Geotechnical Engineering in Uganda Series (016)_Activity vs Productivity

Once Upon a Time

For a long time (probably eight years from 2010 to 2018), I was teaching in more than one university in Uganda. At one point, I was teaching in four universities. I found myself running from one class at a certain university to the next class in another university. One of the universities was located in Kabale, approximately 410 km from Kampala where the other three universities are closely located. Every time I reflect on that season of my life, I wonder how I pulled it off. Anyway, it negatively affected my health and marriage. It is something I would not recommend to anyone I consider a colleague. Worst of all, that season never contributed anything concrete to my career. I now realize I was very active but not productive. The good thing I stopped that nonsense. As a geotechnical engineer, do you know the difference between activity and productivity.

Activity vs Productivity

It has been said that “activity can, but does not always, result in productivity”. Activity is about getting things done. Yet productivity is getting the right things done. So, it is very possible to be active/busy in your career without necessarily upgrading your career. Many of us can associate with this. You look at the last five years of your career and there is nothing of value out of it. To make it worse, even the finances are not adding up. It is advisable to consider two things when accepting a job offer. Accept a job where you are going to learn something new and/or get a better pay. If the job can offer the two, then that is the best. That way your productivity will increase.

How to Increase Productivity

These three things will increase your productivity: Priority, Focus and Action. In 2019, I decided to quit all the other universities and concentrate at Makerere University (http://www.mak.ac.ug) and consultancy work at SADRiNE (https://sadrine-consulting.com/) . The last four years have been the most productive. I have been able to do research and teach excellently in collaboration with the University of Cape Town (www.uct.ac.za) through Prof. Denis Kalumba. SADRiNE has also grown greatly. The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the “vital few“). Find out the 20% and concentrate on that. The earlier you avoid the 80%, the better. It is never too late to become what you were meant to be. You still have time to make a shift from activity to productivity.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, as a geotechnical engineer stop running around looking for more activities to make yourself busy. Otherwise focus on that which is productive for your career. Remember “What you focus on grows”. If you focus on activity, you will become more busy. But if you focus on productivity, you will become an engineer of value.