r/productivity • u/SocialAnchovy • 1d ago
Question My issue with young productivity influencers: most lack work experience to prove their teachings
I see too many young productivity influencers on YT and IG making videos about productivity hacks despite the fact that they have NEVER held a full-time job! Too many of them were students who got into learning and productivity methods in college and then started making videos, or are just content borrowers who regurgitate other people's content. I'd like to see them work 12 months in a corporate job to prove their methods work. They're just self-employed which usually doesn't translate to what the rest of us need.
I'd prefer to learn from someone like Cal Newport who has actually held a university job for many years in addition to his being an author. That takes real skill and systems. What he teaches must work, right?
48
u/vulevu25 1d ago
I know what you mean. I got a bit sick of productivity videos made by people whose main (only?) professional activity is being a productivity influencer. They don't seem to have any other experience to draw on Watching a video about how someone plans their YouTube content doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Cal Newport is okay, although I don't think all of his tips are realistic when you're not a celebrity productivity guru. He's changed his tune a bit recently and acknowledges that his work/personal situation isn't necessarily the norm. He sometimes cover questions relevant to academia (my field of work) in his podcast. I do sometimes listen to it but I don't find the content relevant enough to spend too much time on it. The GTD podcast has interesting episodes, which are more focused than Newport.
12
u/SocialAnchovy 1d ago
I agree with you there, and I think he himself acknowledges some of his limitations. Like if you put him in a government agency for a year he wouldn’t succeed because he’d lack the autonomy he has always enjoyed in academia. But at least he’s transparent about that.
Some of these other people seem more focused on decorating their rooms with neon and plants than testing their skills in a real job.
-2
u/kimchi_paradise 1d ago
What is a "real" job?
10
u/DetrasDeLaMesa 1d ago
Digging a tunnel under the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. That’s the only real job.
1
u/abreadingit 1d ago
Where to listen the gtd podcast?
2
u/vulevu25 1d ago
I listen to it on Apple podcasts. I'm sure it's also on other platforms. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/getting-things-done/id999098861
2
22
u/ReverendDizzle 1d ago
I agree. Recently I came across a video series from a guy who started doing the videos as a way of sharing his study hacks in college and continued doing the videos in grad school and then into his professional job (he went on to become lawyer or a surgeon, can't recall which).
Anyway, it struck me as novel because he was actually sharing methods as he used them and progressed in his life, and not just doing the bullshitty "hey fellow life hackers!" nonsense.
Most productivity content creators have the "get rich by doing this get rich scheme I made up" vibe.
4
u/tzarista 1d ago
What productivity youtuber is this?
6
u/ReverendDizzle 21h ago
Had to go digging in my YouTube history to find him, but the guy I was talking about is Liam Porritt.
Most of his videos felt basic to me (which is no slight against him, I'm just an older established professional who has been doing this stuff since the guy in question was a literal child). But my daughter really enjoyed his videos. So it was a good way to "back door" the same advice I would have given her anyway, but in a digestible not-from-dad format.
11
u/the_dugong 1d ago
Those that work and are productive wouldn't take time to make high-production videos unless they can earn from it. So that means the productivity influencers are either those that aren't productive in the "real-world" sense, or those that have switched careers and can now speak from experience. The latter is rare.
8
13
u/YogiMamaK 1d ago
If someone is a productivity writer/influencer and they don't have kids and a job, I'm frankly not interested. If all they have to juggle is going to the gym after work and feeding themselves, that's hopelessly irrelevant to any parent. Show me Laura Vanderkam crushing it with 5 kids, or Meghan Hyatt Miller. I need to slay professionally and be a great mom.
3
u/honeyednyx 1d ago
And this is why it’s good to have different influencers, so different audiences get served. I’m never going to have kids or that basic family life so mom stuff is wholly irrelevant to me.
0
u/Ok_Rule_2153 1d ago
Even influencers with kids can just outsource everything to a nanny.
3
u/YogiMamaK 1d ago
The interesting content is how they do it with kids. Help is always part of it, but if they're not actively parenting, then they'll be disconnected. Their advice won't make any sense.
5
u/Life-Butterscotch-74 23h ago edited 21h ago
I agree completely. I was watching a video last night that boiled down to “why do two hours of work when you can do 30 minutes of DEEP work with the same results?”
Okay??? That style of work may be useful for entrepreneurs and content creators, but what most people need is the ability to work steadily for 8-10 hours. EDIT: spelling
4
u/Joyful-Adsorption 18h ago
Read The Checklist Manifesto, recognize that procrastination is a form of mild depression, and make your bed as soon as you get up/ have a morning routine.
I'm 43. I tell my kids everything they do should be a conscious process. Brushing teeth, what's the process (random around the mouth or section by section). Cleaning a room, what's the process (random cleanup, getting a big bin, sectioning the room, cleaning by category). Studying, what's the process (right before test, or reading the material before class, organizing handouts, taking notes). Wait, taking notes, what's the process? Doing dishes (rinse off all dishes, neatly stack, then wash). Paying bills (set alert on phone, gather all, pay at once).
Batch process where you can. Strip out the inefficiencies. Recognize procrastination is depression and break the activity into 2 to 5 minute series of steps and do step one. That's how this mama of 2 with AuDHD does it and works full time as a CPA, makes dinner, takes kids to practices, grocery shops, pays bills, and keeps a decently clean house.
Inefficiencies can go pound sand.
1
14
u/kimchi_paradise 1d ago
To play opposite advocate here, the caveat here is that being a content creator (of any type, not just in productivity) IS a full time job.
It's not traditional in the sense of 9-5, employed by someone else type of work, but being on YouTube or Instagram means managing brand deals, marketing, filming, video editing, uploading (some content creators have strict upload schedules), social media engagement, managing outsourcing of any tasks, and any additional streams of revenue they might have (Twitch, Patreon, Classes, etc).
Which as you can see, takes time and effort, in which they have to manage and be productive in order for them to succeed. It's not unsurprising that they use those methods and apply it to their own work, which is to create productivity content.
You don't have to be a parent or someone working a 9-5 in order to talk about productivity methods. It's like saying a primary care doctor would struggle being in an emergency med environment, or a full-time Uber driver struggling to manage time in an office environment. It's just different priorities and restructuring of time, which takes time.
13
u/vulevu25 1d ago
My issue is not so much with the work involved in creating online content, but the quality of some of the content. Even if they use productivity methods to plan their work more efficiently, that doesn't necessarily mean that they have something meaningful to say to others. It might be useful for (wannabe) content creators but it's not automatically relevant for other contexts (I know that makes it sound like a bit of a pyramid scheme, particularly if they start selling templates or courses).
Maybe there are exceptions but I haven't come across them myself. Examples welcome!
0
u/kimchi_paradise 1d ago
What is the definition of "meaningful"? And who is the bearer to say what is considered "meaningful" and who gets to say it? Do you have to have something "meaningful" to say in order to create content?
Mind you, it's not that I necessarily disagree with you. It's all subjective. You might not find it useful or meaningful, but someone else might. Enough people might find it meaningful enough so that this person can have an entire job around creating this content. There is no gatekeeper (nor should there be) for creating content centered around productivity.
1
u/gbtekkie 18h ago
I will politely disagree here and agree with /u/vulevu25. I observe the same thing in software development. People who know how to hack together a few lines of code to make it do something useful do not have the skill to industrialize said useful thing. They tend to rely on “architects” to tell them what to do, or worse refuse to learn standard industry practices. Because the useful thing is working on their laptop! Same with productivity. content creation. You might be productive for the sake of creating productive content, but if you’re less productive at that you still focus on content. And the creators being criticised above don’t have a core expertise at any other content than productivity.
What I noticed the vast majority of people need is help/ideas on how to be more efficient at their “real” job executed in the context of their life. Which job probably involves content creation, but it’s business content of some sort, where said business depends on (internal company) customers and interacting with them etc. Mostly solving problems, while also communicating during the process and the results. Therefore very very different content being produced, with probably very different expectations about its quality and sharpness.
And the essence here is the business side of things, solving real world problems, while also having a life (social circle, illness, family, etc). Doesn’t have to be kids, can be a parent you need to help out, or a friend. Feels like the criticised influencers are cheating because they don’t need to research complex problems and iterate over solutions and mostly written and interpersonal communication. I would say the audience difference can be compared with writing on any social media platform (anyone that can be reached that way) versus going to a meeting with your team / your stakeholders/ presenting a strategy/ etc. I learned this the hard way when doing public speaking on technical topics, and it’s an entire world of difference.
5
u/Yiene 1d ago
You can still get good videos and advice out of these content creators, but their worth is clearly devalued when they are doing the same thing as most other productivity content creators. You can get a wider and richer range of advice from the minority of creators who have or at least have had other careers, even if they themselves are self-employed (e.g. musicians, writers (not about productivity itself)).
I'd rather watch five people from different careers than five people who are only experienced in productivity-focused content creation itself.
1
u/kimchi_paradise 22h ago
That's all subjective though. Like, just because someone else is making productivity content doesn't mean that another person can't. Perspective is important, as no two perspectives will be the same. Productivity for someone who supposedly "doesn't have a career" might also be useful for someone who "doesn't have a career", however you may define that.
5
u/Low_Extension7668 1d ago
I agree with you here. It’s still full time emplyemnt and they’re means of income
5
u/Fit_Discount_3510 22h ago
Productivity influencers on YT is one thing, on LinkedIn they are next level toxic
1
4
u/monkey-seat 1d ago
Didn’t cal newport start when he was a college student as well? Some of those young academic productivity gurus are ballers. No-holds-barred work sessions that I could never pull off 😂😂
7
u/SocialAnchovy 1d ago
No issue with him starting in college but he didn’t go into just selling productivity. He still became a math professor and dealing with teaching college classes, advising students, admin jobs, etc
5
u/FGC_RG3_MARVEL 1d ago
This can be true but also you don’t want to fall into the ego trap that a lot of people fall into when they get older of thinking things like “ they never worked hard In their life, they’re only 25! I used to walk 10 miles uphill to school everyday” that kinda thing. Or “I filled out spreadsheets on a pc for 12 hours a day for 15 years, that’s REAL work!”. I’d sooner criticize their methods and advice rather than their professional experience.
1
u/SocialAnchovy 1d ago
Hmm. Lots of pent up aggression towards crusty old desk jockeys, i see
6
u/FGC_RG3_MARVEL 1d ago
lol quite the opposite actually. I think you should’ve been paid more and had more time off. I just don’t think it’s healthy to try to put yourself above others who are also just trying to get by, that’s what Bezos wants. Not that you’re doing that, but a lot do.
2
u/ZookeepergameBig8973 1d ago
sometimes it's the way for them to make money, not really "teaching". The first show up, make the more money. I used to believe those young and fancy YouTubers who share their lifestyle online, but I now just think they have their own lives and I have my life, it's totally different with different job experience, educational background, and personality. When I realized this, I stopped chasing them.
2
u/Beneficial_Foot_436 17h ago
Same for exercise influencers... and investment and a play dry list of anyone else under about 40 that tries to sell their knowledge and experience.
They have neither. Doesn't mean their advise is all bad... but they have never been challenged.
2
u/SocialAnchovy 16h ago
Oh so true.
“I’m a 23 year old former college athlete turned personal trainer! I’m in peak condition naturally and I’m here to help 44 year old moms with 3 kids look like me!”
1
u/Devoidoxatom 1d ago
I mean you're comparing young influencers to someone who's been doing it for 20 years and has written several successful books on productivity. Who would even be in the same level as him in this sector? David Allen?
1
1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Your post/comment has been removed because it breaks our rules on NSFW content.
If you are not sure or believe this is an error please send us modmail here. Please be sure to include a link to the submission/comment.
Trying to circumvent this warning may result in a ban if comments are still related to advertising. There are no special exceptions.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/LongjumpingEast6235 14h ago
I agree it's all snackable content. Most it just feels simple so it gives users a sense of accomplishment. I haven't found any that truly apply to corporate or FT settings as just are more geared towards self help/self improvement/side hustle cultures.
Don't get me wrong I think these can be valuable to some people but to the OPs point, they lack practical experience for most careers or seasoned workers.
Any thoughts?
2
u/blaawker 3h ago
Cal Newport is the GOAT but even his systems don't always work well for all professionals. TBF he will tell you this.
The IG and TikTok influencer gurus are all unemployed as far as I'm concerned.
1
u/DavenFitz 16h ago
I expect much from these productivity guru as they are selling me on their “proven” and “successful” methods. Cal Newport provide content that is targeted to niche audience which if I set up my professional life to mirror his target audience, then I would greatly benefit from his methods.
-7
u/__nom__ 1d ago
I highly recommend Ali Abdaal!
2
u/mr_wompa 23h ago
After watching some of his videos. I think most of his videos are based on theories he get from other people and his productivity framework is just too overwhelming that I doubt any of the productivity tips he gave are real. I felt like I gain nothing from watching his videos because most of his videos are "here are some quotes from other people or books", and then followed by his technical way of explaining things with graphs. So I stopped following him.
1
u/duckspeak______quack 1d ago
Why the downvotes? People don't like this guy? First time I've heard his name. He's got a fan base though.
2
2
u/mixedeity 11h ago
Used to watch him religiously too. However after having experiences of my own (or maybe his style just changed), all his content became just a step 1, step 2 thing for me with no real advice or addressing root causes. It really did feel like a theoretical discussion on productivity topics.
132
u/HotConsequence5696 1d ago
There are *so* many "life coaches" and "girl boss" types that have no professional experience or success. It's bizarre.
I get contacted by probably 10 a week, targeting 'female executives', and they're 25 years old, haven't accomplished anything related to what they'd advise, and have no experience in my industry. And they're all being taught how to do that by their own predatory "coaches".
I agree that Cal Newport is good. Can anyone else recommend anyone?
For mom types, I do like Lazy Genius and Clutter Bug. And frankly just watching cleaning or "sunday reset" videos on tiktok or youtube. There are some "work inspo" type of creators who do the same thing. If i'm not feeling productive, seeing them do things (and now even just hearing the music that is typically used in those types of videos) is enough to kick me into action.