Voices

A New Perspective on Productivity

IMGCAP(1)] Ultimately, everything within the four walls of a cubicle is judged by a single variable: productivity. Production has become the end all be all of performance reviews. Measuring productivity is cold and calculating, with a complete disregard for anything outside the realm of ratios, percentages, and dollar signs.

To improve that productivity, business professionals have been provided with ample amounts of tools. Computers that calculate at lighting fast speeds, networks which streamline communications, cubicles that maximize efficiency and space, and software that does all the dirty work for us have made productivity levels skyrocket throughout the economic development of the country.

One factor, however, was completely ignored throughout this economic growth: You. All of this new found production has come at the expense of your health and well being.

Whenever faults presented themselves in the established methods of productivity, rather than being viewed as symptoms of inherent weaknesses in the system, they were merely solved, one symptom at a time. Low energy levels? There’s a drink for that. Neck pain? There’s a pill for that. Low back pain? There’s always something for this.

But these issues are symptoms and not problems. And the longer someone masks a symptom, the worse and severe it becomes. Good luck trying to use that new MS Excel software when your shoulder throbs so much, it takes Vicodine pills just to numb the pain.

Take a step back and recognize that only a small handful of problems have created these cascading symptoms that have flattened the wallets of everyone involved. These select few lifestyle issues, when proactively addressed, can effectively eliminate the need for drugs, coffee, and energy drinks; all the while improving not only productivity levels, but also the total quality of life. 

The pillars of a proactive lifestyle include implementing strategies that promote proper posture, appropriate fitness strategies, high-quality nutrition, and understanding the optimal environment for brain function.

Over the next few entries of this blog, we will discuss each of these productivity issues, why they exist, and how to create proactive strategies that battle and prevent against productivity losses.

I invite the entire reading community to submit questions along the way as our entire industry learns small yet significant steps to achieving a new level of health, wellness, and productivity.

Luke Sniewski currently works as a CPA as well as a Fitness Consultant. He works by weaving the health and wellness world with the business professional world. Working with companies and business professionals, his organization, LEAF, provides CPE courses that aim to improve the overall quality of life through the implementation of proactive lifestyles. Visit www.leaflifestyle.com for more details.

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