I recently downloaded one of those news aggregator apps for my iphone where you can select topics and it finds you interesting articles to read. I ticked off some topics, but was surprised when it came back with links to sites all about boosting productivity:
Learn how to boost your productivity in 30 minutes with GTD and Evernote
Use the 52/17 Rule to Maximize productivity
24 Creative features that will improve productivity at the office
American workers are already the third most productive workers in the world, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). How much more productive can we be?
The sinister thing going on here is that workers have somehow convinced themselves that they need to be more productive. We want to do more work! Who conned us into this?
It used to be employers exploiting employees. Now employees exploit themselves for employers.
One of the great crimes of my generation of professionals will be the way we have embraced technology that will ultimately makes us obsolescent. Smart phones and computers allow businesses to monitor our work habits like never before. It gives employers access to us night and day.
Instead, we go crazy when the iPhone comes out, not to mention all the members of the intelligentsia how great technology is. It will change the world! It will spread democracy! Maybe. But it will also be what it always has been--a way to exploit workers.
(For the record: this in no way reflects on my own employer who is quite generous with benefits and works very hard to make sure everyone is treated humanely).