from workouts to creative work to mindfulness practices — involves all parts of us because they are all related by one nervous system. Even if you sit or stand at a desk all day doing “knowledge work,” you are still using your body, just like an athlete still uses their brain.
11. The distinction between “life” and “business” — and the attempts to find balance between them — is flawed. To live a well-rounded life recognizes that every part of life impacts every other part of life. An argument with your spouse or kids impacts how you show up at work, just as a bad day at the office impacts how you show up for your family when you come home at night.
12. Our ability to move through life with confidence, ease, and in flow — both with life’s rhythms and our personal rhythms — depends on being aligned in all areas of life.
13. Productivity is not just about doing more — or about doing at all. It’s about living with clarity and intention, creating outcomes that matter to you and others while honoring your well-being.
14. Productivity is both generative and receptive. It is found in the space between work and rest. Productivity is about showing up with presence and purpose.