From the Editor
I would like to make sure that whenever I use the term “productivity” you understand and feel the same way I do. Productivity that I teach and advertise is optimizing and facilitating processes and actions in order to gain more time and energy for doing the stuff we like and spending wonderful hours with people we love.
I’ve never meant anything else by promoting productivity. It’s not about working more, working harder, working longer hours. It’s also not about getting more and more and being richer and more powerful. It’s more about looking for ways to facilitate things and make life easier, happier and more satisfying.
Productivity in this sense can be a goal for both individuals and organizations, including educational institutions. There are three levels where a productivity-oriented approach can be developed in schools. These are:
The organization and processes
I feel the education system doesn’t keep up with the pace of the social, economical and technological changes. The main hindrance to greater productivity in schools (especially the public ones) is a continuous adherence to out-dated operational procedures that were designed for the reality of the 20th century. In order to improve the situation, people who manage the education sector should adjust the rules and procedures to current circumstances, including both pupils’ and teachers’ needs and the labor market’s expectations. They should let the innovation and technology in and take advantage of what these two can offer.
School staff
Principals, teachers and the rest of the people responsible for educating young generations also need to update the way they work and communicate. This is the aspect that Mike St. Pierre discusses in the interview, so please, read on :)
Pupils and students
Young people who attend school usually look for examples and role models. If they are taught how to make things easier, plan their actions, work more efficiently and avoid distractions these good habits stay with them forever. In order to foster a productivity approach a productivity culture needs to be created in schools based on openness and consistency. The youngsters also need to see that innovation and new technologies are welcome and used intelligently.
It hurts to see children leaving schools without the ability to manage their work and time and often having been poisoned by counterproductive habits that are really difficult to get rid of later on.
Meet the Productive! Magazine team
Execution: Magda Błaszczyk
Editing: James Tonn, Emily Derr
Design: Radek Kozieł
Technology: Radek Pietruszewski and Tomasz Kapelak
Video editing: Rafał Meszka
Vision (that’s me!): Michael Sliwinski
