We've been sold a lie about productivity. The narrative goes: work harder, accomplish more, and success will follow. But data tells a different story:
- A Gallup study of 50,000 professionals found zero correlation between hours worked and compensation above $75,000 - McKinsey research shows that top performers spend 40% less time on routine tasks than average performers - LinkedIn data reveals that professionals who focus on "high-visibility projects" earn 47% more than those who don't
The truth is stark: most of us are optimizing for the wrong metrics.