Regular productivity wasn't enough. Now, we have soft productivity.

The latest workplace trend sounds a bit like answering emails from our favorite seat in the house. But, underneath the trendy name is a pretty reasonable idea: getting things done doesn't mean stacking every available minute with work.

Soft productivity is less interested in how busy we look and more interested in getting important things done without exhausting ourselves in the process. That may not be particularly revolutionary. But, after years of the hustle culture telling us to optimize every waking hour, perhaps we did need a name for it.

What Is Soft Productivity?

In its simplest form, soft productivity is a gentler approach to getting things done. Instead of measuring a successful day by the length of the completed to-do list, the idea is to focus on the work that matters the most and recognize that our energy and attention aren't unlimited resources.

That doesn't mean abandoning our deadlines, ignoring emails, or deciding that Wednesday afternoon is exclusively for staring out the window. We still have work to do. We just don’t have to make being overwhelmed part of the job description.

Not Everything on the List Is Equally Important

A long to-do list can make every task look equally urgent when it isn't. Answering a routine email, scheduling an appointment, finishing a report due tomorrow, and ordering more printer paper may all be on the same list. 

But, they don't deserve the same amount of attention. Soft productivity tells us to identify the work that needs to get done today and give it priority. That might mean choosing two or three important tasks for the day and tackling those before turning to smaller jobs.

We may not cross 17 things off the list, but we'll have finished the things that mattered the most.

Being Busy Isn't the Same as Being Focused

It can be hard to focus on one thing when the workday keeps interrupting us. We might be halfway through a project when we stop to answer an email or respond to a message. 

Meetings can break up the day, too, and even a quick question from a coworker can pull our attention away longer than we expected. In an analysis of aggregated Microsoft 365 activity, employees were interrupted by meetings, emails, or notifications an average of every two minutes during core working hours.

If you've ever reached the end of the day wondering where all your time went, there may be a couple hundred tiny clues. Soft productivity leaves room for protecting periods of focused work, instead of treating every notification as an immediate assignment.

Taking a Break Still Counts

Taking breaks doesn't exactly fit in with the hustle culture mentality. But, a break isn't the opposite of being productive. Research on workplace recovery has found that stepping away from work can help restore our energy and support our ability to keep performing over time.

The American Psychological Association also recorded research that connects work breaks with better concentration, mood, and overall well-being. That doesn't mean we have to turn a coffee break into an elaborate wellness ritual. 

Taking a short walk or eating lunch somewhere other than the keyboard can give us a chance to step away for a bit.

Some Days Are Going to Be More Productive Than Others

We're not machines, which means we don't arrive at work with the same amount of energy every day. Some days, the big project gets finished before lunch. Other days, getting through the necessary work and answering the important emails is enough.

Soft productivity makes some room for that distinction. The goal isn't to stop trying whenever we're tired. It's to stop pretending that every hour of every day needs to produce the same amount of work.

That makes productivity something we can maintain, rather than something we have to win every afternoon.

Productivity Doesn’t Need to Be So Hard

Do we really need a new term to remind us that productivity doesn't have to be exhausting? Probably not.

But, the popularity of the idea may say something about how accustomed we've become to treating exhaustion as evidence that we've worked hard enough.

Soft productivity gives us permission to get things done without making ourselves miserable in the process. Maybe soft productivity isn't a workplace trend at all. Maybe it's just what a normal Tuesday should look like.

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