If I had walked by it on a sign or a poster, the headline, “How one notebook could replace all the productivity apps that have failed you” would have stopped me in my tracks. I was sitting down when I encountered it, though, so I wasn’t in motion. In fact, it didn’t stop me from doing anything, because I was at work, sitting in my cubicle, browsing Twitter. I was not in any way being productive, but this headline, from an article on the Popular Science website, did get me thinking about the word productive and what’s required to have such a label bestowed upon you.
As the headline suggests, we’re all a little obsessed with being productive these days. (Although I can assure you that no “productivity apps” have failed me — ever — because I don’t use them.) Yet, I wonder: Do we even know what it means to be productive? In my experience, most folks equate productivity with “getting things done” either at work or around the house. But does productivity always have to result in some product? Is productivity something that only happens at work or when you’re engaged in some sort of labor? Can you be productive at something that others might consider pointless or a waste of time (e.g., my work on this blog)? Can you be a productive sleeper?
To begin answering these questions, I reached for the biggest gun in my lexicographical arsenal: The (compact) Oxford English Dictionary. It defines productive as follows:
1. Having the quality of producing or bringing forth; tending to produce; creative, generative
2. That causes or brings about; that results in; causative
3. (In economics) That produces or increases wealth or value; engaged in the production of commodities of exchangeable value; especially in productive labor
4. That which produces readily or abundantly; fertile, prolific
As usual, I consulted other dictionaries too and all define productive in similar ways, so I’ll spare you the superfluous definitions. I will not, however, spare you a trip down etymology lane, as peering into the word’s history was definitely worth the effort.
The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories doesn’t have an entry for productive, so in this instance, we’ll have to settle for produce.
Produce [late Middle English] The first sense recorded was ‘provide something for consideration’ (as in produced a contract). It comes from Latin producere, from pro- ‘forward’ and ducere ‘to lead.’ Current noun senses (as in farm produce, produce of their joint efforts) date from the late 17th century. In the late Middle English period, the Latin verb producere also gave riser to product (as a mathematical term) from Latin productum ‘(something) produced.’ Production via Old French from Latin productio; and early 17th century productive from French productif or late Latin productivus.
The (Ayto) Dictionary of Word Origins sings a similar tune.
Produce To produce something is etymologically to ‘lead it forward,’ a meaning still discernible beneath the veil of the metaphor that clothes the modern English word’s range of meanings. It comes from the Latin producere, a compound verb formed from the prefix pro- ‘forward’ and ducere ‘lead’ (source of English duct, duke, educate, introduce, etc.)
Really, duke? I didn’t see that coming. Strange as it might be, this is backed up the very long Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. This text doesn’t have a proper entry for produce either. Instead, it directs the reader to … wait for it … duke, where said reader finds the following: “Latin dux, leader, hence chief … from ducere, draw to oneself, draw on or along, to lead, conduct.”
It’s here that our etymological journey ends and brings us back to the doorstep of productive, for as Mr. Ayto so astutely points out, when you get right down to it, what we mean when we say we’re being productive is simply that we’re moving things along in the desired direction (aka: forward).
Yes, when we’re productive we “bring forth” stuff, or our activity “results in” something, or creates something of value (be it directly or indirectly). Our creative powers may even be so productive that we earn a reputation as a “prolific” songwriter or author. Yet even in these instances, what we’re doing is moving things along toward some desired goal.
And so herein lies the answer to my initial question: Does productivity always result in some product? The answer is yes and that product is advancement or progress, which it’s worth pointing out, may not be a physical thing.
So, in addition to being productive at work or around the house, we can also be productive when performing activities others deem a waste of time as long as what we’re doing leads somewhere (like the long-overdue end of this post or fresh blog content). We can even be productive sleepers as long as our rest leads us to feeling well-rested.
And hey, if you made it all the way to the end of this nonsense, I hope your efforts have led you to a better understanding of the word productive.
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