Are You Productive?

Maybe you think you are. I did. But to avoid burning out, we may need to think differently

- JASON FEIFER

What does productivity mean to you?

Like, literally? What does it mean for you to have a productive day?

Here's my answer, which is typical: "Productivity" means I complete a list of tasks. That's because I organize my day around my to-do list, and I feel productive when I check stuff off.

But what if...there's another way to look at it?

"To me, productivity is about energy management-not time management," says my friend Katherine Morgan Schafler, a psychotherapist and author of the great book The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control.

To appreciate that, start by considering the days when you are not productive. Why didn't you finish more tasks? "It's not really because we run out of the time to do them," Katherine says. "We run out of the energy to do them."