Productivity: Getting practical about productivity

Fred Rogers lived a wildly productive life. Over the course of Mister Roger's Neighborhood's 31 seasons, Rogers personally wrote 900 scripts, 200 songs, and 13 operas as well as starred in the show, produced it, directed it, and performed the music. He even animated the show's puppets. When he wasn't in the studio, he found time to write books, make speeches, and public appearances all while raising a healthy family. He was busy, but he wasn't hurried.

People who knew Rogers best say that when in his presence, time seemed to slow down. This description is so popular when talking about Rogers that his staff called it "Fred time." We can see evidence of Rogers' appreciation for being unhurried in the opening scene of his TV program. At the beginning of each episode, the first thing viewers saw inside Mr. Rogers' home wasn't the host, but a blinking yellow traffic light- a not-so-subtle cue that it is time to slow down and stop rushing around.

Productivity is best defined as purposeful action. There's something different between being busy and being productive. Productivity comes with purposeful action.