“You’re so productive!”

An argument against the inherent value of productivity. (Bryn Karcha photo)

In the upcoming 400 words I’m tackling the everyday colloquialism “You’re so productive.” I mean a full-on, running-start, spectacular-mud-display-as-we-slam-into-the-earth kind of tackle. This phrase needs some serious deconstructing.

When people comment on their co-worker’s productivity, it’s a compliment. Being productive is automatically a positive personal trait in most contexts. Why?

The compliment implies that its recipient has landed on the right side of a moral struggle. A struggle to do what? To produce. The question, then, is why so many people seem to value production as an inherently good act.

The easy answer to this is that we live in a capitalist society, which has taught its citizens to look well on productivity. Hold your groans! I’m not finished. Capitalism needs us to be productive in order for the economy to keep building. This is not always a bad thing; I like the illusion of choice when shopping as much as the next person. But it certainly poses some problems.

Being productive is a good thing when someone finds their tasks interesting and fulfilling, and is able to manage them without going insane. It becomes negative when the person is overrun, chasing task after task simply to feel accomplished (that is, if any time is left to celebrate accomplishment at all). There is a fine and shifting line between the values and drawbacks of productivity, and depending on where that line is for an individual, using the phrase “you’re so productive” as a compliment might carry misplaced connotations. Just because it’s good for economics doesn’t mean it’s good for everyone.

Of course, a productive day can be both personally satisfying and useful to the capitalist economy—they aren’t mutually exclusive. If you’re the kind of person who loves commitments and likes being recognized for them, hearing that compliment is probably a welcome ego boost. If, however, you don’t give a rat’s patootie whether someone else thinks you’re productive or not, these words bear absolutely no meaning. Also, what counts as one person’s productive day could be another’s vacation. The value of the phrase is entirely subjective and should not be immediately assumed.

So look your complimentee in the eye next time your capitalist instinct prompts you to put this phrase to use. Do they look haggard? Worn? Like they haven’t eaten anything but frozen pizza in days? Whether they’ve finished a paper, finished their errands or won the Nobel Prize, don’t say it. Sit them down and make them some soup. They already know they’re productive.